BSW – Bachelor of Social Work

Social work is a human service profession that assists the needs of society in several areas, including gerontology, health care, mental retardation, child welfare, correctional rehabilitation, mental health, income maintenance, home health, hospice, domestic violence, homelessness and alcoholism/substance abuse. The BSW program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and prepares students as generalist practitioners for entry-level professional practice with individuals, marital couples, families, small groups, organizations, practitioners and entire communities.

Admission Criteria

Applicants to the BSW Program Advanced Standing are selected based upon the following criteria:

  1. Completion of 60 credit hours of the required pre-social work courses as listed on the curriculum map;
  2. Completion of or enrollment in SWK 210 — Orientation to Social Work, SWK 230 — Social Welfare History and Ethics; and
  3. Achievement of an overall and Social Work GPA of 2.5 at the time of admission to the social work program, and a grade of "C" or above in all Social Work Core courses.

Admission Requirements and Procedures

The BSW Program has a selective admission procedure.

  1. Be unconditionally admitted to MSU through the University's Office of Enrollment Services.
  2. Declare social work as an area.
    1. Meet with assigned faculty advisor.
    2. Apply for admission prior to taking SWK 325 - Social Work Generalist Perspective
    3. Obtain and complete application and complete the online Interest Profiler. File the application, an unofficial transcript, a copy of current program evaluation, the Interest Profiler results, and personal statement with advisor one week prior to interview with the faculty advisor.
  3. The program director, in collaboration with program faculty, will determine and announce each semester's schedule for students to apply for admission. The program director will schedule faculty conferences on individual student evaluations as needed as described in paragraph 4.
  4. The student's advisor will meet with the candidate after reviewing all of the material presented by the student and any recommendations made by other faculty. If all is in order, the faculty member will forward applications to the Admission Committee for selection. If there are any exceptions to the standard criteria, the Admission Committee will make one of four determinations:
    1. Approved - all admission criteria have been met and the faculty believes the student has demonstrated the values of social work.
    2. Conditional approval (probation) - one or more of the admission criteria has not been met but the faculty believe that the student can complete the deficiencies within a specified time frame.
    3. Pending - student does not meet admission criteria but will be reconsidered once all criteria are met.
    4. Denied - student does not meet admission criteria.
  5. Students must meet requirements for Kentucky Board of Social Work Licensing.

Program Competencies

The purpose of the social work program competencies are to guide student development as beginning professional social workers in generalist practice, from knowledge acquisition, comprehension and application of knowledge, to analysis, synthesis and evaluation of generalist social work practice.

Students will:

  1. Identify as a professional social worker and conduct one's self accordingly.
  2. Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.
  3. Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgment.
  4. Engage diversity and difference in practice.
  5. Advance human rights and social and economic justice.
  6. Engage in research informed practice and practice informed research.
  7. Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment.
  8. Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services.
  9. Respond to contexts that shape practice.
  10. Engage, assess, intervene and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.

Assessment

  1. Surveys of graduates
  2. Employer Survey

Program Requirements

General Education

SWK 499CSenior Seminar

3

Total Credit Hours:36

Refer to the General Education section for a complete listing of general education requirements for the University.

Area Requirements

Social Work Area Requirements

SWK 210Orientation to Social Work

4

SWK 230Social Welfare History & Ethics

3

SWK 320Human Behavior in the Social Environment - Conception to Young Adulthood

3

SWK 321Human Behavior in the Social Environment - Middle Adulthood to Death

3

SWK 324Social Work Research Methods

3

SWK 325Social Work Generalist Perspective

3

SWK 326Generalist Practice Lab

3

SWK 345Law and Social Work

3

SWK 424Social Work Micro Practice

3

SWK 426Social Work Mezzo Skills

3

SWK 430Social Policy and Planning

3

SWK 451Quantitative Data Analysis

3

SWK 497Practicum in Social Work

8

SWK 498Social Work Macro Practice

3

Total Credit Hours:48

Social Work Electives

Choose six credit hours from the following:

SWK 300Criminogenic Family

3

SWK 301Family Violence: An International Perspective

3

SWK 306Juvenile Delinquency

3

SWK 315Child Welfare Services

3

SWK 330Health Structures and Behavior

3

SWK 333Beginning Helping Skills for Human Service Professionals

3

SWK 334Women and Partner Violence

3

SWK 335Families in Modern Society

3

SWK 337Sociology of Food

3

SWK 340Community Mental Health

3

SWK 343Religion and Sexuality

3

SWK 358Child Abuse and Neglect

3

SWK 360Crisis Intervention

3

SWK 365Grant Development

3

SWK 380Social Work Practice in Health Care

3

SWK 381Race, Class, Gender and Crime

3

SWK 399Special Class

3

SWK 400Special Problems

1-3

SWK 416Working with Offenders

3

SWK 420Social Work Administration & Management

3

SWK 435Group Dynamics

3

SWK 441Issues in Aging

3

SWK 445Death and Dying

3

SWK 458Social Work Interview Methods in Child Maltreatment

3

SWK 470Introduction to Substance Abuse Counseling

3

SWK 471Alcohol, Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency

3

SWK 472Approaches to Chemical Dependency Treatment I

3

SWK 473Approaches to Chemical Dependency Treatment II

3

SWK 474Practicum in Chemical Dependency

3

CRIM 317Police Culture

3

CRIM 345Correctional Institutions

3

Total Credit Hours:6

Supplemental Requirements

SOC 374Race and Ethnicity

3

Total Credit Hours:3

General Electives

General electives

variable

Total Credit Hours:27

Total Credit Hours: 120