Bachelor of Social Work
Website: https://twu.edu/social-work/undergraduate-program/
The Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) program at Texas Woman’s University was founded in 1946 and was one of the first accredited programs in the state. The B.S.W. provides generalist social work education, including professionally supervised training in agencies as preparation for social work licensure, social work practice, and/or graduate school. The goal of the B.S.W. program is to prepare students to practice effectively with diverse client systems of all sizes, to focus on the structural causes and consequences of social, environmental, and economic injustice, and to equip students with the knowledge and skills to effect positive change. In addition, the program aims to produce graduates with an educational foundation in women’s issues who will incorporate social work values and ethics into their professional practice with a strong commitment to the empowerment of marginalized, underserved, and at-risk populations.
Social work career possibilities include geriatrics, mental health, medical social work, community organizer, child protective services, children and family, social service administration, school social work, case management, policy development, program evaluation, emergency services, adult protective services, work with adolescents, and a host of other areas.
The curriculum is organized around six areas of study: practice, human behavior, and the social environment, social welfare and social policy, research, professional development, and field education. Content on values and ethics, diversity, populations at risk, and social, economic, and environmental justice are infused throughout the curriculum. Students are provided with field experience by means of a 416-semester credit hour (minimum) block placement in social service agencies, under the direct supervision of a qualified social worker.
In addition to the University core curriculum requirements, the B.S.W. degree requires a total of 120 semester credit hours with 52 semester credit hours in Social Work. Departmental requirements include SPCH 1013, PSY 1013, SOCI 1013 or SOCI 1023, WS 2013, and SOWK 4903. A grade of C or higher must be earned in all required social work and all department requirement courses while maintaining a minimum overall GPA of 2.50. The student may select, with help from the academic advisor, electives complementary to career goals and interests. Students earning the B.S.W. degree at TWU are eligible to apply for state social work licensure and qualify for advanced standing in most M.S.W. program.
Marketable Skills
Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."
- Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.
- Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgment.
- Assess, Intervene, and evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
- Synthesize and apply an array of theoretical perspectives.
Admissions
All applicants must meet the general undergraduate admission requirements.
All students interested in majoring in social work are encouraged to apply. Students must complete the following steps, prior to being admitted into the undergraduate social work program.
- Apply to TWU. Go to ApplyTexas and select Bachelor of Social Work as your declared major. If you have already been accepted to TWU and would like to change your major to social work, please complete a Change of Major Form and have the social work program director sign the form.
- Attend a scheduled social work program orientation. Orientations are held periodically during the fall and spring semesters. During orientation, students will sign a statement indicating awareness of and adherence to the NASW Code of Ethics and other program requirements. You will also provide your TWU ID number so that the social work program academic advisor can evaluate your GPA and completed semester credit hours. Please note, students must be core complete or close to core complete and have a 2.5 cumulative GPA in order to start social work courses.
- Meet with the social work program academic advisor. The Academic advisor will schedule an appointment to meet with you to discuss your status. During the advisement appointment, the academic advisor will provide first-semester registration codes for students who are eligible to start courses. Students who are not eligible to start social work courses will be advised on the specific courses they need to take in order to become eligible. Students will also be provided a projected semester start date.
- Complete and submit a social work program application. Students will officially apply to the social work program in SOWK 3513, midway through the semester. You will be able to access the application via your SOWK 3513 Canvas shell. This application should reflect a student’s professional readiness and emotional suitability for social work practice education. Such qualifications include a service orientation to others, tolerance of diversity, an inclination toward participation in the promotion of social, economic, and environmental justice, respect for conditions of human need, professionalism, and leadership.
- Receive an email from the social work program director. After the Admissions Committee has reviewed your application, you will receive an email from the program director detailing the admissions decision. The admissions committee (comprised of social work program faculty and staff) will rule in one of three ways:
- Unconditional acceptance to the social work program – A student satisfies both academic and non-academic guidelines. An adviser is assigned and the student is informed of the need to meet with the adviser.
- Conditional acceptance to the social work program – A student is found to have deficiencies that are considered needing remediation in either academic or non-academic areas. Conditional admission contracts are developed with both the faculty and the student.
- Denied admission – A student is found to have deficiencies that are considered being beyond immediate remediation in either academic or non-academic areas.
