Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.)

Ritter Annex Fifth Floor
215-204-8623

Mission Statement

Goals

B.S.W. Curricular Objectives

The B.S.W. Curriculum

Requirements for the B.S.W. Degree

Social Work Minor

Mission Statement

The School of Social Work, which is part of the College of Health Professions and Social Work, is dedicated to societal transformations to eliminate social, political, and economic injustices for poor and oppressed populations, and advance the quality of life for all through:

• Education emphasizing the discovery of knowledge, use of critical inquiry and professional ethics to guide solution-seeking and action-taking to effect social change among professional social workers in front-line, supervisory, managerial, and other leadership positions.
• Research and scholarship to advance applied knowledge and generate evidence-based strategies to resolve problems occurring between people and their social environments at local, state, national, and global levels.
• Public service that aids the dissemination of knowledge and evidence-based strategies through collaborations and partnerships with communities, agencies, and organizations.

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Goals

The goals of the School of Social Work are:

• preparation of ethical and competent social work practitioners and leaders who are committed to social and economic justice and to the eradication of barriers to the fullest development of human potential;
• provision of educational opportunities to a diverse population of students representative of the constituencies served;
• production of scholarship and research that contributes to the social work knowledge base;
• engagement in service-related activities with relevant constituencies.

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B.S.W. Curricular objectives

By completion of their undergraduate studies, students will be able to:

• apply skills and knowledge of generalist social work practice with systems of all sizes;
• understand human behavior from holistic and developmental perspectives that encompass dynamic interaction among social, political, cultural, economic, psychological, spiritual, and biological factors;
• critically select and apply theories and research findings to social work practice;
• understand and adhere to professional social work values and ethics;
• assess situations using knowledge about the effects of structural injustices based on race, class, gender, culture, sexual orientation, ability, age, and other forms of oppression;
• exercise self-awareness and reflection as part of the development of their professional and personal selves;
• engage in practice that enhances the capabilities of people to transform their lives and communities;
• communicate effectively verbally, non-verbally and in writing with agencies, advocates, legislatures, policy makers and people in client status;
• practice social work with a commitment to social and economic justice and the empowerment of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities;
• evaluate the effectiveness of their own practice;
• understand the relationship of historic social patterns, values and institutional arrangement, recognizing their impact on social welfare policy and services and the social work profession;
• use supervision and consultation to enhance their professional development and the delivery of services;
• understand the dynamics of human service organizations and know how to engage in productive organizational change;
• understand how global issues affect local practice.

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The B.S.W. Curriculum

The B.S.W. curriculum is organized so that courses scheduled to be taken later in the program assume, and build on, the knowledge and skill foundation provided in the liberal arts and social work courses taken earlier. For this reason, most social work courses designate successful completion (with a C- or better) of earlier courses as prerequisite to taking later courses. Additionally, the School of Social Work requires that three of the social work courses required in each semester of the senior year -- research, the seminar in social work practice, and the field practicum -- be taken concurrently. This program of study for B.S.W. students has been carefully designed and approved by faculty. It is intended to provide students with a coherent, integrated, and high-quality learning experience.

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Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.)

School of Social Work Requirements

• Satisfactory completion of a minimum of 120 semester hours of credit.
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 overall and in the major.
• A grade of "C-" or higher is required in all courses satisfying GenEd and the Social Work major.
  

University Requirements

All students are required to complete the university General Education (GenEd) curriculum.

(Students who entered prior to fall 2011 should check the online archived Undergraduate Bulletin for the appropriate year and program requirements.)

All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses at Temple as part of the major. The specific writing-intensive courses required for this major are identified by "WI" in the Attribute column in the tables below.

A grade of "C-" or higher is required in all courses satisfying GenEd and the Social Work major.

