Social Work, BSW

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) prepares graduates for professional and ethical Generalist Social Work Practice. An emphasis is placed on preparing entry-level social workers who can work across all client systems at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. The curriculum trains social workers to promote human rights and individual, community, and global well-being by practicing in complex, diverse, and dynamic settings and environments.

BSW Mission

The Bachelor of Social Work exemplifies the social work core values in preparing students for ethical and competent entry-level generalist practice across multiple populations at micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice.

BSW Goals

• Educate bachelor level social workers with knowledge, values, and skills necessary for ethical and competent practice across multiple populations with a focus on diversity and difference [Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Competencies 1 & 3]
• Engage students in a process of practice-informed research and research-informed practice (CSWE Competencies 4 & 7)
• Prepare students to provide regional leadership in the development and implementation of policies, programs, and services that support human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice (CSWE Competencies 2 & 5)
• Develop social workers who exemplify a commitment to the social work core values while engaging, intervening, and evaluating practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (CSWE Competencies 6, 8 & 9)

The BSW program provides a strong foundation for students who wish to pursue social work education at the graduate level as well as those who plan to work as generalist, baccalaureate trained social workers.

Admission Criteria

Students may declare social work as their major at any time following admission to the University; however, declaration of the social work major does not guarantee admission into the BSW professional program. Generally, first- and second-year Social Work majors will take general education requirements alongside a selection of foundational Social Work courses.

After successful completion of 60 credit hours, students with a Social Work major may apply to the Bachelor of Social Work professional program. After admission to the BSW professional program, third- and fourth-year Social Work majors will complete upper-division courses and a supervised practicum placement in a social service agency.   

Requirements for admission to the Bachelor of Social Work major include:

• Evidence of 60 completed credit hours (in-progress coursework will be considered)
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.4 for current UCCS students and transfer students
• Successful completion of three prerequisite courses
  • SOWK 1001, SOC 1110, PSY 1000 (or equivalent SOC, PSY courses)
• Submission of a writing sample used to evaluate your writing skills and your readiness for admission to the BSW program.

  • The writing sample should be submitted online via the BSW Writing Sample Submission link on the BSW program webpage.

  • For the writing sample, please choose and respond to one of the following three questions; list the question and then your response. Your answer should demonstrate your interest in and commitment to social work, social justice, and social change. Responses should be double spaced and no more than 500 words.
    1. Beyond your personal desire to help people, why have you chosen social work as a profession over another profession or major?
    2. How have your life experiences and identities shaped your understanding of power and privilege?
    3. Reflect upon a time when you’ve had a long-cherished or accepted belief challenged. How did you respond? How did the challenge affect your belief?

Upon successful completion of the application requirements, the student will be admitted to the BSW program, their Academic Advisor will activate the BSW Subplan through the student’s Degree Audit, and the student will then be permitted to complete 4000-level Social Work courses. Once admitted to the BSW Subplan, students will also be assigned a Social Work Faculty Advisor who will be available for professional mentorship and guidance. 

General Requirements

The degree requires completion of 120 credit hours, including:

• 53 credit hours of general education requirements as outlined in your degree audit
• 45 major credit hours (6 of which constitute the seminar and practicum sequence) and 9 credit hours of social work electives
• At least 10 credit hours of general electives

Students must also meet the following requirements:

• A minimum of 33 credit hours must be upper-division major courses
• A minimum of 400 hours of practicum education completed in SOWK 4111 and SOWK 4112*
• A grade of C or better in each undergraduate course applied to satisfy major requirements
• Major requirements may not be taken pass/fail

*Students must complete all practicum site clearance requirements, which may include background checks, drug screens and immunization record reviews. Practicum placements are not guaranteed for students who cannot successfully pass these requirements. Practicum placements are also not guaranteed for students residing outside of the state of Colorado.

The BSW program does not grant social work course credit for life experience or previous work experience.

Upper-Division Requirement

Students must complete at least 33 credit hours of upper-division work (courses numbered 3000 and above) to be eligible for the bachelor’s degree. Students may register for upper-division courses if they have met the course prerequisites or obtained BSW Director approval. Courses transferred from a junior/community college carry lower-division credit.