Degree Requirements
Total Semester Credit Hours (SCH): 120
Major: 52 SCH
Program Code: SOCIWRK.BSW CIP Code: 44.0701.00
Texas Core Curriculum
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 1013 | Composition I | 3 |
| ENG 1023 | Composition II | 3 |
| Mathematics | 3 | |
| Life & Physical Sciences | 6 | |
| Language, Philosophy, & Culture | 3 | |
| Creative Arts | 3 | |
| HIST 1013 | History of the United States, 1492-1865 | 3 |
| HIST 1023 | History of the United States, 1865 to the Present | 3 |
| POLS 2013 | U.S. National Government | 3 |
| POLS 2023 | Texas Government | 3 |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
| CAO: Women's Studies | 3 | |
| CAO: First Year Seminar, Wellness or Mathematics | 3 | |
| Total SCHs | 42 | |
Courses Required for Major
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| SOWK 1403 | Introduction to Social Welfare Policies and Services | 3 |
| SOWK 1411 | Social Work Praxis Lab | 1 |
| SOWK 2813 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment | 3 |
| SOWK 3053 | Social Research | 3 |
| SOWK 3223 & SOWK 3221 | Social Work Practice I and Social Work Practice I Laboratory | 4 |
| SOWK 3233 & SOWK 3231 | Social Work Practice II and Social Work Practice II Laboratory | 4 |
| SOWK 3243 & SOWK 3241 | Social Work Practice III and Social Work Practice III Laboratory | 4 |
| SOWK 3513 | Culturally Competent Practice | 3 |
| SOWK 3813 | Human Behavior in Social Environment II | 3 |
| SOWK 4433 | Social Issues, Programs, and Policies | 3 |
| SOWK 4463 | Social Work Integrative Seminar | 3 |
| SOWK 4473 | Mental Health and Social Work | 3 |
| SOWK 4469 | Social Work Field Practicum | 9 |
| Electives - choose two | 6 | |
| Children's Rights and Services | ||
| Family Violence and Sexual Assault | ||
| Grieving | ||
| Assessment and Intervention with Adolescents | ||
| Total SCHs | 52 | |
Departmental Requirements
| Code | Title | SCHs |
|---|---|---|
| PSY 1013 | Introduction to General Psychology (may be applied from core) | 3 |
| SOCI 1013 | Introductory Sociology (may be applied from core) | 3 |
| or SOCI 1023 | Current Social Problems | |
| SOWK 4903 | Special Topics (Applied Data Analysis ) | 3 |
| SPCH 1013 | Oral Communication | 3 |
| WS 2013 | Gender and Social Change: An Introduction to Multicultural-Women's Studies (may be applied from core) | 3 |
| Electives | 11 | |
| Total SCHs | 26 | |
Recommended Plan of Study
Special note: The first two years of study are comprised of general electives and core courses. Students may take these courses in any sequence. Beginning in year three, students begin the Social Work sequence as part of a cohort and progress through the program as a cohort. Social Work courses are rigidly sequenced. Students must complete all courses in a semester before beginning any courses in the next semester. Formal applications for admission to the Social Work Program are submitted during the first semester of social work courses.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | TCCN | SCHs | |
| ENG 1013 | Composition I | ENGL 1301 | 3 |
| HIST 1013 | History of the United States, 1492-1865 | HIST 1301 | 3 |
| PSY 1013 | Introduction to General Psychology | PSYC 2301 | 3 |
| UNIV 1231 | Learning Frameworks: First-Year Seminar | EDUC 1100, EDUC 1200, EDUC 1300 | 1 |
| Life/Physical Sciences Core | 3 | ||
| Wellness/Mathematics CAO Core | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 16 | ||
| Spring | TCCN | ||
| ENG 1023 | Composition II | ENGL 1302 | 3 |
| POLS 2013 | U.S. National Government | GOVT 2305 | 3 |
| HIST 1023 | History of the United States, 1865 to the Present | HIST 1302 | 3 |
| Life/Physical Sciences Core | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | TCCN | ||
| POLS 2023 | Texas Government | GOVT 2306 | 3 |
| SPCH 1013 | Oral Communication | SPCH 1311 | 3 |
| Language, Philosophy, and Culture Core | 3 | ||
| Mathematics Core | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 15 | ||
| Spring | TCCN | ||
| SOCI 1013 or 1023 | Introductory Sociology or Current Social Problems | SOCI 1301 or SOCI 1306 | 3 |
| WS 2013 | Gender and Social Change: An Introduction to Multicultural-Women's Studies | 3 | |
| Creative Arts Core | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | TCCN | ||
| SOWK 1403 & SOWK 1411 | Introduction to Social Welfare Policies and Services and Social Work Praxis Lab | 4 | |
| SOWK 2813 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment | 3 | |
| SOWK 3513 | Culturally Competent Practice | 3 | |
| SOWK Elective | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 16 | ||
| Spring | TCCN | ||
| SOWK 4903 | Special Topics | 3 | |
| SOWK 3223 & SOWK 3221 | Social Work Practice I and Social Work Practice I Laboratory | 4 | |
| SOWK 3813 | Human Behavior in Social Environment II | 3 | |
| SOWK 4473 | Mental Health and Social Work | 3 | |
| SOWK Elective | 3 | ||
| SCHs | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | TCCN | ||
| SOWK 3053 | Social Research | 3 | |
| SOWK 3233 & SOWK 3231 | Social Work Practice II and Social Work Practice II Laboratory | 4 | |
| SOWK 3243 & SOWK 3241 | Social Work Practice III and Social Work Practice III Laboratory | 4 | |
| SOWK 4433 | Social Issues, Programs, and Policies | 3 | |
| Elective | 1 | ||
| SCHs | 15 | ||
| Spring | TCCN | ||
| SOWK 4463 | Social Work Integrative Seminar | 3 | |
| SOWK 4469 | Social Work Field Practicum | 9 | |
| SCHs | 12 | ||
| Total SCHs: | 120 | ||
NOTE: Sequencing of core course and general electives is flexible.