B.S.W. Program Requirements

• Six university courses (18-19 s.h.) required by the School of Social Work:  Psychology 1001 (Introduction to Psychology); Sociology 1176 (Introduction to Sociology); Kinesiology 1223 (Human Anatomy & Physiology I) or Biology 1001 (Human Biology); Economics 1001 (Introduction to the Economy) or Economics 1101 (Macroeconomic Principles) or Economics 1102 (Microeconomic Principles) or Economics 1103 (Global Economics Issues) or Economics 0858 (The American Economy); Political Science 1101 (The American Political System) or 1911 (Honors Introduction to American Politics); Sociology 1167 (Social Statistics) or Sociology 1967 (Honors Social Statistics) or Mathematics 1013 (Elements of Statistics).
• Electives (15 s.h.): 3 s.h. Social Work specific elective course and 12 s.h. of general electives
• Professional courses in Social Work (54 s.h.)
• Field Work Practice: A minimum of 400 hours in supervised field settings is required. Students are overseen by an M.S.W. (or B.S.W. with at least two years of experience). They are directly involved in professional tasks in the agency and in the community. This component of the educational program of study facilitates the integration of classroom learning particularly in the social work subject areas of human behavior, policy, practice, and research. Students apply what they are learning and receive feedback from both classroom and field instructors on their work. (10 s.h. included in the 54 s.h. of professional social work courses specified above.)

Some of the fields of practice in the five-county area in which majors do their field work are:

• Aging: including adult service centers; assistance in a variety of public and private organizations, treatment and protective functions;
• Children and Youth: child abuse, foster care and adoption agencies, parenting and support services;
• Community Organization/Planning: public issues and policies, neighborhood services at settlements, Y's, community centers;
• Correctional/Justice: probation, parole, prison, community rehabilitation organizations;
• Developmental Disabilities: community-living arrangements, day programs, other public and private functions;
• Education: schools and alternative education programs;
• Family Services: material aid, crisis intervention, ongoing counseling;
• Health/Hospitals: advising, counseling, direct service with and on behalf of patients; a variety of functions in hospitals and community health centers;
• Legal: public agencies assisting low-income population in matters relating to law, housing, discrimination, etc.;
• Mental Health: small and large institutions, community-based units, public and private auspices;
• Substance Abuse: counseling, direct service in a variety of settings, both public and private;
• Violence and Domestic Issues: domestic violence of all kinds, sexual assault, child abuse, in a wide variety of settings.

Note: The symbols (F), (S), (SS1) or (SS2) after the course number indicates that the class is offered ONLY in the semester indicated: (F) = offered only in fall semester; (S) = offered only in spring semester; (SS1) = offered only in first summer session; (SS2) = offered only in second summer session.

In order to receive a Bachelor of Social Work degree, a student must complete a minimum of 120 semester hours, which includes the University General Education (GenEd) curriculum and the School of Social Work curriculum. A potential graduate must also hold a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better (having received a C- or better in all social work courses), and meet any additional requirements, such as the Exit Interview.

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The Social Work Minor

The Social Work Minor is a great complement to majors such as criminal justice, psychology, education, pharmacy, and other allied disciplines.

The Social Work Minor introduces students to the knowledge, values, and skills necessary to:

• Comprehend the structures and functions of the field of social work;
• Develop a more informed position on social policy issues;
• Appreciate the economic, social, political, ethical and epistemological challenges societies, and their citizens, face in responding to basic human needs;
• Grasp the critical importance of social capital to communities and the larger society;
• Become actively involved in helping to address social needs;
• Broaden and further enhance their professional career paths.

The Social Work minor consists of nine courses (23 credit hours), all of which are offered at the main campus: 

• Social policy development in historical, political, and economic context (Social Work 2003: The History and Values of Social Welfare);
• Social problems and social policy analysis (Social Work 2004: Social Welfare in the United States);
• Theories of human behavior within the context of the social environment (Social Work 3007: Human Behavior in the Social Environment);
• Helping processes across systems of all sizes; (four courses) (Social Work 3005 & 3015, 3006 & 3016: Helping Processes in Social Work I & II plus labs)
• Verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills (Social Work 1002: Communication in Social Work Practice);
• Institutional racism or group dynamics (Social Work 3008 or 3011: Institutional Racism or The Social Worker in the Group).

Student services advisors in the school or college in which the student is currently majoring are available to help students interested in adding a social work minor to their program of study.

Requirements for the Social Work Minor

(Courses must be taken in the following order)

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