Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.)
Learn more about the Bachelor of Social Work.
Cheri Carter, Ph.D, LSW, Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Program Director
Ritter Annex 581
215-204-1228
cheri.carter@temple.edu
Mission Statement
The School of Social Work, which is part of the College of Public Health, 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 the following:
- 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.
Goals
The goals of the School of Social Work are the following:
- 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,
- provision of educational opportunities to a diverse population of students representative of the constituencies served,
- production of scholarship and research that contributes to the social work knowledge base, and
- engagement in service-related activities with relevant constituencies.
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 arrangements, recognizing their impact on social welfare policy and services and on 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; and
- understand how global issues affect local practice.
Licensure/Certification
States vary in their requirements for a license to practice social work. Many also offer different levels of licensing and certain jobs in the field of social work require licensing. Graduates should contact their local chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) for information on the specific requirements for licensing in their state. For more information about state licensure, see https://www.aswb.org/licenses/how-to-get-a-license/.
The Association of Social Works Boards (ASWB) administers a licensure examination that is required to practice as a licensed social worker with a BSW in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
Because Temple University's Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), completion of Temple University's BSW program qualifies students to sit for the ASWB licensure examination.
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 General Education 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. 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.
Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.)
University Requirements
- All students are required to complete the university General Education (GenEd) curriculum.
(Students who entered prior to fall 2011 should check with their advisor for the appropriate year and program requirements.) - All Temple students must take a minimum of two writing-intensive courses at Temple as part of the major. The specific writing-intensive courses required for this major are SSWU 3096 and SSWU 4396.
College Requirement
- All CPH students, including SSW students, must complete the College Core Course, HRPR 1001.
Clearance Requirements
Please note the Social Work program requires students to complete clinical/field education experiences at facilities both on and off the University campus. These placements will require criminal background checks, Act 33/34 clearances and perhaps a drug screen. Placements may also require the student to maintain personal health insurance. The results of these requirements may limit and potentially eliminate placement options which can, in turn, result in an inability to meet graduation requirements. Additionally, conviction of a misdemeanor, felony, or felonious or illegal act may prevent you from becoming credentialed and/or licensed to practice social work. Please see https://www.aswb.org/licenses/ for more information about state licensure.
School of Social Work Requirements
- 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 social work courses and HRPR 1001.
B.S.W. Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University and College Courses | ||
| HRPR 1001 | Public Health: The Way We Live, Work and Play | 3 |
| CSI 1111 | Introduction to Public Speaking | 3 |
| PSY 1001 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| SOC 1176 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| KINS 1223 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| or BIOL 1001 | Human Biology | |
| *Any Biology course with a course number of 1000 or above will satisfy the BSW BIO requirement; however, some graduate programs may require successful completion of an undergraduate Human Biology course. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to the Economy | ||
| Macroeconomic Principles | ||
| Microeconomic Principles | ||
| Global Economics | ||
| The American Economy | ||
| POLS 1101 | The American Political System | 3 |
| or POLS 1911 | Honors Introduction to American Politics | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Social Statistics | ||
| Honors Social Statistics | ||
| Elements of Statistics | ||
| Statistics for Psychology | ||
| *Any Statistics course with a course number of 1000 or above will satisfy the BSW STAT requirement. | ||
| Electives | ||
| Social Work Specific Elective Course | 3 | |
| Free Electives | 5 | |
| Professional Courses in Social Work | ||
| SSWU 2005 | Introduction to the Social Work Profession I | 3 |
| SSWU 2006 | Introduction to the Social Work Profession II | 3 |
| SSWU 2089 | Service Learning in the Social Work Profession | 2 |
| SSWU 3003 | History and Values of Social Welfare | 3 |
| SSWU 3004 | Social Welfare in the US | 3 |
| SSWU 3007 | Human Behavior in the Social Environment | 3 |
| SSWU 3009 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Communities and Organizations | 3 |
| SSWU 3011 | The Social Worker in the Group | 3 |
| SSWU 3096 | Institutional Racism | 3 |
| SSWU 4001 | Seminar in Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SSWU 4002 | Seminar in Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SSWU 4187 | Social Work Field Practicum I | 5 |
| SSWU 4107 | BSW Field Seminar I | 2 |
| SSWU 4287 | Social Work Field Practicum II | 5 |
| SSWU 4207 | BSW Field Seminar II | 2 |
| SSWU 4396 | Introduction to Social Research | 3 |
| SSWU 4407 | Evaluating Programs and Practice in Social Work | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 85 | |
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. Field work practice consists of 10 credits of the 55 credits of professional social work courses specified above.
