BA in Social Work

 

» BASW Program
» Degree Requirements
» Professional Careers in Social Work

 

BASW Program

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work (BASW) enables students to explore and develop values, knowledge and generalist skills essential to the practice of social work in a multiethnic environment. The degree prepares students for entry level positions in social work and for advanced study in graduate schools of social work or related human services. The program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Students who complete the B.A. degree in Social Work have numerous opportunities for professional advancement in child welfare, mental health services to the elderly and in other health-related positions.

Degree Requirements

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work:

A total of 180 quarter units is required for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work (BASW).  This includes a minimum of 86-87 units for the Social Work major.

Lower Division Requirements (must be completed with a grade of C or higher):

Take one of the following introductory courses (if equivalent course was not completed at a community college):

SOC   201	Principles of Sociology	4 units
SOC   202	Society and Individual Development	4 units
PSY   150	Introduction to Psychology	4 units

                 
and

Take one of the following introductory courses (if equivalent course was not completed at community college):
HHS  400	Statistics in Health & Human Services	4 units
SOC   210A	Elementary Statistics	3 units
EDFN  452	Statistics in Education	4 units
Math  109	Quantitative Reasoning with Statistics	4 units

Required Upper Division Courses (71 units):                                        

Course	Title	Units	Prerequisites
*SW   301	Writing for Social Work	4	*Completion of UNIV 400 WPE
*SW   370	Field of Social Work	4	Lower division requirements listed above
*SW   371 A	HBSE: Prenatal Through Early Adolescence	4	SW 370
*SW   371 B	HBSE: Late Adolescence Through Old Age	4	SW 370
*SW   372	SW Practice I: Communication & Interviewing Skills	4	SW  370
SW   391	Social Work Research Methods	4	HHS400,  EDFN 452, SOC 210A or MATH 109
SW   411	Computer Applications in Social Work	4	SW  370
SW   461	Social Work Practice in Minority Communities	4	SW  370
SW   463	Women’s Issues in Social Welfare	4	SW  370
SW   474	S W Practice II: Working with Individuals and Families	4	SW  370 & SW 372
SW   475	S W Practice III:  Working with Groups	4	SW  370 & SW 372
SW   476	Child Welfare	4
SW   478	Social Welfare Policy and Social Services	4	SW  370
SW   482	SW Practice IV: Community Organizing	4	SW  370 & SW 372
SW  495	Directed Fieldwork Internship (12 Units Total)	4, 4, 4	SW  301, 370, 371A&B, 372, & WPE
SW  496	Integrated Seminar (3 Units Total)	1, 1, 1	Concurrently w/ SW 495

Fall 2006:  Students must earn a grade of C or higher in SW 301, 370, 372, 474, 475, 478, & 482. Students who earn less than the required C may repeat a course only once.

*SW 495 Directed Fieldwork - Internship Requirements:

To be eligible to start fieldwork, the above asterisked *courses must be completed and the WPE passed, and students must be in the last three quarters of their senior year.  Students are required to complete 420 hours of an internship in a social service agency.  This generally means two full days (14 hours) per week, and the SW 496 Integrative Seminar is taken concurrently every other Friday morning.  Students must attend the required fieldwork meeting in Spring Quarter before beginning Field – no exceptions! Inquire at the Field Education Office as to when the next fieldwork information meeting will be conducted and plan to attend.  Internships begin in Fall or Winter quarter only.  Also note that criminal background checks are required by certain social service agencies for field internship.  Details regarding criminal background checks and field internship can be found in the current BASW Fieldwork Manual.

Electives in Social Work and other fields (8 units required):

Select two courses (8 units) from the list below (or from a related field with advance advisor approval only):

Course	Title	Units	Prerequisites
SW  355	Strategies for Preventing & Intervening in Family Violence & Abuse	4
SW  362	From Institutional Racism to Cultural Competency	4
SW  450	Cross Cultural Practice with Aging Population	4	Upper division status
SW  456	Multidisciplinary Teams, Child Maltreatment and Family Violence	4	PSY 150 or SOC 201
SW  462	Institutional Racism and Poverty	4	SOC 201
SW  465	Programs and Policies Related to Older People	4	Upper division standing
SW  466	Case Management with Older Adults	4	Upper division standing
SW  480	Social Welfare in the Criminal Justice System	4
SW  485	The Homeless in Society	4	SOC 201 or SOC 202
SW  486	Probation & Parole	4
SW  490	Latino Mental Health	4	SW 474 or other upper division courses
SW  497	Social Work Proseminar	4	16 upper division units in SW
SW  498	Cooperative Education	1-4	16 upper division units in SW
SW  499	Undergraduate Directed Study	1-4	Senior standing, 2.75 GPA & faculty sponsor

 

General Education Requirements (72 units):

Every California State University, Los Angeles undergraduate social work major must complete 72 units in General Education.  Consult the schedule of classes for G.E. requirements, and confer with your advisor.  All students, including transfer students, are required to complete 12 units in an Upper Division Theme.  Please review the themes listed in the schedule of classes.  Choose one theme and take 3 classes from that theme, 1 class from each category: Natural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities. (You cannot count a class from your major as a theme class).

Note:  These requirements remain in effect only if the student maintains continuous attendance.  If, for any reason, the student drops out of school for more than two consecutive quarters, including summers, the student must apply for and be granted an official leave of absence.  Otherwise, he or she will be responsible for requirements in effect at the time of return. 

HHS 101 (4 units) University requirement for all incoming freshman (also covers Block E GE requirement) or HHS 301 (2 Units) University requirement for all transfer students.  HHS 301 must be taken in your first two quarters at CSULA to avoid a registration hold.  For more information please contact the advisement center at (323) 343-5500.

Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE) UNIV 400: (For information call the testing center (323) 343-3160):  The WPE must be taken and passed prior to the completion of 135 units to avoid a registration hold.  The schedule of classes lists dates and times for the examination under UNIV 400.  Remember that you MUST pass the WPE to enroll in field internship and graduate!  A writing workshop is also available through the University Writing Center on campus: (323) 343-5350.

                                                                  
Professional Careers in Social Work

There are many career options for BS/MS graduates in Social Work, samples of these careers are as follows:
500+ Areas of Social Work Expertise
This document provides a list of Social Workers worldwide providing "technical assistance" in over 500 areas of expertise.
Career Opportunities in Social Work.
This document will provide you with a list of career options, job descriptions and a list of career references.

• Social Worker
• Case Manager
• Hospital Social Worker
• Child Welfare Social Worker
• Adoptions Social Worker
• Gerontology Social Worker
• School Social Worker
• Community Organizer