Social Work, B.S.W.

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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 14 courses or 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, social human behavior and the social environment, 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 the basic skills essential for entry-level professional social work practice.

The major objective of the Bachelor’s in Social Work degree (BSW) is to prepare students for generalist professional social work practice. Other program objectives for the program include:

Prepare students to work with families in poverty and minority populations;
Prepare students for graduate social work education;
Prepare students for graduate education in related areas;
Expose non-majors to the field of social welfare and to social work profession; and
Impact the local community outside the university through social policy research and active participation in empowerment efforts.

Admission Policy

Students desiring to enter the BSW Program may select Social Work as their major at the time of admission to the University, or, in the case of currently enrolled students, a declaration of major form indicating social work as their major of choice should be submitted to the Office of the Registrar before the end of the second semester of their sophomore year. However, to be formally admitted to the BSW Program, students must meet the established minimum admission criteria, as follows:

Satisfactory completion of two prerequisite courses - SOCW 2500 (Social Work as a Profession) and SOCW 3410 (Social Welfare as an Institution).
A GPA of 2.5 (C+) in the above listed prerequisite courses.
A cumulative GPA of 2.5.

Two Letters of References

(Typed on letterhead identifying the writer of the reference) = 10 points

Quality of narrative statement

Excellent = 40 points

Good = 30 points

Fair = 20 points

Memberships in Professional Organizations

Student Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and NCCU Social Work Society = 20 points

Curriculum Requirements

The BSW Program in the Department of Social Work at North Carolina Central University prepares students for generalist practice. 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 BSW Program 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.

1. 124 Semester Hours:

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 SOCW 2500 Social Work as a Profession and SOCW 3410 Social Welfare Institution as prerequisites for formal admission to the social work program. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required in the prerequisite courses.

Students complete a minimum of 124 credit hours with a minimum grade point average of 2.5. Practice courses (SOCW 3610 Interventive Methods in the Helping Professions I and SOCW 3620 Interventive Methods in the Helping Professions II), field practice, and senior seminar courses are completed at NCCU. Students must repeat “D” and “F” grades in social work courses.

Students can officially apply to the BSW program when the prerequisite courses are completed, and the application packet (e.g., application, narrative, diversity essay, and letters of recommendation). Students cannot enroll in field practicum or practice courses until they are officially admitted to the BSW Program and approval is granted by the director of field education and the department chair.