Some of the fields of practice in the five-county Philadelphia area in which majors do their field work are these:
- Aging: including adult service centers as well as assistance in a variety of public and private organizations with 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, and discrimination;
- Mental Health: small and large institutions, community-based units, public and private auspices;
- Substance Abuse: counseling and other direct service in a variety of settings, both public and private;
- Violence and Domestic Issues: domestic violence of all kinds, sexual assault, and child abuse, in a wide variety of settings.
Suggested Academic Plan
Bachelor of Social Work
Requirements for New Students starting in the 2022-2023 Academic Year
Note: The symbols (F) or (S) after the course number indicate that the class is offered ONLY in a specific semester:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| (F) = offered only in fall semester | ||
| (S) = offered only in spring semester | ||
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| HRPR 1001 | Public Health: The Way We Live, Work and Play | 3 |
| ENG 0802, 0812, or 0902 | Analytical Reading and Writing [GW] | 4 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3-4 | |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 2 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15-16 | |
| Spring | ||
| CSI 1111 | Introduction to Public Speaking | 3 |
| SOC 1176 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| GenEd Quantitative Literacy Course [GQ] | 4 | |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| PSY 1001 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| IH 0851 or 0951 | Intellectual Heritage I: The Good Life [GY] | 3 |
| SSWU 2005 | Introduction to the Social Work Profession I | 3 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Select one of the following (other STAT courses will be considered): | 3 | |
| Social Statistics | ||
| Elements of Statistics | ||
| Honors Social Statistics | ||
| Statistics for Psychology | ||
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| SSWU 2006 | Introduction to the Social Work Profession II | 3 |
| SSWU 2089 | Service Learning in the Social Work Profession | 2 |
| IH 0852 or 0952 | Intellectual Heritage II: The Common Good [GZ] | 3 |
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Select one of the following (*any BIO course will satisfy this requirement; however, some graduate programs may require successful completion of an undergraduate Human Biology course): | 4 | |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I1 | ||
| Human Biology | ||
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| SSWU 3003 | History and Values of Social Welfare | 3 |
| SSWU 3007 | Human Behavior in the Social Environment (F) | 3 |
| SSWU 3011 | The Social Worker in the Group | 3 |
| POLS 1101 or 1911 | The American Political System | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| SSWU 3004 | Social Welfare in the US | 3 |
| SSWU 3009 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Communities and Organizations | 3 |
| SSWU 3096 | Institutional Racism [WI] (F, S) | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to the Economy (F) | ||
| Macroeconomic Principles | ||
| Microeconomic Principles | ||
| Global Economics | ||
| The American Economy [GU]2 | ||
| GenEd Breadth Course | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| SSWU 4001 | Seminar in Social Work Practice (F) | 3 |
| SSWU 4187 | Social Work Field Practicum I (F)3 | 5 |
| SSWU 4107 | BSW Field Seminar I (SW 4187 & SW 4107 are concurrent) | 2 |
| SSWU 4396 | Introduction to Social Research [WI] (F) | 3 |
| Social Work Elective | 3 | |
| Term Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| SSWU 4002 | Seminar in Social Work Practice (S) | 3 |
| SSWU 4287 | Social Work Field Practicum II (S)3 | 5 |
| SSWU 4207 | BSW Field Seminar II (SW 4287 & SW 4207 are concurrent.) | 2 |
| SSWU 4407 | Evaluating Programs and Practice in Social Work | 3 |
| Term Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Total Credit Hours: | 120-121 | |
| 1 | Refer to GenEd Science & Technology for information on a GS Waiver. |
| 2 | ECON 0858 satisfies the University GedEd U.S. Society requirement as well as SSW's Economics requirement. |
| 3 | 16 hour/week field practicum requirement. |
In order to receive a Bachelor of Social Work degree, a student must complete a minimum of 120 semester hours, which includes the University General Education (GenEd) curriculum and the School of Social Work curriculum. A potential graduate must also hold a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better (having received a C or better in all social work courses and HRPR 1001), and meet any additional requirements, such as the Exit Interview.