CHANGES TO THE BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK IN THE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
CHAPTER OF THE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG, 2012-2014
1.
NAME OF DEGREE PROGRAM: BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK
2.
IF THE ANSWER TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IS YES, THE COLLEGE
MUST CONSULT NEAL ARMSTRONG WHO WILL DETERMINE WHETHER SACS-COC
APPROVAL IS NEEDED.
 Is this a new degree program? Yes or no?
No
 Does the program offer courses that will be taught off campus? Yes or no?
No
 Will courses in this program be delivered electronically? Yes or no?
No
3.
EXPLAIN CHANGE TO DEGREE PROGRAM:
1. Changes due to implementation of University core
In the new University core curriculum, there are 6 flags that must be fulfilled. In the 2010-2012
catalog, the School of Social Work requires that undergraduate students complete 3 writing flags,
1 cultural diversity in the United States flag, and 1 ethics and leadership flag. The following flags
will be added to the required coursework for undergraduate students in the 2012-2014 catalog
year:
1. Global cultures flag – 3 hours; the global cultures flag will replace an elective course. SW
460K (Topic: Roots of Social and Economic Justice – England) has been approved as classlevel global cultures flag.
2. Quantitative reasoning flag – 3 hours; SW 318 is required of all BSW students and has been
approved as a quantitative reasoning flag.
2. Changes to the internal transfer standards
Currently, any undergraduate student at the University who meets the regulations set out in
General Information is eligible to transfer into the School of Social Work as a pre-major. The
School of Social Work will tighten these standards through the following means:
1. Requiring completion of at least 12 semester hours of coursework in residence at the
University prior to transfer.
2. Requiring that, if social work coursework is completed prior to transfer, the student have a
minimum social work grade point average of 2.50.
3. Qualifying that admission as an internal transfer student is offered, as space is available, to the
students who are best qualified.
4. Encouraging students with over 90 hours completed to consider other options.
3. Additions to acceptable coursework to fulfill School of Social Work requirements
The following courses will be added to the list of acceptable courses to fulfill School of Social
Work requirements:
1. Addition of BIO 301L and BIO 311C to the list of acceptable courses to fulfill the 3-hour
human biology course requirement.
2. Addition of upper-division Applied Learning and Development, Kinesiology, and Social
Work 360K courses to the upper-division social and behavioral science requirement.
4. Revision of maximum number of hours completed in social work
Students are currently allowed to complete a maximum of 54 hours in social work coursework. In
the 2012-2014 catalog, students will be allowed to complete a maximum of 60 hours in social
work coursework.
3a. Indicate pages in the undergraduate catalog where changes will be made. Pages 664-665, 669-672
4.
GIVE A DETAILED RATIONALE FOR CHANGE. INDIVIDUAL CHANGES SHOULD BE
LISTED SEPARATELY.
1. Changes due to implementation of University core
The global cultures flag and the quantitative reasoning flag will be incorporated into the BSW
degree requirements in compliance with the University core curriculum.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The global cultures flag will replace a 3-hour elective, so as not to increase the number of
hours required to complete the BSW degree. Six hours of lower-division electives and 3 hours
of upper-division electives are still required.
2. SW 318 is required of all BSW students; there will therefore be no substantive change.
Changes to the internal transfer standards
The School of Social Work has decided to tighten the internal transfer standards so as to increase
the expectations of incoming social work students. Additionally, this change in standards will give
the BSW program committee more ability to limit the number of students transferring into the
School of Social Work from other schools and colleges to the number for which a quality
education may be provided.
Additions to acceptable coursework to fulfill School of Social Work requirements
The School of Social Work will expand the learning opportunities, educational options, and course
availability for the human biology requirement and for the upper-division social and behavioral
science requirement through adding additional courses to the approved course list. Representatives
from the impacted departments have been contacted and have given approval.
Revision of maximum number of hours completed in social work
Students will be allowed to complete up to 60 hours of social work coursework counted towards
the BSW degree program, so as to allow for social work students to take additional specialized
courses in social work that will aid in their particular career interests.
