2024-2025 University Catalog 
    
    Dec 12, 2024  
2024-2025 University Catalog

Social Work, B.S.W.


Social Work, B.S.W. Locations  

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) prepares students for beginning professional social work practice across a wide variety of social service settings. As generalist social work practitioners, graduates will be prepared to work collaboratively from a strengths based approach with diverse populations. Ecosystems Theory, Strengths Perspective, Multicultural Competence and Social, Economic & Environmental Justice within a global perspective, all serve as overarching conceptual frameworks across the curriculum. All aspects of student learning (curricular and professional) are integrated with the senior year field education practicum experience. Note: The BSW Program at Park University was granted full re-affirmation of accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in Spring 2019. The BSW Program is accredited through Spring 2025.

BSW Program Application Criteria & Admission Guidelines

Students must complete all Liberal Education (LE) and BSW Program prerequisites prior to the senior year of the BSW Program. Application and admission to the professional undergraduate BSW Program is a separate process from application and admission to Park University. Declaring Social Work as a Major does not guarantee admission into the Program. Procedures 1-3 below must be completed before a student is eligible to apply to the BSW Program. Procedures 4 and 5 provide brief guidelines of the application submission and review process.

  1. DECLARATION OF MAJOR (DOM) in Social Work (SW)
    Applicants must be admitted to Park University and have submitted a DOM in SW. A Minor is not required. Once a SW Major is declared, Park assigns the student a BSW Faculty Advisor. The student should contact this advisor and schedule an appointment. Please note: a DOM in SW does not mean the student has been admitted or in any way guarantees admission into the Program.
  2. BSW PREREQUISITE
    Academic Advising with BSW Faculty is a critical component of the BSW Program. During initial advising, students share their educational goals and collaborative planning begins. The SW advisor and student will work together to ensure all required prerequisite courses are completed.
  3. ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS
    1. Completion of a minimum of 60 credit hours of undergraduate college coursework; including all 43 credit hours of required LE courses, with LE300*  (or equivalent or an earned AA or AS degree).
    2. A cumulative undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.50 or higher on a 4 point scale. Cumulative GPA is a calculation of all undergraduate grades shown on all transcripts; considered during the application review. A 2.50 GPA must be maintained throughout the Program. If GPA falls below 2.50, this may result in dismissal from the Program.
    3. Completion of the following courses (or equivalent), with a grade of C or better: SO141 Introduction to Sociology ; PS101 Introduction to Psychology ; MA120 Basic Concepts of Statistics ; SW205 Introduction to Social Work ; SO302 The Study of the Family ;  SW 319 Foundations of Generalist Social Work  ; EN306B Business Communications ; SW325 Human Diversity and Social Justice ; SW330 Social Welfare Policy and Programs ; and two consecutive Modern Language courses. BSW Application Packet may be submitted one term prior to completing EN306B , SO302 SW 319  , SW325 , SW330  or 2nd modern language; but are not considered for ‘Full’ admission until all courses are completed.
    4. Integrative seminar for social work minors, requires 40 hours of service learning where students may apply skills learned in the classroom in a structured human service setting, military base, etc. This capstone course must be taken in the last semester before graduation.
  4. APPLICATION SUBMISSION
    All application materials must be submitted to the Department of Social Work, no later than Fall semester of the student’s Junior year, for admission consideration for the following academic year. Once the application packet is submitted to the SW Office, it becomes the property of the Department and its content will not be returned to the applicant under any circumstances, including reference letters.
  5. APPLICATION REVIEW
    The Review is conducted by the BSW Admission & Review Committee. In evaluating applicants, Committee reviewers consider the applicant’s: academic performance; GPA; participation and performance in SW courses; written and verbal communication skills; applicant’s commitment to social work and suitability for the profession; work and volunteer experiences; and references. A personal interview may be required. The Committee determines the applicant’s admission status as either: Full, Provisional, Probationary, Deferred or Denied. The BSW Program Director shares admission decision with applicant via student’s Park email. In accordance with CSWE accreditation standards, the BSW Program does not grant course credit for life experience or previous work experience. However, these experiences are carefully considered during the application review process. Therefore, make sure to clearly note these experiences on your résumé.

Requirements For: B.S.W. Major – 45 hours, 2.5 GPA, Grade of C or better


Notes:


Conditional Admission to the BSW Program (referred to as Pre-Major status). Students who have successfully completed Criteria 1 through 3 may be conditionally admitted to the BSW program and begin taking those social work courses not restricted to social work majors. Full admission to the major is contingent upon completion of Criteria 1 through 5. Students who have met the pre-requisites may apply to the BSW program by the end of fall semester with approval from the student’s social work advisor and, if admitted, may be granted permission to enroll in SW400 - Human Behavior in the Social Environment I  (Fall semester prior to senior year) and SW 405 - Human Behavior and Social Environment II  (Spring semester prior to senior year). 

Liberal Education Requirements 40 CR.


Writing Seminar Requirements 6 cr.


EN105  and EN106  

Math Requirement 3 cr.


Select one of the following:

MA120 MA135 , or higher math course excluding MA208   

Science with a Lab Requirement 4 cr.


