Dec 03, 2024  
University Undergraduate Catalog 2017-2018 
    
University Undergraduate Catalog 2017-2018 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Social Work, B.S.W.


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:

  1. Prepare students to work with families in poverty and minority populations;
  2. Prepare students for graduate social work education;
  3. Prepare students for graduate education in related areas;
  4. Expose non-majors to the field of social welfare and to social work profession; and
  5. 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:

  1. Satisfactory completion of two prerequisite courses - SOCW 2500 (Social Work as a Profession) and SOCW 3410 (Social Welfare as an Institution).
  2. A GPA of 2.5 (C+) in the above listed prerequisite courses.
  3. 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.

2. General Education Requirement: 36 semester hours:


3. Program Requirements:


4. Concentration Requirements


N/A

5. Additional Requirements


Students have a total of 11 general electives or 33 credit hours.

Program Notes:


Four- Year Curriculum Plan


Four-Year Curriculum Plan for BSW Program

For key to symbols used, please see ‘key’ below. 

Freshman Year

Fall Semester

*  ENG 1110  -  English Composition I ( 3 )  

*  SPAN 1191  -  Elementary Spanish I ( 3 )   or

*  SPAN 1192  -  Elementary Spanish II ( 3 )   (Required)

*  MATH 1100  -  College Algebra and Trigonometry I ( 3 )  or

*  MATH 1080  -  Mathematics for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences ( 3 )   (Prerequisite for ECON 2200   )

*  HEDU 1531  -  Health ( 2 )  

*  PEDU 1541  -  Fitness ( 2 )  

Total credits: 15

Spring Semester

*  ENG 1210  -  English Composition II ( 3 )  

*  MATH 1110  -  Elementary Statistics ( 3 )  

*  PHYS 1210  -  The Language of Science ( 3 )   or

*  GEOG 2350  -  Earth Science ( 3 )  

*  HIST 1320  -  World Societies ( 3 )  

*  SOCI 2100  -  Principles of Sociology ( 3 )  

Total credits: 15

Sophomore Year

Fall Semester

*  BIOL 1100  -  General Biology ( 3 )  

=  SOCW 2500  -  Social Work as a Profession ( 3 )   (BSW Prerequisite course)

+  PSY 2100  -  General Psychology ( 3 )  

+  HIST 2210  -  United States History to 1865 ( 3 )   or

+  HIST 2220  -  United States History Since 1865 ( 3 )  

*  HUM 2410  -  Arts & Humanities I ( 3 )  

+  ECON 2200  -  Principles of Macroeconomics ( 3 )  (Prerequisite MATH 1100    or MATH 1080  )

Total credits: 18

Spring Semester

*  PHIL 2210  -  Ethics ( 3 )  

=  SOCW 3700  -  Human Diversity and Social Work Practice ( 3 )  

+ HIST 3510  -  African American History to 1865 ( 3 )   or

+  HIST 3520  -  African American History Since 1865 ( 3 )   or

+  HIST 1530  -  The Black Experience to 1865 ( 3 )  or

+  HIST 1540  -  The Black Experience Since 1865 ( 3 )  

=  SOCW 3410  -  Social Welfare as an Institution ( 3 )   (BSW Prerequisite course)

+ POLS 2100  -  American Government ( 3 )  

Elective (3)

Total credits: 18

Junior Year

Fall Semester

+  SOCI 4210  -  Demography ( 3 )  

*  MSCM 1250  -  Elements of Speech Communication ( 3 )   (Speaking Intensive)

=  SOCW 3420  -  Social Policy and Community Resources ( 3 )  

=  SOCW 4310  -  Introductory Statistics for Social Work ( 3 )  

=  SOCW 3500  -  Human Behavior and the Social Environment ( 3 )  

Total credits: 15

Spring Semester

+  ENG 2105  -  Introduction to Technical Writing ( 3 )   (Writing Intensive)

=  SOCW 3600  -  Human Behavior and the Social Environment II ( 3 )  

=  SOCW 3610  -  Interventive Methods in the Helping Professions ( 3 )  

=  SOCW 4300  -  Applied Research in Social Work ( 3 )  

+  ENG 2340  -  Contemporary African American Literature ( 3 )   or

HUM 2420  -  Arts & Humanities II ( 3 )  

Total credits: 15

Senior Year

Fall Semester

=  SOCW 3620  -  Interventive Methods in the Helping Professions II ( 3 )  

=  SOCW 4400  -  Evaluative Methods in Social Work Practice ( 3 )  

=  SOCW 4110  -  Field Experience and Practice I ( 5 )   (Must be fully admitted in the BSW Program)

+  GEOG 2020  -  Introduction to Geographic Information Systems ( 3 )  

Total credits: 14

Spring Semester

=  SOCW 4410  -  Senior Seminar in Social Work ( 3 )  

=  SOCW 4120  -  Field Experience and Practice II ( 5 )   (Must be fully admitted in the BSW Program)

Electives (6)

Total credits: 14

Total Minimum Credit Hours: 124

Key to symbols used:

Distribution of Hours

* Core Curriculum Courses - 42

= Required Social Work Major Courses - 46

+ Non-Major Social and Behavior Courses - 27

Electives - 9