USF 2008-2009 Undergraduate Catalog - Pages 114-115
The University of South Florida offers a program leading to a Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) degree in the School of Social Work, College of Arts and Sciences. This program has been developed in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Council on Social Work Education, the national accrediting body for social work education programs, and in accordance with the recommendations of the National Association of Social Workers. The B.S.W. program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The primary objective of the B.S.W. program is the preparation of the graduate for beginning level professional practice as a social work generalist.
The secondary objectives of the B.S.W. program are to 1. Provide for the social work human resources needs of the university service district (the central Florida west coast area), the State of Florida, and the Southeast Region; 2. Prepare graduates for additional professional training at the graduate level in social work or in related human service professions; 3. Provide an exposure to social work as a profession and to contemporary issues in the social welfare field.
In preparing the B.S.W. graduate for beginning professional practice, the curriculum provides the student with an opportunity to develop a knowledge base and skill base as a “generalist” practitioner. The student will develop an understanding of various methods of intervention and skills in their application to a variety of client systems. For example, interventive methods may take the form of individual and group counseling, resource development, consultation, teaching, advocacy, etc. Client systems may be individuals, families, groups, organizations, or communities. The student will develop an understanding of the dynamics of human behavior in individual, group and organizational contexts and the influences of the sociocultural environment upon those behaviors. The student will learn about the development of social welfare systems and institutions and the social, economic, and political processes affecting policy development and program implementation. The student will develop an understanding of the utilization of basic social research skills particularly related to the processes of problem-solving, planning, and evaluation.
The student will also become aware of the value base of the profession and engage in a self-examination process as it relates to the development and reflection of ethical and effective professional practice. The B.S.W. program, as any professional program, places great emphasis on the development of a professionally responsible graduate in terms of one’s obligations to the client system served, the profession itself, the organization in which one works, and to the general public which ultimately provides any profession with legitimacy.
Enrollment in the B.S.W. program is limited. Students may apply for admission to the School for the B.S.W. program during enrollment in either SOW 3203 or SOW 3210.
However, the completion of the prerequisites does not guarantee the student’s admission to the program. Limited state funding places constraints on the size of the social work faculty and in order to maintain a high quality of instruction, it is necessary to achieve an appropriate faculty-student ratio. This means that it may be necessary to deny full admission to the B.S.W. program solely on the basis of no available space. Any student applying for full admission to the program should be aware of this possibility.
A student must maintain a GPA of 2.75 minimum in social work courses while enrolled in the program and demonstrate behaviors that are congruent with professional standards and values as described above in order to proceed in the major. Any student who fails to maintain at least a 2.75 GPA in the social work major and/or demonstrates behaviors that are incongruent with the standards and values of the profession may not proceed in the major.
A social work major receiving a grade of less than “C” in a core course will be required to repeat the course. A grade of “C-” is not considered acceptable and a student receiving a “C-” in a core course must repeat the course. Furthermore, no student will be allowed to enter field placement with a “C-” grade or below in any SOW core courses, even if the student’s GPA is 2.75 or above with the inclusion of the a “C-” grade of below.
Admission to the B.S.W. program is a three stage process, i.e., common prerequisites, provisional courses, and core curriculum. Any student who holds a minimum of sophomore standing and is completing common prerequisite work in political science, biology, economics, psychology and sociology (see specific requirements below) may declare a social work major. At this stage, students may file a declaration of major form with the College of Arts and Sciences, Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies. All majors will be assigned to an advisor within the School who will assist the student in selecting courses. Many students will have already taken most of the common prerequisite courses as part of general education at USF or in their course of study at a community college. After completion, a student will be ready for courses in the provisional social work major, a final step in applying for full admission to the B.S.W. program as a full major. It is necessary to be admitted as a full major before taking core social work courses.
Admission requirements for the social work full major are as follows: 1. A student must have completed a minimum of one semester as a provisional social work major. 2. A student must have completed required common prerequisites and provisional courses (see listing). 3. A student must complete an application for full admission and file it with the School of Social Work before the beginning of the semester in which admission is sought; dates will be announced in provisional courses. 4. A student may be asked to complete an admission interview with a favorable action from the Undergraduate Committee. 5. A student must achieve a grade of “B” or better in SOW 3203, “Introduction to Social Work” and SOW 3210, “The American Social Welfare System,” to be considered for full admission. A grade of “B-” is not acceptable in either “Introduction to Social Work” or “American Social Welfare.” 6. A student must have successfully completed CLAST.
