Social Work, BSW
Introduction
Please click here to see Sociology department information.
Social work is the professional application of social work theory and methods by someone who has completed a social work degree from an accredited program for the purpose of prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and intervention with individual, family, group, organizational, and societal problems. A Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree is one of the most useful undergraduate degrees one can earn in the social services sector. CU Denver’s BSW is a generalist program that prepares students for entry-level, professional social work practice and graduate social work education.
CU Denver’s BSW degree features interdisciplinary expertise across sociology, psychology, political science, public health, education, counseling, and public policy and follows national accreditation requirements established by the Council for Social Work Education (CSWE). The program's interdisciplinary design creates opportunities for students to pursue specialized tracks in health & medicine, education, non-profit and community leadership, behavioral health, and criminology. Housed within an urban research university, the BSW allows students to embed research into their undergraduate education through research methods training and involvement in faculty research.
All prospective majors should contact the undergraduate advisor in Social Work as early in their academic careers as possible for information about the degree requirements. Transfer or returning students should consult with the undergraduate advisor in Social Work concerning completion of the core courses.
These degree requirements are subject to periodic revision by the academic department, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences reserves the right to make exceptions and substitutions as judged necessary in individual cases. Therefore, the College strongly urges students to consult regularly with their major advisor and CLAS advisor to confirm the best plans of study before finalizing them.
Program Delivery
- This is an on-campus program.
- This program is also offered online.
Declaring This Major
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Students may declare Social Work as their major at any time following admission into the university. However, admission into the BSW program is required, and declaration of the social work major does not guarantee admission. See Program Allowances and Restrictions under Degree Requirements for additional information.
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Click here to go to information about declaring a major.
General Requirements
To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the three areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.
- CU Denver General Graduation Requirements
- CU Denver Core Curriculum
- College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Graduation Requirements
- Click here for information about Academic Policies
Program Requirements
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Students must complete a minimum of at least 57 major credit hours. Of these, at least 12 credits must come from electives chosen from two of the following topic clusters (Healthcare, Crime & Law, Education, or Families) and 12-18 credits from either a listed undergraduate certificate or minor.
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Students must meet a minimum of 400 hours of field education completed in SOCY 4900 and SOCY 4920.
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Students must earn a minimum grade of C (2.0) in all courses that apply to the major and must achieve a minimum cumulative major GPA of 2.0. Courses taken using P+/P/F or S/U grading cannot apply to major requirements.
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Students must complete all field practicum site clearance requirements, which may include background checks, drug screens, and immunization record reviews. Field placements are not guaranteed for students who cannot successfully pass these requirements.
Program Allowances and Restrictions
Admission into the BSW program is required, although students may declare Social Work as their major at any time following admission into the University. However, declaration of the social work major does not guarantee admission into the BSW program. Generally, first- and second-year Social Work Majors complete general education requirements and the lower-division SOCY 1900 Introduction to Social Work course. Students enrolled in Introduction to Social Work will be informed and instructed on the BSW admission process. Admission is restricted to students who have successfully completed 30 credit hours and the following requirements:
- Evidence of 30 completed credit hours (in-progress coursework will be considered)
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.4 for current UCD students and transfer students
- Successful completion of two prerequisite courses SOCY 1900: Introduction to Social Work and SOCY 1001: Understanding the Social World
- Submission of a writing sample used to evaluate your writing skills and your readiness for admission to the BSW program
Upon successful completion of the application requirements, students will be admitted to the BSW program and permitted to complete upper-division courses.
The BSW program does not grant social work course credit for life experience or previous work experience.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete all the following required courses (all of which need to be three credit hours): | 33 | |
| Introduction to Social Work | ||
| Foundations of Behavioral Health | ||
or PBHL 3110 | Foundations of Behavioral Health | |
| Applied Community Care for Social and Community Service | ||
| Families and Society | ||
| Social Work with Individuals, Families, and Groups | ||
| Social Work with Organizations and Communities | ||
| Sociology in Action: Applying Sociological Inquiry to Solve Real World Problems | ||
| Field Practice in Social Work I | ||
| Field Practice in Social Work II | ||
| Non-Profits and Social Change | ||
| Community Organizing and Community Development | ||
| Complete a minimum of two courses in at least two of the following clusters: | 12 | |
| Healthcare | ||
| Immigrant Health | ||
| Medical Anthropology | ||
| Disability Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Health Communication | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Health Communication and Community | ||
| Rhetorics of Medicine & Health | ||
| Race, Gender, Class, & Health | ||
| Ethnicity, Health and Social Justice | ||
| Human Sexuality and Public Health | ||
| Fundamentals of Health Promotion | ||
| U.S. Health Policy | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| Medical Sociology | ||
| Sociology of Health Care | ||
| Aging, Society and Social Policy | ||
| Crime & Law | ||
| Offenders With Mental Health Disorders | ||
| Victimology | ||
| Race, Gender, Law and Public Policy | ||
| Drugs, Brain and Behavior | ||
| Deviance and Social Control | ||
| Criminology | ||
| Juvenile Delinquency | ||
| Violence in Relationships | ||
| Education | ||
| Human Development I: Child Psychology | ||
| Human Development II: Adolescence and Adulthood | ||
| Black and Latino Children in Families and Schools | ||
| Adolescent Ecology | ||
| Leadership for Racial Justice in School and Community Settings | ||
| Latino Families in School and Communities | ||
| Sociology of Education | ||
| Families | ||
| Family Communication | ||
| Families in Global Perspectives | ||
| Families and Parenting | ||
| Family Life and Community Programming I | ||
| Family Systems and Social Justice | ||
| Families in Later Life | ||
| Family Psychology | ||
| Social Meanings of Reproduction | ||
| Juvenile Delinquency | ||
| Complete one of the following minors or undergraduate certificates. Note, students may select a different minor or certificate with the approval of the program director. | 12-18 | |
| Certificates | ||
| Minors | ||
| Total Hours | 57-63 | |
- Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
- Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
- Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
- Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
- Engage in Policy Practice
- Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Interview with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities