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Social Work Major

Description

Social Work Department Mission

The Department of Social Work is committed to excellence in preparing ethical and competent professionalsocial workers who foster the well-being of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.Through teaching, service, and scholarship, the department promotes civic engagement in diverse societies.

Social Work Undergraduate Program Mission

The Undergraduate Social Work program is firmly grounded in the liberal arts tradition and informed by the person-in-environment and global perspectives. The Undergraduate Social Work Program at SUNY Brockport, State University of New York, is committed to the promotion of human rights, social, economic, and environmental justice, and the elimination of poverty and oppression. Through teaching, service, and scholarship, we strive to prepare competent, self-aware, ethical generalist social workers for evidence-based practice with diverse populations, advocating for the well-being of all people in our shared global community. We strive to uphold the principles of integrity, social justice, and competence and are dedicated to fostering human relationships built on trust, empathy, and respect, recognizing the inherent dignity and self-worth of all humans. Through our commitment to service, we strive to empower and advocate for marginalized populations, working tirelessly to address systemic injustices and promote equality for all.

Definition of Generalist Practice

Generalist social work practice refers to the knowledge base, professional values, and practice skills needed for the social work practitioner to intervene using a multi-level approach to assessment and intervention. It involves working in partnership with the client system to frame problems in a manner thatassists the client system to meet goals. It seeks to identify and strengthen the maximum potential in individuals, groups, organizations, and communities and is committed to understanding and respecting the unique context of the client system and responding to issues of human diversity. The generalist social workeris able to use the framework and ethical guidelines of the NASW and IFSW codes of ethics with client systems and to promote social and economic justice. The generalist practitioner is able to use critical thinking andresearch informed practice to identify and intervene in a manner that strengthens the client system.

Admission to the Program

Social Work Intents will be assigned a departmental advisor to assist them with proper course planning and career orientation as they pursue the requirements for admission to the program. Students may indicate their desire to major in social work at any time during the first two years of undergraduate study by registering with the Department of Social Work as an Intent to Major.

Enrollment is limited to seat availability and meeting the program requirements. Students seeking acceptance to the major must meet the following criteria:

  • Cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above.
  • Completion of a minimum of 54 credits, or an AA, AS or AAS.
  • Completion of the prerequisite courses (see below)

Transfer students are advised to consult with the undergraduate admissions coordinator, program director or department chair regarding equivalency of courses taken at other institutions. University policies regarding transfer credit are available.

All new social work majors will be assigned an academic advisor. Students should meet with their advisors the first month after admission to the program.

Prerequisite Courses

Program Requirements

Students in the social work major pursue a bachelor of science degree, and must complete its requirements.

In addition to the course requirements below, students must meet the following requirements:

  1. Maintain both a cumulative and major GPA of 2.5 or above.
  2. Earn a grade of “C” or higher in every social work course required for the major.
  3. Retake any required social work course in which a grade lower than “C” is earned.
  4. Continued demonstration of suitability and capacity to enter the profession of social work as per the Undergraduate Social Work Academic Performance Standards.
  5. The above criteria must be met by all students when they enter field instruction in the senior year and before they graduate from the program.

General Education Requirements (34-35 credits)

Prerequisite Courses (12-13 credits)

Major Departmental Requirements (54 credits)

Junior Year Courses

Senior Year Courses

*denotes courses that meet both major and general education requirements

Electives (18 credits)

Total Credits (120 credits)

Additional Degree Requirements

*NOTE: Generally, students are enrolled in SWO 451-453; with permission of faculty advisor and field coordinator, students may select SWO 454 to complete the field instruction requirement as an alternative to SWO 451-453.

**NOTE: Students enrolling in SWO 451-453 must enroll in SWO 455-457. Students enrolling in SWO 454 must enroll in SWO 456. SWO 441 must be taken with SWO 454-456, or SWO 453-457


Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior

    1. Student makes ethical decisions by applying the standards of the NASW Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision-making, ethical conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics within the profession and in the classroom as appropriate to context.
    2. Student demonstrates professional behavior; appearance; and oral, written, and electronic communication within the classroom (virtual or otherwise) and in practice.
    3. Student uses technology ethically and appropriately to complete course work and facilitate practice outcomes.
    4. Students use feedback mechanisms such as supervision, advisement, feedback, or other consultation to guide academic & professional judgment and behavior.

Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice

    1. Student advocates for human rights at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community system levels in the classroom and in practice.
    2. Student engages in classroom activities and practice that advances human rights to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice

    1. Student demonstrates anti-racist and anti-oppressive social work practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, community, research, and policy levels when completing classroom assignments and in practice.
    2. Student demonstrates cultural humility by applying critical reflection, self-awareness, and self-regulation to manage the influence of bias, power, privilege, and values in working with clients and constituencies, acknowledging them as experts of their own lived experiences when completing classroom assignments and in practice.

Competency 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice

    1. Student applies research findings to inform and improve practice, policy, and programs to complete course work and facilitate practice outcomes.
    2. Student identifies ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive strategies that address inherent biases for use in quantitative and qualitative research methods to advance the purposes of social work to complete course assignments and in practice.

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice

    1. Student uses social justice, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to assess how social welfare policies affect the delivery of and access to social services in their classroom assignments and in practice.
    2. Student applies critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice in the classroom and in practice.

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

    1. Student applies knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, to engage with clients and constituencies in the classroom and in practice.
    2. Student uses empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies as demonstrated in the class and in practice.

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

    1. Student applies theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing clients and constituencies both in class and in practice.
    2. Student demonstrates respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon plan in class and in practice.

Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

    1. Student engages with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals in class and in practice.
    2. Student incorporates culturally responsive methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies in the class and in practice.

Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

    1. Student selects and uses culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes in class and in practice.
    2. Student critically analyzes outcomes and applies evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in class and in practice.