Social Work Requirements

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The course of study consists of three (3) major components: (1) required University Core Curriculum course work; (2) required social work major course work; and (3) general university electives. The B.S. in Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), 1701 Duke Street, Suite 200, Alexandria, VA  22314-3457, Phone: 703-683-8080.

University’s Core Curriculum program, required of all students pursuing a bachelor’s degree, is a carefully balanced series of courses of inquiry in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, fine arts, English and communication skills, mathematics, health, and multicultural studies. The University Core Curriculum courses in sociology, political science, economics, human biology and psychology are particularly relevant to the Social Work major. The student must achieve an overall 2.0 grade point average (GPA) (on a 4.0 scale) on their university core requirements.

Social Work requirements in the curriculum include courses that define the role of the profession as it relates to society, politics, and the economy; that provide the conceptual framework to address problems and changed circumstances for individuals, families, groups, and communities; and that examine the structure, functions, policies, programs, and strategies of the social welfare system.

Methods courses cover interviewing and interpersonal helping skills, problem solving, group theory, community organization, community development, and social research. This core of courses is designed to give students a solid foundation in understanding, creating and applying research that will help the students become effective professionals and to give the students the potential to add to the body of knowledge that will guide their daily decisions and behavior. 

The field practicum provides an opportunity to integrate theoretical knowledge and helping skills learned in the classroom with the real world settings of southern Illinois social service agencies. A concurrent weekly seminar supports this integration of theory and practice. The practicum is taken in the second semester of the senior year.

Social Work majors must achieve a minimum grade of C in SOCW 275 & SOCW 383 and maintain a minimum overall 2.25 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) in their requirements for the social work major.  Further, social work majors must achieve a minimum 2.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) in their social work major core courses (SOCW 275, SOCW 291, SOCW 383, SOCW 400A, SOCW 400B, SOCW 401, SOCW 402, SOCW 411, and SOCW 421) to enroll in field practicum (SOCW 441 & SOCW 442).

General University electives may be chosen from any University courses which are relevant to personal interests and/or social work. Students may use University electives to pursue a minor in a field of study related to social work major, for example:  Africana Studies; Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Child and Family Services; Criminology and Criminal Justice; etc.  The student must achieve an overall 2.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) on their general electives unless otherwise noted for specific minors.

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Social Work Degree Requirements

Degree RequirementsCredit Hours
University Core Curriculum Requirements 39
Requirements for Major in Social Work 63
ANTH 240A, PLB 115 or ZOOL 115 (or other approved human biology), SOC 108, POLS 114, PSYC 102 and ECON 113 (9)+6
Foundations of Social Work: SOCW 201, SOCW 275, SOCW 291, SOCW 400A, SOCW 400B, SOCW 411, and SOCW 421 18
Social Work Practice: SOCW 383, SOCW 401, SOCW 402, SOCW 441, and SOCW 442 21
Social Work Policy, Practice, and Issues: A total of 6 credit hours of 300/400 level courses selected from SOCW 350A, SOCW 350B, SOCW 350C, SOCW 361, SOCW 446A, SOCW 446B, SOCW 446C, SOCW 446D, SOCW 446E, SOCW 446F, SOCW 446G, SOCW 446H, SOCW 446I, SOCW 446J, SOCW 446K, SOCW 446L, SOCW 478A, SOCW 478B, SOCW 478C, SPED 300 (highly suggested), or other approved 300/400 level University courses (ask for list of highly suggested Social Work electives). 6
At least two 300/400 level electives in the liberal arts selected from: Anthropology, Philosophy, History, Political Science, Psychology or Sociology (ask for list of highly suggested liberal arts electives). 6
An introduction to statistics course: HCM 365, MATH 282, PSYC 211, SOC 208, or SOCW 397 (preferred), or QUAN 402 3
General Electives 18
Total 120