Social Work, BSW

Introduction

The Social Work profession promotes social change and empowers people to enhance their well-being. Social work is based on a set of values and ethical principles, such as respect for human dignity, that are articulated in its Code of Ethics. Since its beginnings more than one hundred years ago, social work has developed a body of knowledge and skills that focuses on meeting human needs, especially the needs of vulnerable and oppressed populations. Social workers intervene with systems of all sizes—individuals, families, groups and communities. Principles of social, economic, racial, and environmental justice, human rights and respect for human diversity are fundamental to social work. 

Mission and Goals

The Stockton University Social Work program’s mission is to prepare undergraduate Social Work majors for generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities by providing a broad-based, professional education that rests on a solid liberal arts foundation. The program also seeks to serve the larger University community through Social Work and General Studies course offerings that have universal appeal to those seeking a better understanding of the human condition. The program’s central focus is on producing graduates who have a lifetime commitment to upholding human rights, respecting human diversity, and working towards social, racial, economic, and environmental justice in their professional and personal lives. 

Goals and Core Competencies

Goal I: To prepare graduates to practice with diverse populations, particularly those who have been placed at risk by patterns and histories of racism and social injustice.

 Graduates of the Stockton Social Work program will have mastered the following core competencies:

• Engage diversity and difference in practice

• Advance human rights and social, economic, racial and environmental justice

• Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, and organizations. 

Goal II:  To provide comprehensive content about generalist social work practice.

• Graduates of the Stockton Social Work program will have mastered the following core competencies:

• Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly

• Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice

• Engage in practices that advance human rights and social, racial, economic and environmental justice

• Engage in anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in practice

• Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research

• Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services

• Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

• Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments

• Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment

• Respond to contexts that shape practice 

Goal III:  Provide content about the social contexts of social work practice.

Graduates of the Stockton Social Work program will have mastered the following core competencies:

• Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment

• Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services

• Respond to contexts that shape practice. 

Goal IV:   Infuse throughout the curriculum the values and ethics that guide professional social workers in their practice. 

Graduates of the Stockton Social Work program will have mastered the following core competency:

• Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice. 

Goal V:  Prepare graduates to be conscientious lifelong learners. 

Graduates of the Stockton Social Work program will have mastered the following core competency:

• Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly. 

Goal VI:  Prepare graduates who demonstrate the ability to think critically, write effectively, communicate effectively orally, use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry, and be comfortable with the use of computers. 

Graduates of the Stockton Social Work program will have mastered the following core competencies:

• Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments

• Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. 

Goal VII:  Faculty of the Stockton Social Work program will provide service to the broader University community, to the surrounding southern New Jersey region, and in wider statewide, national, and international arenas. In this way, we deepen the Social Work program’s capacity to bring professional values and ethics to the broadest possible population, representing to students what it means to be engaged professional social workers; and we demonstrate our commitment to ensure that Stockton University graduates are prepared to be citizens in a democratic, multicultural society. 

The following table lists the program competencies and associated practice behaviors.

Program Organization

The Social Work (SOWK) program offers a unique interaction between classroom lectures and discussions and Practicum observation and work. Course content in social welfare concepts and practice builds upon concepts from the humanities and from the natural, social, behavioral, and health sciences. The program consists of three core sequences of social work courses: 

The Introductory Sequence

• SOWK 1101 Introduction to Social Work (4 credits)

• SOWK 1103 Human Behavior in the Social Environment (4 credits)

• SOWK 2504 Race, Ethnicity, Diversity (4 credits). 

You are introduced to the building blocks – knowledge, values, and skills – of generalist social work practice. These courses are taken in the first and second years, usually beginning the second term of the first year. During these two years, students are preparing to become a Social Work major. In addition to the courses listed above, you are expected to have made significant progress in completing the Social Work program’s liberal arts foundation requirement prior to entering the junior sequence. This includes courses in the following areas of instruction: psychology, sociology/anthropology/criminal justice, political science, economics and human biology; as well as a writing course, a first-year seminar, and 16 credit hours distributed among General Arts and Humanities (GAH), General Social and Behavioral Sciences (GSS), General Natural Sciences and Mathematics (GNM), and General Interdisciplinary Skills and Topics (GEN). 