A student must achieve a GPA of 2.75 in all Social Work courses to enroll in field placement and subsequently graduate with the B.S.W. degree.
Prerequisites (State Mandated Common Prerequisites)
Social Work is a limited access program. Students wishing to transfer to USF may complete the A.A. degree at the community college. Some courses required for the major may also meet General Education Requirements thereby transferring maximum hours to the university. If students transfer with fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the students must meet the university’s entering freshman requirements including ACT or SAT test scores, GPA, and course requirements.
The transfer student should also be aware of the immunization, foreign language, and continuous enrollment policies of the university.
State Mandated Common Prerequisite Courses (P)
A student must successfully complete the following courses, by earning a “C” or better. A grade of “C-” is not acceptable as a passing grade.
One course in each of the following cognate areas
XXX XXXX American Government (American National Government or American Government) or Introduction to Public Policy (3)
XXX XXXX Biology (Human Biology or Anatomy & Physiology) (3)
ECO XXXX Economics (Microeconomics or Macroeconomics or Introduction to Economics) (3)
XXX XXXX Introductory Psychology (3)
XXX XXXX Introductory Sociology/Social Problems (3)
If possible, students enrolled in community colleges should take their college equivalents of common prerequisite courses (P) and cross-cultural provisional course (P*) before entering USF. All courses must be passed with a “C” or better. A grade of “C-” is not acceptable as a passing grade in any of the common prerequisite courses or the cross-cultural course.
SOW 3203 Introduction to Social Work and SOW 3210 American Social Welfare must be taken at USF or another accredited institution and must be completed, earning a grade of “B” or better. A grade of “B-” is not acceptable as a passing grade for either course.
At USF, the following courses are recommended to meet this requirement (one course in each area):
American Government
POS 2041 American National Government (3)
POS 2112 State and Local Government and Politics (3)
POS 3182 Florida Politics and Government (3)
Biology
BSC 1005 Principles of Biology for Non-majors (3)
BSC 2022 Biology of Aging (3)
BSC 2025 Food: Personal & Global Perspectives (3)
BSC 2035 Sex and Today’s World (3)
WST 2600 Human Sexual Behavior (3)
Economics:
ECO 1000 Basic Economics (3)
Psychology:
PSY 2012 Psychological Science I (3)
Sociology:
SYG 2000 Introduction to Sociology (3)
SYG 2010 Contemporary Social Problems (3)
SYD 4800 Gender and Society (3)
SYO 3530 Social Inequalities in a Global Society (3)
SYP 3000 Social Psychology (3)
SYP 4510 Sociological Aspects of Deviance (3)
Foundation Courses (F*) for Social Work Majors (May be completed after transferring to USF).
African American Studies:
AFA 2000 Introduction to the Black Experience [In Africa and Its Diaspora] (3)
AFA 4333 African Diaspora: Blacks in the Construction of the Americas (3)
AFA 4335 Black Women in America (3)
AFS 2250 Culture and Society in Africa (3)
AMS 3700 Racism in American Society (3)
Anthropology:
ANT 2000 Introduction to Anthropology (3)
ANT 2410 Cultural Anthropology (3)
ANT 3005 The Anthropological Perspective (3)
ANT 4316 Ethnic Diversity in the USA (3)
ANT 4432 The Individual and Culture (3)
Sociology:
SYD 3700 Racial and Ethnic Relations (3)
Women’s Studies:
AMH 3561 American Women I (4)
AMH 3562 American Women II (4)
LIT 3383 The Image of Women in Literature (3)
PUP 4323 Women and Politics (3)
SOP 3742 Psychology of Women (3)
WST 3015 Introduction to Women’s Studies (3)
WST 3311 Issues in Feminism (3)
WST 4262 Literature by American Women of Color (3)
WST 4410 Third World Women Writers (3)
Social Work Core Courses
Summary:
| Core Courses | 29 hours | |
| Field Experience | 9 hours | |
| TOTAL | 38 hours |
Please send questions or comments to:
Karen M. Hall - webcat@ugs.usf.edu
Effective Date: Semester I, 2008
http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0809/socwk.htm