SCOPE OF PROPOSED CHANGE
5a. Does this proposal impact other colleges/schools? If yes, then how?
Yes.
Item 3 expands approved courses to those facilitated through the College of Education and the
College of Natural Sciences.
If yes, impacted schools must be contacted and their response(s) included:
 Person communicated with: Richard Mattingly, College of Education
Date of communication:
07/11/2011
Response: Supports the inclusion of Applied Learning and Development and Kinesiology
courses to the list of approved courses for the upper-division social and behavioral science
requirement.
 Person communicated with: Mike Raney, College of Natural Sciences
Date of communication:
07/18/2011
Response: Supports the inclusion of BIO 301L and BIO 311C to the list of approved courses
for the human biology requirement.
5b. Does this proposal involve changes to the core curriculum or other basic education
requirements (42-hour core, signature courses, flags)? If yes, explain:
Yes
It reflects the changes to the University core curriculum.
5c. Will this proposal change the number of hours required for degree completion?
No
COLLEGE/SCHOOL APPROVAL PROCESS:
Department approval date:
March 23, 2011
College approval date:
April 4, 2011
Dean approval date:
September 1, 2011
[P AGE S 66 4 -665 ]
ADMISSI ON TO THE SCH OOL OF SOCIAL WORK A S A P RE– SOCIAL W ORK
MAJ OR
Any student newly admitted to the University may enter the School of Social Work as a pre–social work
major. A student who is enrolled in another college or school of the University may transfer to the School
of Social Work as a pre–social work major in accordance with the University’s rules on transfer from one
division to another. These rules are given in General Information; they include a requirement that students
with forty-five semester hours of credit or more have a grade point average of at least 2.00.
A student may transfer from another division of the University to the School of Social Work in accordance
with the regulations given in General Information.
A University student who wants to transfer as a pre-social work major must meet the following
requirements:
1. Completion of at least twelve semester hours of coursework in residence at the University. Credit
earned by exam, correspondence, and extension may not be counted toward this requirement.
2. A cumulative in-residence grade point average of at least 2.00.
3. If social work coursework has been completed prior to the application, a grade point average of at
least 2.50 in those courses is required, and all social work courses must have been completed with
a grade of at least C.
Only currently enrolled students may apply. Forms to apply for internal transfer are available through
the School of Social Work Office of Academic Affairs.
Admission to the School of Social Work is offered on a space-available basis to the students who are
best qualified.
Students with over ninety semester hours of coursework or a completed degree are encouraged to
consider other options, such as completing a degree in their current college/school or alternate institution
with the option of pursuing an MSSW degree at a later date.
ADMISSI ON TO THE MAJ OR I N SOCIAL W ORK
[no changes to the first three paragraphs]
1. The applicant must have completed at least forty-five semester hours of coursework, including at least
thirty hours chosen from the following requirements:
a. All requirements of the University’s core curriculum, described in chapter 2.
b. Sociology 302.
c. Psychology 301.
d. One three-semester-hour course in human biology: Biology 301L, 301M, 309D, or 309F, or 311C.
e. Second-semester-level proficiency, or the equivalent, in a single foreign language.
f. A three-semester-hour course in economics.
2. The applicant must have completed the following courses with a grade of at least C in each course:
Social Work 310, 312, 313, 318, and either Human Development and Family Sciences 313 or
Psychology 304. He or she must also have a grade point average of at least 2.50 in courses that are part
of the social work major requirements.
3. The applicant must have a University grade point average of at least 2.00.
4. Application for admission must be made on forms available from the Office of Academic Affairs in the
School of Social Work.
5. The following must be submitted to the BSW Program by the application deadline:
a. The completed application for admission to the professional curriculum.
b. A personal statement as explained on the application.
c. At least two recommendation forms completed by appropriate individuals who can attest to the
applicant’s academic and professional readiness to enter the program.
d. Documentation of successful completion of at least forty-five hours of supervised volunteer
experience involving direct contact with clients in a human services organization.
e. Official transcripts from all colleges attended, if the coursework has not been transferred to the
student’s University record.
f. Score reports for any credit earned by examination, if the scores are not on the student’s University
record.
