Program Description
The Social Work Program emphasizes the history of social work and how its history has shaped current social work practice as we know it today. The program provides quality courses that focus on emerging topics in the areas of social welfare policy, research, human behavior, ethics, and social work methods. The program heavily focuses on teaching student’s knowledge and application of values/ethics in practice with ALL populations. Furthermore, it is expected that our students, while being challenged in a dynamic community agency, be appropriately supervised by a competent field instructor. It is our hope that students, after receiving this sound training, would further their education in graduate or professional programs to engage in higher levels of practice to improve the conditions of oppressed people everywhere.
Program Mission
The program is designed to produce sound, beginning generalist social work practitioners at the baccalaureate level who demonstrate the knowledge, values, and skills of the profession by working with diverse populations in the local, national and global communities.
The mission of the Social Work program at Winston-Salem State University is to provide undergraduate instruction that will equip social work graduates with the skills they need to become beginning generalist social work practitioners. The program will provide students with the knowledge and ethical skills needed in direct service positions in order to be able to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Our graduates will be able to employ integrated strategies in assessing human needs throughout their careers. In addition, graduates will also be able to affirm the dynamics of different groups, taking into consideration their unique racial, economic, ethnic, gender, physical and cognitive characteristics.
Program Goals
The goals of the Social Work Program are the following:
- To address the need for competent entry-level, beginning generalist social workers who can work on the micro, mezzo and macro levels of social work practice.
- To address social and economic injustices within the context of the political economic structures currently in society.
- To address issues surrounding social work values, ethics, and skills in professional practice.
- To address the need for students and graduates to become critical thinkers through their professional careers.
- To address the need for students to attend professional and continuing education seminars through their professional careers.
- To address the need for students and graduates to become sensitive to the diverse needs of multi-ethnic populations and at-risk populations.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the major, the student will be able to:
- To provide a historical background for the social work profession and current social work practice.
- To prepare undergraduate students to identify social, political, and economic injustices that impact oppressed populations such as people of color, women, LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning) persons, and the elderly.
- To prepare undergraduate students for employment as beginning generalist social work practitioners who will work with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations.
- To provide an undergraduate generalist curriculum that facilitates the acquisition and demonstration of knowledge in social work values, human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policy, research, practice methods, cultural diversity, populations at risk, along with social and economic justice.
- To prepare undergraduate students to affirm and adhere to the basic values and ethics that guide social work practice.
- To prepare undergraduate students to appropriately use supervision in beginning generalist social work practice.
- To prepare students for graduate and professional education.
- To prepare and equip students with basic research competence within the context of social work practice.
Major Requirements
Students majoring in social work must take a minimum of 43 semester hours of required social work courses and 15 semester hours of related course work for a total of 58 semester hours. Students must obtain a grade of “C” or better in all required courses.
SOC 2301, PSY 2301 and an introductory statistics class should be completed as part of general education (6 semester hours).
Majors will be advised by a social work program faculty member to ensure that each matriculates through the curriculum within the university-targeted four to five year time period. The student and advisor must meet a minimum of twice during the academic year to ensure sequential selection of courses and to avoid delays in the student completing the Social Work program.
Academic credit for life experience and previous work experience is not given, in whole or in part, in lieu of the field practicum or for courses in the professional foundation areas specified in the EPAS. Social Work credit earned at a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education is reviewed and evaluated by the BSW Program Coordinator for transferability. No social work credit is given for credits earned at a non-accredited school.
Admission Requirements
Formal admission to the Social Work Program involves a series of steps. Students generally apply for formal admission to the program during the spring or summer terms. The Social Work Program Committee will review applications and admit qualified students into the program.
To be admitted to the Social Work program, students must
- successfully complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in general education requirements;
- successfully complete SOW 3363-Introduction to Social Work, with a grade of “C” or higher, and have an overall GPA of 2.0
- submit a current copy of the official transcript
- sign a contract indicating that they read and agreed to the follow the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers;
- secure two letters of reference
A transfer student may declare Social Work as his or her intended major; however admission to the Social Work Program is dependent upon the following:
- Completion of the general education courses with a minimum GPA of 2.0
- Completion of SOW 3363-Intro to Social Work with a “C” or higher;
- Submission of an application with supporting documents.
Prerequisite Courses
SOC 2301 General Sociology
PSY 2301 General Psychology
MAT/ PSY 2326 Elementary Statistics
Required Major Course (43 semester hours)
SOW 3363 Introduction to Social Work
SOW 3368 Social Welfare Policy I
SOW 3369 Social Welfare Policy II
SOW 3375 Social Work Methods I
SOW 3376 Social Work Methods II
SOW 3302 Social Work Research
SOW 3370 Human Behavior and the Social Environment I
SOW 4340 Human Behavior and the Social Environment II
SOW 3641 Field Instruction I
SOW 4641 Field Instruction II
SOW 4343 Ethics in SW Practice
SOW 3101 BSW Professional Seminar
SOW 4302 Applied SW Research
Required Related Courses (15 semester hours)
CSC 1306 Computer and Its Use or MIS 1385 Introduction to Data Processing
ECO 2312 Principles of Macroeconomics
SOC 2356 Marriage and Family
PSY 4321 Group Dynamics
SOC 4364 Race and Culture or SOC 3343 Cultural Diversity
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