Students are admitted into the social work program as pre-social work majors. Pre-majors are primarily freshmen and sophomores who complete general education requirements and beginning social work courses.
The Bachelor of Social Work degree includes 125 hours of coursework, with an emphasis on academic/theoretical material as well as skills and practice experience. Students begin the program as pre-social work majors and complete area requirements in language arts; social and behavioral sciences; math and natural sciences; and the humanities.
After completing specified pre-requisites, eligible students may make application to the upper-division professional sequence as a social work major. Those students admitted into the sequence as majors take primarily social work courses in the junior and senior years, and complete a supervised internship, or field practicum, in a social services agency in the last semester.
Required Courses to Complete the BSW Degree
- Social Welfare Policy: SW310, SW323K
- Research: SW313, SW318
- Human Behavior: SW325, SW327
- Social Work Practice: SW312, SW332, SW333, SW334
- Field Practicum: SW640, SW641, SW444
Order and Choice of Work for Students Enrolled Prior to Fall 2010
Social work pre-majors will vary between 2 and 3 years of coursework to fulfill the requirements to apply for the social work major depending on the number of hours taken each semester, and whether students choose to attend summer sessions. Because of the way courses are sequenced, it is expected that students will complete required upper-division social work courses in three or four long semesters once they are admitted to the major.
Suggested Course Schedule for Pre-Social Work Majors
FIRST YEAR
- RHE 306: Rhetoric and Composition
- SW 310: Introduction to Social Work
- PSY 301: Introduction to Psychology
- BIO 301: Human Biology, Ecology
- Mathematics
- SOC 302: Introduction to Sociology
- HIS 315K: US History I
- Humanities-related course
- GOV 310L: American Government
Total semester hours 30
SECOND YEAR AND SUMMERS
- E 316k: Masterworks of Literature
- GOV 312L: Texas Government
- SW 318: Social Work Statistics
- Foreign Language I
- SW 312: Generalist Social Work Practice
- SW 313: Research Methods
- PSY 304: Child Psychology
- Foreign Language II
- HIS 315L: US History II
Total semester hours 31
Required Courses for Social Work Majors
THIRD YEAR
- SW 325, Foundations of Social Justice
- SW 327, Human Behavior and Social Environment
- SW 334, Social Work Practice in Organizations and Communities
- 3 hour Area D Cultural Diversity course
- Economics
- 3 hour writing component course
- 6 hours of upper-division social and behavioral science courses
Total semester hours 27
FOURTH YEAR
- SW 332, Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families
- SW 333, Social Work Practice with Groups
- SW 323K Social Welfare Programs, Policies and Issues
- 3 hour upper division elective (only required if additional hours are needed to fulfill the 46 upper-division hours required for completion of degree)
- SW 640/641 Field Practicum (480 clock hours in human services agency)
- SW 443, Integrative Seminar
All other required course work must be completed before entering field practicum.
Total semester hours 37
Total Hours Required for Degree: 125
Order and Choice of Work for Students Enrolled Fall 2010 and After
Social work pre-majors will vary between 2 and 3 years of coursework to fulfill the requirements to apply for the social work major depending on the number of hours taken each semester, and whether students choose to attend summer sessions. Because of the way courses are sequenced, it is expected that students will complete required upper-division social work courses in three or four long semesters once they are admitted to the major.
Suggested Course Schedule for Pre-Social Work Majors
FIRST YEAR
- RHE 306: Rhetoric and Composition
- SW 310: Introduction to Social Work
- PSY 301: Introduction to Psychology
- Human Biology, Ecology (Science and Technology, Part I or II)
- First-Year Signature Course (UGS 302 or 303)
- Mathematics
- SOC 302: Introduction to Sociology
- US History
- Visual and Performing Arts
- GOV 310L: American Government
SECOND YEAR AND SUMMERS
- E 316k: Masterworks of Literature
- GOV 312L: Texas Government
- SW 318: Social Work Statistics
- Foreign Language I and II
- SW 312: Generalist Social Work Practice
- SW 313: Research Methods
- PSY 304: Child Psychology or HDF 313 & 113L: Child Development
- US History
Required Courses for Social Work Majors
THIRD YEAR
- Science and Technology: Part I
- Science and Technology: Part II
- Writing Flag (Non-social work)
- Economics
- 6 hours of Upper Division Social and Behavioral Science
- 9 hours of Electives
- SW 325, Foundations of Social Justice
- SW 327, Human Behavior and Social Environment
- SW 334, Social Work Practice in Organizations and Communities
FOURTH YEAR
- SW 332, Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families
- SW 333, Social Work Practice with Groups
- SW 323K Social Welfare Programs, Policies and Issues
- 3 hour upper division elective (only required if additional hours are needed to fulfill the 46 upper-division hours required for completion of degree)
- SW 640/641 Field Practicum (480 clock hours in human services agency)
- SW 443, Integrative Seminar
All other required course work must be completed before entering field practicum.
Total Hours Required for Degree: 125