The Junior Sequence

Students must successfully complete SOWK 1101 and SOWK 1103 prerequisites, or their equivalent before entering the junior sequence.

• SOWK 2103 Theories and Concepts of Human Behavior (4 credits)

• SOWK 3101 History of Social Welfare Policy (4 credits)

• SOWK 3102 Research Methods in Social Work (4 credits)

• SOWK 3604 Generalist Social Work Practice: Theory and Methods I (4 credits)

• SOWK 3605 Generalist Social Work Practice: Theory and Methods II (4 credits)

• SOWK 3905 Practicum Preparation (2 credits). 

In the junior year, having completed the introductory sequence and liberal arts base, students take courses to begin to integrate the knowledge, value, theory, and skills of generalist social work practice. In the fall semester of the junior year while enrolled in Generalist Social Work Practice: Theory and Methods I, students apply to enter Generalist Social Work Practice: Theory and Methods II and Practicum Preparation. The faculty determines a student’s eligibility based on their academic and professional performance record. Successful completion of this process ensures that you have become a full-fledged major. In addition to the six courses listed above, students are expected to continue fulfilling General Studies’ requirements and should begin to complete more advanced social and behavioral science requirements (18 credits).

The Senior Sequence

You must successfully complete SOWK 3604, 3605, and 3905 prerequisites (or their equivalents) before entering the senior sequence. You must also have a Social Work GPA of 2.5 or higher.

• SOWK 4601Senior Seminar: Social Work Practice I (4 credits)

• SOWK 4901 Senior Practicum I (4 credits)

• SOWK 4602 Senior Seminar: Social Work Practice II (4 credits)

• SOWK 4902 Senior Practicum II (4 credits) 

In the senior year, having completed the introductory and junior sequences, students prepare to become a generalist social work practitioner through completing the integration of knowledge, values, and skills. Students apply to enter Senior Seminar with Senior Practicum as listed above, during the spring of their junior year. The application consists of an essay, the purpose of which is to deepen the ongoing process of self-evaluation and career discernment. In the essay, students will discuss their interests in social work, including specialization interests. Many students find that this essay serves as the basis of the personal statement that they prepare when applying for admission to a graduate program in social work. The faculty determines eligibility, based on your application essay and on your academic, professional performance, and Practicum record. During the summer of your senior year, students are assigned to their senior practicum placement and are expected to contact their practicum supervisor for an interview. Opportunities for practicum experience and learning under professional supervision are available in the following settings, among others: child welfare, family services, schools, hospital and health care, behavioral health, developmental disabilities, services to older adults, and criminal justice. 

Accreditation

The Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates are prepared for entry-level, professional social work practice positions as generalist practitioners. 

Admission to the Program

The Social Work program is open to Stockton students in good standing who have an overall GPA of at least 2.5 in program courses and who have successfully completed the introductory sequences of social work courses and who have discussed their intent to major in social work with a social work program preceptor. Students are encouraged to consult social work faculty members to determine their interests in social work and assess what the program and the profession may offer to those who participate. The earlier this is done the better.

 In order to be admitted to, remain in and graduate from the Social Work program, Social Work students must also receive a minimum grade of “C” in social work practice/skills courses: SOWK 3604/3605/3905 and SOWK 4601/4602.

 Community college transfer students who do not come from a human services/social work program and/or who have not satisfied the liberal arts requirements described herein, may have to complete more than 64 credits at Stockton. This may require an additional one or two terms of academic work.

Credit for Life Experience

The Social Work program does not grant credit for life experience or previous work experience. 

Termination from the Program

In addition to the minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA in Social Work program courses that is required for students to remain enrolled in the program and a minimum grade of “C” in social work practice/skills courses (SOWK 3604/3605/3905 and 4601/4602), the undergraduate program has additional Professional Program Standards. In general, students who meet academic standards will have no difficulty meeting professional standards. However, on occasion a student may possess all the requisite academic skills and yet may not be ready to meet the emotional challenges of undergraduate studies. This lack of readiness would be evidenced by behaviors that emerge in the classroom, in relations with professors or other students, or in the practicum placement. Since it is possible for a student to have difficulty relating with one particular professor or practicum instructor, the decision to terminate a student from the program or take other disciplinary action against an undergraduate student (i.e., place on probation or suspension from the program) will not be made by only one person but will be the decision of the Academic and Professional Standing Committee. Additional information may be found in the Student Handbook and the Practicum Manual, which is posted on the Social Work program website. 