6. The applicant may be asked to appear for a personal interview.
[no further changes to this section]
[P AGE 6 69]
B ACH E LO R O F SO C I AL W O RK
The requirements for the Bachelor of Social Work degree are designed to give the student an opportunity for
integrated, nonrepetitive learning. A total of 125 semester hours is required. These may include credit by
examination and a maximum of five one-semester elective courses taken on the pass/fail basis. All students
must complete the requirements for the major and must complete at least sixty semester hours in residence at
the University. These sixty hours must include at least twenty-four semester hours in social work. A
completed degree program must include at least forty-six semester hours of upper-division coursework, of
which twenty-four semester hours must have been taken in residence. No more than fifty-four sixty semester
hours in social work may be counted toward the degree.
Each student must complete a sequence of prescribed work; major requirements, which include the field
practicum; and special requirements, which include electives.
[PAGE 669]
SKILLS AND EXP ERIENC ES FLAGS
In the process of fulfilling the core curriculum and other degree requirements, all students pursuing the
Bachelor of Social Work must complete courses that carry flags in the following areas:
1. Writing: Three courses beyond Rhetoric and Writing 306 or the equivalent that carry a writing flag;
one of these courses must be upper-division. Social Work 323K and 327 count toward this
requirement; students must complete the third writing course outside the School of Social Work.
Courses used to fulfill the writing requirement may be used to fulfill other requirements.
2. Cultural diversity in the United States: One flagged course. Social Work 310 and 325 carry the cultural
diversity flag.
3. Ethics and leadership: One flagged course. Social Work 332 and 333 carry the ethics and leadership
flag.
[4. Quantitative reasoning: One flagged course. Social Work 318 carries the quantitative reasoning flag.
5. Global cultures: One flagged course chosen from approved list.]
[PAGES 669-670]
MAJ OR REQUI REMENTS
[no changes to the first two paragraphs]
1. The following courses are required:
a. Social welfare policy: Social Work 310, 323K.
b. Research: Social Work 313, 318.
c. Human behavior: Social Work 325, 327.
d. Practice: Social Work 312, 332, 333, 334.
e. Field practicum: Social Work 640, 641, 444.
2. Students must complete a three-semester-hour introductory course in psychology. Psychology 301
fulfills this requirement and may also be counted toward the social and behavioral science requirement
of the core curriculum.
3. Students must complete a three-semester-hour introductory course in sociology. Sociology 302 fulfills
this requirement and may also be counted toward the social and behavioral science requirement of the
core curriculum.
4. Students must complete either Human Development and Family Sciences 313 or Psychology 304.
5. Students must complete a three-semester-hour course in human/environmental biology: Biology 301L,
301M, 309D, 309F, 311C, or the equivalent. Biology 301M may be used with another biology course
to fulfill the science and technology, part I requirement of the core curriculum; or Biology 309D or
309F may be used to fulfill the science and technology, part II requirement.
6. Students must complete three semester hours in economics. Certain economics courses may also be
used to fulfill the social and behavioral sciences requirement of the core curriculum.
7. Students must complete at least nine semester hours of upper-division coursework in the social and
behavioral sciences (applied learning and development, anthropology, economics, educational
psychology, government, history, kinesiology, psychology, and sociology, and social work 360K
topics) in addition to other major requirements. Six of these nine hours may be upper-division social
work electives.
[P AGE 6 72]
SUGGESTED SCHEDULE FOR SOCIAL WORK MAJORS
Third Year
Thirty-six semester hours:
Six hours of coursework that, with BIO 301M, fulfill both parts of the core curriculum science and
technology requirement
A three-hour non–social work course that carries a writing flag
A three-hour economics course
Six hours of upper-division social and behavioral science coursework
Nine Six hours of elective coursework
A three-hour global cultures flag course
S W 325, Foundations of Social Justice
S W 327, Human Behavior and Social Environment
S W 334, Social Work Practice in Organizations and Communities