School of Social Work
www.socialwork.illinois.edu
Dean of the School: Dean Wynne Korr
Director of BSW Program: Brenda Lindsey
1010 W. Nevada St.
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-2261
E-mail: socialwork@illinois.edu
Overview of Curriculum and Requirements
The purpose of undergraduate social work education at the School of Social Work is to provide a comprehensive educational experience for students that is grounded in a liberal arts tradition and prepares graduates for excellence in the areas of social work practice, policy, social engagement and leadership.
Graduates will be prepared for entry into three potential trajectories upon degree completion including (but not limited to): professional social work practice, advanced standing in graduate social work education, and career opportunities and graduate education in the areas such as communications, corrections, education, government, health care, human resources, law, non-profit organizations, religious studies, and public service.
The focus of undergraduate curriculum delivery is through a student-centered strengths-based educational model that fosters student understanding by providing a challenging, yet supportive environment of high expectations that encourages the development of well-informed and engaged citizens.
Degree title: Bachelor of Social Work
The social work major prepares practitioners for generalist social work practice with individuals, groups, families and communities. The curriculum requires a minimum of 125 hours for graduation. Minimum required course work in the major equates to 50 course hours of core professional education, including 10 hours for an agency-based field practicum (internship) where students receive additional supervision and training in a 2-3 days per week experience for the academic year (approximately 510 clock hours). All foreign language requirements must be satisfied.
Admission Requirements
Professional Program entry requires the completion of pre-requisites. The following requirements must be met for consideration for admission into the BSW Program:
- Completion of 60 (sixty) earned credit hours of undergraduate coursework
- Completion and documentation of a minimum of 50 (fifty) hours of volunteer* or paid work experience in a social service agency within the last 2 (two) years
- Cumulative minimum GPA 2.5 or higher
- Minimum GPA of 2.67 or higher in SOCW 200
- Statistics 100 or equivalent (EPSY 280, SOC 280, PSYC 235, MATH 161)
- Evidence of strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Evidence of personal attributes that are suitable for the profession of social work
- Successful completion of the application process for professional program entry
* Volunteer hours can be completed through service learning projects completed for course requirements as well as through volunteer experiences with community organizations. The office of Volunteer Programs at the University http://union.illinois.edu/ovp/index.html is a good source for ideas on how to get involved.
Applicants are asked to submit the on-line application form by February 1. Most decisions will be made by March 15. Competitive applicants who have not yet completed the required 60 hours of earned credit hours should discuss with their advisor about a pre-professional social work attribute.General Education
| Hours | Communication Skills and Composition |
|---|---|
| 6-7 | Composition I and an approved speech performance course; or CMN 111 and 112 |
| 3-4 | Advanced Composition |
| Hours | Language other than English |
|---|---|
| 0-12 | Complete of the fourth level or equivalent is required for graduation. Student may also complete this requirement by completing two languages at the third level. Spanish is strongly recommended. American Sign Language is also acceptable. |
| Hours | Humanities and the Arts |
|---|---|
| 3 | Literature and the Arts |
| 3 | Historical and Philosophical Perspective |
| Hours | Social and Behavioral Science |
|---|---|
| 9 | Strongly suggested: Psychology 100 – Introduction to Psychology, Sociology 100 Introduction to Sociology, Economics 102 Microeconomics or 103 Macroeconomics, Political Science 100 Introduction to Political Science or 101 Introduction to US Government and Politic, Anthropology 102 Human Origins & Culture or 103 Anthropology in a Changing World, Community Health 100 Contemporary Health or 101 Introduction to Public Health, Speech & Hearing Science 120 Child, Communication & Language Ability or 170 Introduction to Human Communication System & Disorders, Human Development & Family Studies 105 Introduction to Human Development |
| Hours | Cultural Studies |
|---|---|
| 3 | Western cultures |
| 3 | Non-Western/ U.S. minority |
| Hours | Natural Sciences and Technology |
|---|---|
| 6-8 | Choose a course with a human biology component. Suggested courses: |
| Hours | Quantitative Reasoning |
|---|---|
| 3 | Statistics 100 or equivalent (EPSY 280, SOC 280, PSYC 235, MATH 161) |
| 3 | From the approved campus list |
| Hours | Pre-professional Requirements |
|---|---|
| 15 | Five courses selected in conjunction with the advisor and can include 3 courses from different disciplines. No more than 6 hours at the 100-level. A minor is possible. |
BSW Requirements
| Hours | Core Requirements |
|---|---|
| 3 | SOCW 200 – Introduction to Social Work |
| 3 | SOCW 300 – Diversity: Identities and Issues |
| 4 | SOCW 401 – Practice I: Generalist Social Work Practice Methods |
| 3 | SOCW 402 – Practice II: Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families and Groups |
| 3 | SOCW 403 – Practice III: Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities |
| 3 | SOCW 410 – Social Welfare Policies and Services |
| 3 | SOCW 427 – Social Work Research Methods |
| 3 | SOCW 451 – Human Behavior in the Social Environment |
| 3-6 | SOCW 380 – Current topics in Social Work (may be repeated up to 6 credits) |
| 4 | SOCW 460 – Field Practicum I |
| 3 | SOCW 461 – Field Seminar |
| 6 | SOCW 470 – Field Practicum II |
| 3 | SOCW 471 – Professional Practice Seminar |
| 3-6 | Social Work electives: Choose from SOCW 321, 380, 397, 412, 418, 420 and may be repeated up to 6 credits |
| 9 | Open Electives |
| 50 | Total |
| 125 | Minimum hours required for graduation |
Honors at Graduation
Eligibility for graduation with honors is established after all grades are recorded following a student's final semester. A student who achieves the required scholastic average in all work presented for graduation (excluding credit for courses not included in the computation of the grade point average) may be recommended for honors as follows: honors, minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.75; high honors, minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.85; highest honors, minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.90.
Departmental distinction: To graduate with distinction, a student must have a University grade point average of at least 3.5, a social work grade point average of at least 3.5, and complete the Senior Honors Seminar (SOCW 471) or Advanced Independent Study (SOCW 418). See Social Work Advisor for details.