Graduation Requirements

Graduates of the program receive a Bachelor of Science degree. The University requires completion of a minimum of 128 credits for graduation. For the B.S. degree, a minimum of 80 credits must be earned in program studies and cognate courses. Thirty-two credits must be from General Studies. The 16 remaining credit hours may be either in General Studies or in programs at-some-distance from the major. Transfer students are given credits for appropriate work done at other regionally accredited institutions. Students are also required to fulfill requirements in Writing (W1, W2), Quantitative Reasoning (Q1, Q2), Race and Racism Education (R1, R2), Historical Consciousness (H), the Arts (A), Values (V), and International/Multicultural (I) courses. (It is essential for the student to consult with his/her preceptor regularly to create and monitor a plan for meeting all university requirements.) 

As noted above, Social Work majors must complete a combination of entry-level and upper-level social and behavioral sciences courses, as well as all required Social Work courses, including 400 hours of Practicum in an approved social work agency or program during the senior year. In order to graduate, students must have maintained a cumulative 2.5 GPA in Social Work program courses and students must have received a minimum grade of “C” in all skills/practice courses (SOWK 3604/3605/3905 and SOWK 4601/4602). 

Graduation with Distinction

A Bachelor of Science degree with Distinction in Social Work will be awarded to those students who achieve a 3.5 GPA in all Social Work program courses, successfully complete the senior Practicum placement and complete program distinction requirements. 

Phi Alpha Honor Society

A Bachelor of Science degree with induction into the Phi Alpha Honor Society for social work majors is an opportunity for social work students in the top 35%.  At the start of the spring semester, all social work students in the top 35% will be invited to apply to the Phi Alpha honor society. Students will be contacted via email and instructed on how to accept the invitation. An induction ceremony will be held during the spring semester.  

Special Opportunities

The program provides students with practicum observation and practicum experience in multiple social welfare programs and social work agencies in southern New Jersey. Opportunities for experience and learning under professional supervision are available in a variety of settings, such as services to families and children, schools, health care, behavioral health care and services to the aging.

Child Welfare Concentration

 A Child Welfare Area of Focus is available to social work majors considering a professional career in services to children and families. There is a major crisis in child welfare in many states, including New Jersey. A major effort is underway to transform the provision of child protective services to New Jersey’s at-risk families and children. There is a significant need for social workers with specialized knowledge and skills in child welfare to join this effort, and there are excellent employment opportunities.

Students electing the Child Welfare Area of Focus, in addition to the core requirements for the social work major, must complete SOWK 3650 Topics in Child Welfare, SOWK 3670 Child Welfare Services and Practice, and have their senior practicum in a child welfare agency. The expected sequencing of these courses is completion of the Topics in Child Welfare seminar in spring of the junior year and the Child Welfare Services and Practice seminar in the fall of the senior year.

Childhood Studies Minor

The program also participates in the Childhood Studies (CHST) minor. Social work students are encouraged to pursue their interests in this field of study if they are interested in working with children and adolescents. The internship requirement for the minor may be fulfilled with the social work practicum placement if approved by the childhood studies minor coordinator. 

Gerontology Minor

The program also collaborates with the Gerontology (GERO) program. The field of aging is growing thereby producing many job opportunities in the future. Social work students are encouraged to consider gerontological social work with a gerontology minor, and their social work practicum placement can also count towards the internship requirement in the Gerontology minor if approved by the minor coordinator. 

Career Opportunities

The Bachelor of Science in Social Work has been recognized by the Council on Social Work Education and the National Association of Social Workers as the entry-level professional degree in social work. Job opportunities exist in a wide range of public and private social welfare agencies and institutions. Many states Civil Service commissions, including New Jersey’s, recognize the Bachelor of Science degree in social work as qualification for a professional social work position. Graduate programs leading to the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree are available at most major universities, including Stockton University. Students with the Bachelor of Science degree in social work are in an excellent position to apply for advanced standing in most of these graduate programs. They are also eligible to apply for professional status as certified social workers (CSW). 

Full details about the Social Work curriculum can be accessed on the Social Work website.