Course Requirements

Core Courses

• SOWK 1001 - Introduction to Social Work     
• SOWK 3001 - The Helping Relationship I    
• SOWK 3002 - Human Behavior and the Social Environment   
• SOWK 3003 - Social Work Research   
• SOWK 3050 - The Helping Relationship II   
• SOWK 3268 - Contemporary Issues in Social and Public Policy   
• SOWK 3400 - Social, Racial, Economic and Environmental Justice   
• SOWK 4001 - Individuals, Families, and Groups   
• SOWK 4002 - Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities   
• SOWK 4111 - Social Work Seminar and Practicum I   
• SOWK 4112 - Social Work Seminar and Practicum II   
• SOWK 4900 - Social Work Senior Summit   

Minors or Certificates

Minors or certificates are not required as a Social Work major. However, students may select a minor or certificate to add to their Social Work major. Recommended certificates/minors include: Accelerated Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management, Child and Family Studies Certificate, Disability Studies Certificate, Gerontology Certificate, Latino/a Studies Certificate, Native American and Indigenous Studies Certificate, Social Dimensions of Health and Health Care Certificate, Sociology of Diversity Certificate, Criminal Justice Minor, Human Services Minor, Psychology Minor, and Sociology Minor.

Electives

Complete 9 hours of additional Social Work courses.

Compass Curriculum

The BSW Compass Curriculum requirements will be met through general education and major courses.

Component	Course
Gateway	GPS 1010
Explore1 - Arts, Humanities and Cultures	PHIL 1120
Explore1 - Society, Behavior and Health	SOC 1110
Explore1 - Physical and Natural World	See degree audit
Navigate2	See degree audit
Summit3	SOWK 4900
Writing Intensive Course (WIC)3	SOWK 3003 and SOWK 4002
Inclusiveness3	SOWK 3268
Sustainability3	SOC 2260
1 Explore must be outside major and area requirements. 2 Navigate must be outside major requirements. 3 Can count towards other requirements within the Compass Curriculum or within a student’s degree program.

Policies and Procedures

Refer to the College of Public Service General Information section  of this academic catalog for the eligibility criteria, policies, and procedures relevant to this program.

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Accreditation Competencies

1. Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
2. Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice 
3. Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice 
4. Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
5. Engage in Policy Practice
6. Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
7. Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
8. Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
9. Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Commitment to Principles of Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice

In alignment with the ethical guidelines and educational standards set forth by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS), our faculty and students at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) BSW program shall:

1. “Enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.” (NASW Code of Ethics, Preamble)
2. “act to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of, and discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical ability.” (NASW Code of Ethics, 6.04d).
3. “understand that ethics are informed by principles of human rights and apply them toward realizing social, racial, economic, and environmental justice in their practice.” (CSWE, Competency 1)
4. are knowledgeable about the global intersecting and ongoing injustices throughout history that result in oppression and racism, including social work’s role and response. Social workers critically evaluate the distribution of power and privilege in society in order to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice by reducing inequities and ensuring dignity and respect for all. Social workers advocate for and engage in strategies to eliminate oppressive structural barriers to ensure that social resources, rights, and responsibilities are distributed equitably and that civil, political, economic, social, and cultural human rights are protected. (CSWE, Competency 2)
5. “understand how racism and oppression shape human experiences and how these two constructs influence practice. Social workers understand the pervasive impact of White supremacy. The dimensions of diversity, equity, and inclusion are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors (see Question 2 in the Q & A, above). Social workers understand the societal and historical roots of social and racial injustices and the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination. Social workers demonstrate cultural humility and manage the influence of bias, power, privilege, and values in working with clients and constituencies, acknowledging them as experts of their own lived experiences.” (CSWE, Competency 3)
6. use ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive approaches in conducting research and building knowledge. Social workers understand the inherent bias in research and evaluate design, analysis, and interpretation using an anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspective. (CSWE, Competency 4)
7. “identify social policy at the local, state, federal, and global levels that affects well-being, human rights and justice, service delivery, and access to social services. Social workers recognize the historical, social, racial, cultural, economic, organizational, environmental, and global influences that affect social policy. Social workers actively engage in and advocate for anti-racist and anti-oppressive policy practices to effect change in those settings.” (CSWE, Competency 5)
8. “are self-reflective and understand how bias, power, and privilege as well as their personal values and personal experiences may affect their ability to engage effectively with diverse clients and constituencies.” (CSWE, Competency 6)
9. “Social workers are self-reflective and understand how bias, power, privilege, and their personal values and experiences may affect their assessment and decision making.” (CSWE, Competency 7)
10. “Social workers incorporate culturally responsive methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies.” (CSWE, Competency 8)
11. “Social workers apply anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspectives in evaluating outcomes.” (CSWE, Competency 9)