Social Work Major (B.A.)

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Major code BA6601

The Department of Social Work offers a flexible interdisciplinary curriculum designed to prepare you for beginning generalist social work practice. Upon completing the program, you will receive a B.A. with a major in social work. The Department of Social Work is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Graduates are qualified for full membership in the National Association of Social Workers and eligible for licensing as a social worker in Ohio.

Universitywide Graduation Requirements

To complete this program, students must meet all Universitywide graduation requirements .

College-Level Requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences

View the A&S - College Level Requirements (A&S CLR) .

Program Requirements

General requirements for a major in social work consist of a minimum of 60 hours of social work courses, plus at least 40 quarter hours of liberal arts foundation courses.

At least 60 hours of social work, including:

S W 102 - Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare Credit Hours: 4
S W 290 - Social Welfare Overview and Trends Credit Hours: 4
S W 350 - Research Methods in Social Work Credit Hours: 4
S W 383 - Introduction to Social Work Practice Methods Credit Hours: 4
S W 390 - Social Policy Credit Hours: 4
S W 393 - Dynamics of Human Behavior I Credit Hours: 4
S W 394 - Dynamics of Human Behavior II Credit Hours: 4
S W 396 - Social Work Practice I Credit Hours: 4
S W 397 - Social Work Practice II Credit Hours: 4
S W 398 - Social Work Practice III Credit Hours: 4
S W 491A - Integrative Seminar I Credit Hours: 2
S W 491B - Integrative Seminar II Credit Hours: 2
S W 491C - Integrative Seminar III Credit Hours: 2
S W 492A - Field Practicum I Credit Hours: 4
S W 492B - Field Practicum II Credit Hours: 5
S W 492C - Field Practicum III Credit Hours: 5

Extradepartmental requirements:

BIOS 103 - Human Biology I:Basic Principles Credit Hours: 5
PSY 101 - General Psychology Credit Hours: 5
PSY 221 - Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences Credit Hours: 5
PSY 332 - Abnormal Psychology Credit Hours: 4
PSY 273 - Child and Adolescent Psychology Credit Hours: 4
or
EDEC 160 - Introduction to Child Development Credit Hours: 4

Select one course from the following:

HLTH 290 - Health Aspects of Aging Credit Hours: 4
(will not count toward 90 hours of A&S 200 level or above)
PSY 374 - Psychology of Adulthood and Aging Credit Hours: 4
S W 486 - Aging in American Society Credit Hours: 4

Additional Requirements

In addition to the foundation courses (above), take at least one course in each of the following areas:

anthropology
economics
political science
sociology

The choice of courses in these disciplines is left to you, with the approval of your advisor and the permission of the instructor.

Admission to the Professional Major

Admission to the program is divided into two stages: preprofessional and professional. Freshmen are admitted as preprofessional majors (major code ND6603) to work on freshman- and sophomore-level requirements. To be admitted to the professional program, you are required (regardless of whether you are an Ohio University student or a transfer student) to submit an application and admissions essay to the Department’s screening committee. Applications are accepted during the second full week of each quarter; forms and guidelines are available from the Department. To be considered, you must have completed a minimum of 48 quarter hours (12 quarter hours at OU for transfer students), with a minimum overall GPA of 2.5. In addition, you must have completed:

both S W 102 and S W 290 with a minimum grade of C in each course;
BIOS 103, PSY 101, PSY 221, PSY 273, as well as one course in any two of these areas: anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology;
Tier I composition (ENG 151, 152) and quantitative skills (MATH 113 recommended) requirements;
at least two quarters of the foreign language requirement other than high school;
a paid or volunteer social work experience.

Meeting minimal requirements does not ensure admission to the major. To maintain compliance with the Council on Social Work Education student/faculty ratio standards, no more than 40 students are admitted annually.

To enroll in the senior-level practice sequence (S W 396, 397, 398; S W 491A–C; S W 492A–C), you must have been admitted to the major. In addition, you are expected to have:

maintained an overall GPA of 2.5;
completed one year of the foreign language requirement; and
completed S W 350, 383, 390, 393, and 394.