Social Work

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The primary objective of the Social Work curriculum is to prepare students for general professional social work practice. Students selecting social work are required to complete a strong liberal arts curriculum and a core of basic social and behavior science courses including theory, research methods, and statistics.

The professional Social Work curriculum consists of a sequence of fourteen (14) courses or forty-six (46) semester hours. The courses within the sequence are designed to provide a comprehensive study of social welfare systems, social work as a profession, social policy analysis,  human behavior and the social environment,  direct and macro practice methods, evaluation of practice, and field placement practicum. The major social work values essential for professional practice are important parts of the curriculum. Students are expected to finish the program having basic skills essential for entry level professional social work practice.

Mission and Goals Objectives of the Department of Social Work

The mission of the BSW Program in the Department of Social Work is to prepare students to become generalist social work practitioners who are adept at working with diverse populations, particularly with minority populations and individual and families living in poverty by implementing micro, mezzo, and macro level practice interventions. We are committed to providing an academic experience that enables students to integrate and apply knowledge, values, and skills of the social work profession that are essential for promoting social and economic justice to individuals and families living in poverty, minority populations, to local and regional communities, for graduate education, and for impacting communities through evidence informed practice/scholarly research and a commitment to community service.

The Program’s goals are committed to preparing students:

1. To work with individuals and families living in poverty and minority populations
2. To address social and economic justice issues at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of social work practice
3. To demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and respect for human diversity
4. To impact upon the local and regional communities outside the university through scholarly research and/or active participation in problem solving efforts
5. For graduate level education in social work

Program Statement of Generalist Social Work

The Department of Social Work at North Carolina Central University prepares students for generalist practice. The complexity of life in America at the ending of the 20th century requires a broadly educated practitioner possessing a versatile repertoire of knowledge and skills essential for intervening in a number of human systems. Our generalist model fosters in students the view that individuals and society are of human systems. Our generalist model fosters in students the view that individuals and society are synergistically linked to each other for mutual well-being and survival. That is, individual’s needs are met through participating in the contributions of individuals occupying productive social roles.

The essential focus of the Department of Social Work at NCCU is “the person and the social environment.” Individual and societal needs reflect a breakdown in the mutual exchange between the individual and society. Thus, the point of baccalaureate social work intervention is where the individual and society reach out for each other through mutual need for self-actualization. On the other hand, the stability, health, and goal attainment of society is assured through individuals learning and occupying useful roles within small groups such as families and informal support networks and also large formal groups such as political, economic, educational, and religious organizations.

Given the above stated focus, the purpose of the program may be viewed as producing beginning social work practitioners who are adept at intervening at the micro, mezzo, and macro level of the human experience. We provide an educational experience through which the student acquires the knowledge, skills, and values essential for matching the needs and resources of the individual with the need and resources of society In order to promo the development of both.

Given the generalist focus, students at NCCU develop specific skills in delivering direct services. As direct service professionals, they function as “frontline” professionals having face-to-face contact with clients at all levels of intervention. As generalist/direct-service professionals, students are expected to develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and values associated with several key social work roles. The most important of these roles include; counselor, advocate, case manager, and broker. Initial exposure to the professional Social Work curriculum occurs during the sophomore year. Students take the courses Social Work as a Profession and Social Welfare Institution as prerequisites for formal admission to the social work program. An average of 2.5 or C+ in those courses is required for admission.

Students are formally admitted to the BSW Program at the end of the sophomore year. Students return to NCCU for their junior year as proud and fully accepted social work majors. Students complete the Social and Behavior Sciences Foundation component during this time through courses focusing on cultural diversity, at risk populations, technical writing, and statistical methods. The Professional Social Work component exposes students to the Human Behavior and the Social Environment courses, social policy, research methods, and social work methods. The social work methods component serves to focus the junior year as students begin to acquire the practice skills essential for generalist social work practice.

The senior year is described at NCCU as “crunch time.” That is, students are expected to “show what they know”. The major learning activities center around the field practicum experience, Research, and the Senior Seminar in Social Work.

Students end their learning experience at NCCU by demonstrating that they can apply the knowledge, skills, and value base of generalist social work practice to assessing the outcomes of social work interventions.

BSW Application Material

Application to the BSW program are available beginning September 1 and due October 1 for fall applicants and beginning February 1 and due March 1 for spring applicants.

When submitting the application packet, do not place documents in separate covers.  Material should be submitted in a pocket folder with your name and application submission date (i.e., semester and year) in the upper right-hand corner.

If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact Laura Armstrong, MSW, LCSW, BSW Program Director at 919-530-6954 or send an email to larmtr6@nccu.edu.

Application Material Checklist

• Application
• Personal Narrative
• Professional Resume 
• Essay 
• Two letters of recommendation
• Unofficial Transcripts
• Students’ BSW Plan of Study

Submit completed packages to Douglas McDowell, Miller Morgan Building, Room 202.

Explanation of Application Materials

Application - The application should be legibly (a typed application is preferred) and completed with no information left blank.

Professional Resume - The professional resume should include information regarding work, and community/volunteer experience.

Narrative Statement - The narrative should be between 250-300 words.  You should discuss why you have chosen social work as your career goal.  Your discussion should describe the experiences that influenced your decision to become a social worker; the personal attributes that may help you become a professional helping person, and your area(s) of interest (e.g., child welfare, school social work, mental health, etc.).  The narrative should be typed following the APA style of writing (e.g., double-space, 12 font size, and Times New Roman font style).  Be sure to sign your name at the bottom of the narrative statement.

Two Letters of Recommendation - The letters of recommendation should be written on letterhead and speak to the writer’s knowledge of your potential in becoming a social worker.  All letters should be signed by the writer.

Unofficial Transcript - A copy of an unofficial NCCU transcript should be included. Applicants should have a recorded cumulative GPA or at least one semester at NCCU before making application to the BSW program.

Diversity Essay - One of the core competencies in the BSW program is “Engage diversity and difference in practice.”

“Social workers understand how diversity characterizes and shapes the human experience and is critical to the formation of identity.  The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors including age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, political ideology, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation.  Social workers appreciate that, as a consequence of difference, a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege, power, and acclaim.” (CSWE, Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, 2008).

Write a two page paper (APA) format discussing your experiences/interactions with individuals who are different from you.  Be clear and thoughtful in your discussion.

BSW Plan Study - Include the BSW plan of study in your application packet.  Highlight the courses you have satisfied and the courses you are enrolled in at the time you are making application to the BSW program.  At the top of the plan of study, list your advisor’s name and if you are in the University College.

Department of Social Work Faculty/Staff List

Return to: College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities