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

B.S.W. Program for New Freshman Students

B.S.W. Program for Continuing or New Transfer Students

B.S.W. Program for Transfer Students with 45+ Credits or Core-to-Core Agreement

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:

1.  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;

2.  provision of educational opportunities to a diverse population of students representative of the constituencies served;

3.  production of scholarship and research that contributes to the social work knowledge base;

4.  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 Requirement

• 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 Core courses. A grade of "C-" or better is required in courses for the major.
  

University Requirement

All students are required to complete a set of university requirements: General Education (GenEd) or Core.

• New freshmen starting in the 2009-2010 academic year are required to complete the GenEd curriculum.
• New transfer students starting in the 2009-2010 academic year are required to complete the Core curriculum.

(Students who entered prior to fall 2009 should check the online archived Undergraduate Bulletin for the appropriate year and program requirements. Click on Archived Bulletins under Other Useful Links at the left.)

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

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B.S.W. Program of Study for New Freshmen Starting in Academic year 2009-2010

1. GenEd requirements (35-36 s.h.)

2. Six university courses (18-19 s.h.) required by the School of Social Work:  Psychology 1061 (Psychology as a Social Science); Sociology 1176 (Introduction to Sociology); Kinesiology 1225 (General Human Anatomy & Physiology for School of Social Work students) or Biology 1001 (Human Biology); Economics 1001 (Introduction to the Economy); Political Science 1101 or 1901 (The American Political System); Sociology 1167 or 1967 (Social Statistics).

3. Electives (11-15 s.h.)

4. Professional courses in Social Work (56 s.h.)

5. 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 56 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.

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B.S.W. Program of Study for New Transfer Students starting in Academic Year 2009-2010

University Core Curriculum requirements (18 s.h.), Math 0823 or 0824, English 0802 or 0812 or 0902, Intellectual Heritage 0851 or 0951, Intellectual Heritage 0852 or 0952, Arts, Foreign language or International Studies.

1.  Completion of the Library Orientation, now called the Temple Information Literacy Tutorial (TILT).

2.  Major requirements.

3.  Lower-level courses (34 s.h.):  Specified Core courses, plus: Economics 1001, 1101, 1102, or 1103; History 1102 or African American Studies 1268; Anthropology/GUS/Sociology 0867; Biology 1001 or Kinesiology 1223 or Kinesiology 1225; Political Science 1101 or 1901; Psychology 1061; Sociology 1176; Statistics 2101/2901 or Math 1013 or Sociology 1167 or Psychology 1167.

4.  Upper-level courses: Political Science (2000+), Socio-Behavioral (2000+). At least one course should be writing-intensive.

5.  Courses in Social Work (59 s.h.).

6.  Electives (approximately 13 s.h.).

7.  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.

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.

The B.S.W. will be awarded at 120 credit hours beginning with the freshman class newly matriculating in Fall 2008.  If continuing students who matriculated before Fall 2008 or new transfer students who began in Fall 2008 will meet all curricular requirements and have 120 credit hours, they may choose to take fewer credits in the general elective category.  If you are a transfer student who was able to use extra transfer credits to fulfill your general elective requirements, these changes will not affect you.  However, if you have any required general electives left to take, you may be able to reduce them by 2 credits.  It is important that you consult with your advisor who will help you assess your options.

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B.S.W. Program of Study for Transfer Students with 45 or more Credits or Core-To-Core Transfer

Students who transfer 64 credits may be eligible to complete the B.S.W. degree requirements in two years of full time study and two summer sessions. This depends on the number of credits that Temple accepts and what requirements they match in Temple's curriculum. All core curriculum and B.S.W. degree requirements must be met.

Major requirements

• Lower-level courses: Specified Core courses, plus: Economics 1001, 1101, 1102, or 1103; History 1102 or African American Studies 1268; Anthropology/GUS/Sociology 0867; Biology 1001 or Kinesiology 1223 or Kinesiology 1225; Political Science 1101/1901; Psychology 1061; Sociology 1176; Statistics 2101/2901 or Math 1013 or Sociology 1167 or Psychology 1167.
• Upper-level courses: Political Science (2000+), Socio-Behavioral (2000+). Students should refer to the B.S.W. Handbook for suggested courses.
• Courses in Social Work (59 s.h.).

The B.S.W. will be awarded at 120 credit hours beginning with the freshmen class newly matriculating in Fall 2008.  If continuing students who matriculated before Fall 2008 or new transfer students who began in Fall 2008 will meet all curricular requirements and have 120 credit hours, they may choose to take fewer credits in the general elective category.  If you are a transfer student who was able to use extra transfer credits to fulfill your general elective requirements, these changes will not affect you. However, if you have any required general electives left to take, you may be able to reduce them by 2 credits.  It is important that you consult with your advisor who will help you assess your options.

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The Social Work Minor

Temple University recently approved the School of Social Work’s proposal for a social work minor.  The new 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 seven 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; (two courses) (Social Work 3005 & 3006: Helping Processes in Social Work I & II)
• 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 and 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

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