Select one of the following: BI 101 BI 111  ,BI 211 ,BI 212 BI 223 BIO 221 BIO 225 BIO 325 BIO 327 BIO 330 BIO 337L  and BIO 337  ,BIO 350 BIO 400 BIO 410 BIO 411 BIO 417  ,CH 101 CH 105 CH 107L  and CH 107 CH 108L  and CH 108 CH 317L  and CH 317  ,CH 318L  and CH 318  ,CH 328  ,CH 329  , CH 337L  and CH 337  ,CH 440  ,GGP 115 GGP 205 GO 130 GO 141 GO 151 GO 200  ,GO 310  ,GO 320  ,GO 330  ,PY 155 PY 156 PY 205  ,PY 206  

 

Ethics Requirement 3 cr.


Select one of the following:

AC 435  ,CA 302  ,CS 300  ,EDU 310  ,MG 495  ,NS 306  ,PA 380  ,PH 103  ,PH 221  ,PH 224 PH 308  ,PS 220  ,SO 220  ,SW 492  

Communications Requirements 3 cr.


CA 103  or CA 105  

Citizenship Requirement 3 cr.


Select one of the following:

 PO200 , or PO 210  or HIS 111  or HIS 112  or HIS 113  

Humanities Requirement 6 cr.


Select one of the following Art or English:

AR 115 AR 215  ,AR 216  ,EN 201 EN 221  ,EN 232 EN 234  

 

And one of the following: 

AR 115 AR 215   ,AR 216  ,EN 201 EN 221  ,EN 232 EN 234  ,CA 104 CA 116 CA 235  ,ML 235  ,ML 251  ,PH 101  ,PC 202  ,PH 205  ,RE 109  ,SP 110 ,SP 201 SP 202  ,TH 100 TH 101  

 

Natural Science Requirement 6 cr.


Select one of the following:

BI 214  ,CH 101  ,CH 102 CH 105  ,CH 107 CH 107L CH 108  ,CH 108L  ,GGP 115  ,GGP 120 GGP 205  ,GO 125 GO 130  ,GO 141 GO 151  ,GO 200  ,NS 220  ,PY 101 PY 155  ,PY 156 PY 205  ,PY 206  

 

Social Science Requirement 6 cr.


Select two of the following:

AN 100  ,CJ 100  ,CJ 200  ,EC 141  ,EC 142  ,EDU 210  ,FI 201  ,GGH 110 GGH 200  ,HIS 104  ,HIS 105  ,PO 216  ,PS 101 PS 125 PS 205 ,SO 141 SO 206   ,SW 205  

 

Seminar; Integrative & Interdisciplinary Learning Requirement 3 cr.


Select one of the topics for LE300*

Graduation Requirements


Student Seminar 3 CR.


FYE100 First-Year Seminar    (required for all incoming first-time freshman and highly encouraged for transfer students)

Upper Division Requirements 36 cr.


36 hours of upper division (300-400) level course work

Writing Across the Curriculum 9 cr.


3  hours of Professional Writing (EN306*  or equivalent from the list below) plus 6 hours of Writing Intensive coursework is required.

EN306A , EN306B , EN306C , EN307 , EDU300 , CJ450 , HIS455 , MG306 , NS306 , PA430 , PO405 , PS 300 , PS406 , or SO310  

 

6 credit hours to fulfill the Writing Intensive requirement must be chosen from among the courses designated in the catalog as “WI” (Writing Intensive ), composed as follows:

  • 3 of the credit hours must come from a WI course outside the student’s major(s); that is, the course must be offered by a program other than the one(s) that house(s) the student’s major area of study at the time the course is taken.
  • 3 of the credit hours must come from a WI course that is offered by the student’s major program; that is, the course must be offered by the same program that houses the student’s major at the time the course is taken.

AR316 , AR498 , BIO498 , CA218 , CH342 , CJ221 , CS300 , EDU310 , EN201 EN 204 EN221 , EN232 , EN234 , EN490 , FW190 , GGP350 HC 263 HIS261 , HIS453 , IDS410 , MA301 , ML251 , MG495 , NUR460 , PA432 , PO210 , PS315 , SO141 , SP320 , SW325  

Modern Language Requirement


Completion of two, 3-hour elementary level modern language courses (103 and 104); or the second 3-hour elementary level modern language course (104) and one, 3-hour intermediate course (201); or one, 3-hour intermediate course (201).  Placement will be determined through a Modern Language Placement test.

Elementary Level 6 cr.


FR103  and FR104 ;  SP103  and SP104  or transfer equivalent 

Or 

Secondary Level 7 cr.


FR104  ;  SP104  and SP201 ; or transfer equivalent

Or

Intermediate Level 3 cr.


SP202  or transfer equivalent 

Additional Requirements


Park University grants the Bachelor of Social Work upon completion of the following requirements:

  • Completion of a minimum of 122 semester hours with a cumulative 2.5 GPA (or higher dependent on major).
  • Satisfaction of all requirements for a major.
  • Completion of degree specific requirements.
  • Completion of Liberal Education requirements.
  • Completion of residency requirement, 30 hours of earned and graded (A, B, C, D) college hours at Park University. At least 15 of these 30 hours must be in the major.
  • Application to BSW Program required.
  • Submission of an Application of Graduation.