Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
Social work is a human service profession that assists the needs of society in several areas, including gerontology, health care, mental retardation, child welfare, correctional rehabilitation, mental health, income maintenance, home health, hospice, domestic violence, homelessness, and alcoholism/substance abuse. The BSW Program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and prepares students as generalist practitioners for entry-level professional practice with individuals, marital couples, families, small groups, organizations, practitioners, and entire communities.
Admission Requirements and Procedures
The BSW Program has a selective admission procedure.
- Be unconditionally admitted to MSU through the University's Office of Enrollment Services.
- Declare social work as an area of concentration.
- Meet with assigned faculty advisor.
- Obtain and complete application. File the application, an unofficial transcript, a copy of current program evaluation, and autobiographical sketch with advisor one week prior to interview with the faculty advisor.
- The Program Director, in collaboration with program faculty, will determine and announce each semester's schedule for students to apply for advanced standing. The Program Director will schedule faculty conferences on individual student evaluations as needed as described in paragraph 4.
- The student's advisor will meet with the candidate after reviewing all of the material presented by the student and any recommendations made by other faculty. If all is in order, the faculty member will notify the social work faculty committee that the student is accepted for advanced standing. If there are any exceptions to the standard criteria, the Program Director will determine whether the candidate's application should be reviewed by the Social Work Faculty Committee. In those cases, faculty will make one of four determinations:
- Approved - all admission criteria have been met and the faculty believes the student has demonstrated the values of social work.
- Conditional approval (probation) - one of more of the admission criteria has not been met but the faculty believe that the student can complete the deficiencies within a specified time frame.
- Deferred - student does not meet admission criteria but will be reconsidered once all criteria are met.
- Denied - student does not meet admission criteria.
Admission Criteria
Applicants to the BSW Program are selected based upon the following criteria:
- Completion of 64 credit hours of the required pre-social work courses as listed on the curriculum sequence;
- Completion of, or enrollment in SWK 210 — Orientation to Social Work, SWK 230 — Social Welfare History and Ethics, SWK 320 — Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Conception to Young Adulthood, and SWK 324 — Social Work Research; and
- Achievement of an overall GPA of 2.5 and grade of "C" or above in all Social Work Core courses.
General Education
SWK 499C — Senior Seminar |
3 |
General Education Total |
36 |
Refer to the General Education section for a complete listing of general education requirements for the University.
Program Requirements
SOC 374 — American Minority |
3 |
SWK 210 — Orientation to Social Work |
4 |
SWK 230 — Social Welfare History and Ethics |
3 |
SWK 320 — Human Behavior in the Social Environment Conception to Young Adulthood |
3 |
SWK 321 — Human Behavior in the Social Environment Middle Adulthood to Death |
3 |
SWK 324 — Social Work Research |
3 |
SWK 325 — Generalist Social Work Practice |
3 |
SWK 326 — Generalist Practice |
3 |
SWK 345 — Law and Social Work |
3 |
SWK 424 — Social Work Micro Practice |
3 |
SWK 426 — Social Work Mezzo Skills |
3 |
SWK 430 — Social Policy and Planning |
3 |
SWK 451 — Social Science Data Analysis |
3 |
SWK 497 — Practicum in Social Work |
8 |
SWK 498 — Social Work Macro Practice |
3 |
Social Work Electives (only courses taught by someone with SWK degree will be accepted) |
12 |
Program Requirements Total |
60 |
Supplemental Requirements
SWK 374 — American Minority Relations |
3 |
Supplemental Requirements Total |
3 |
Components of Degree Requirement
General Education Requirement |
36 |
Program Requirements |
60 |
Supplemental Requirements |
3 |
General Electives |
21 |
Degree Requirement Total |
120 |