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Social Work, Bachelor of Social Work
The social work profession is dedicated to enhancing human well-being and to 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. The intent of this program is to educate competent generalist social workers for practice with diverse populations and multi-level social systems, while developing skills for facilitating the planned change process.
This program at Northern Arizona University is focused on practice with rural and Indigenous populations of the Southwest; addressing poverty, structural racism, and oppression; providing leadership in promoting human rights and social and economic justice; and service with vulnerable and underserved populations.
This program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Requirements Accordion Open
To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.
- All of Northern Arizona University's liberal studies, diversity, junior-level writing, and capstone requirements.
- All requirements for your specific academic plan(s).
- At least 30 units of upper-division courses, which may include transfer work.
- At least 30 units of coursework taken through Northern Arizona University, of which at least 18 must be upper-division courses (300-level or above). This requirement is not met by credit-by-exam, retro-credits, transfer coursework, etc.
- A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on all work attempted at Northern Arizona University.
The full policy can be viewed here.
Overview Accordion Closed
In addition to University Requirements:
- 75-76 units of major requirements
- Up to 9 units of liberal studies can have the same prefix as the major. Contact the Social Work program for information about liberal studies courses that are specific to this major.
- Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units.
Please note that students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.
Students may transfer up to 75 units of credit from an accredited community college.
| Minimum Units for Completion | 120 |
| Highest Mathematics Required | MAT 114 |
| Additional Admission Requirements | Required |
| Fieldwork Experience/Internship | Required |
| Research | Optional |
| University Honors Program | Optional |
| AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A | Recommended |
| Progression Plan Link | View Progression Plan |
| Licensure | This program may lead to licensure. |
Purpose Statement
The mission of Northern Arizona University's Social Work Program, grounded in the history, purpose, and values of the profession, is to educate competent generalist social workers for practice with diverse populations and multi-level social systems in local, regional and global contexts.
The generalist practice for which we educate is based on social work knowledge, values, and skills; geared to practice with rural and Indigenous populations of the Southwest; and, focused on addressing poverty, structural racism, and oppression; providing leadership in promoting human rights and social and economic justice; and service with vulnerable and underserved populations locally, regionally, and globally.
The mission is expressed in the following goals:
- Prepare competent generalist social workers with the knowledge, values, and skills for engaging in individual, family, group, organization, and community planned change processes with diverse rural, vulnerable, and underserved populations locally, regionally, and globally.
- Promote identification with the profession, continued professional development, and enhancement of knowledge, values, and skills for generalist social work practice.
- Provide service to the community and promote social and economic justice.
Student Learning Outcomes
- To prepare competent generalist social workers with the knowledge, values, and skills for engaging in individual, family, group, organization, and community planned change processes with diverse rural, vulnerable, disenfranchised, and underserved populations locally, regionally, and globally.
- Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments.
- Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.
- Respond to contexts that shape practice.
- Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Apply ecosystems and strengths perspectives in practice across client systems.
- Apply knowledge of the biological-psychological-social-cultural-spiritual components of human behavior and the social environment.
- Differentially apply engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation skills and strategies in practice with diverse rural, vulnerable, disenfranchised, and underserved populations.
- Advance human rights and social and economic justice.
- Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services.
- Employ scientific inquiry and research to inform and evaluate the effectiveness of practice.
- Utilize the various forms of information technology for effective agency functioning and professional practice.
- To promote identification with the profession, continued professional development, and development of knowledge and skills for generalist social work practice.
- Identify and articulate the evolution of social welfare as an institution and social work as a profession and their current structures and issues.
- Question and evaluate their own needs, values, strengths, and challenges, and how these affect their professional identity and use of self in practice.
- Question and evaluate their professional performance and take responsibility for continuing educational and career development.
- To provide service to the community and promote social and economic justice. Social work program faculty, students, and graduates will:
- Advocate for social change to advance social and economic justice and access to services of social work for all people, with a focus on populations experiencing and vulnerable to discrimination and oppression.
- Participate in community service activities and processes.
Details Accordion Closed
Additional Admission Requirements
- Admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
- Students must formally apply to the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Program by completing the required application. Application information can be found on the Department of Social Work website.
- To be eligible to apply to the B.S.W. degree plan, you must have:
- at least 24 credit hours in progress
- a grade of "B" or better in SW 220
- and a minimum grade point average of 2.25
Whether you are currently a Northern Arizona University student or an incoming transfer student wishing to apply to the BSW degree plan, we encourage you to contact a Social Work Academic Advisor as early in your college career as possible.
Given the nature and scope of professional social work practice, academic performance standards, as defined in the program’s Academic Performance Standards for Admission, Retention, and Graduation are more rigorous than the minimum academic performance expectations of the university.
Transfer Block
Students may transfer up to 75 units of credit from an accredited community college.
Major Requirements
This major requires 75-76 units distributed as follows:
- Professional Courses: 60 units
- Behavioral Science Cognates: 15-16 units
Take the following 75 units:
Professional Courses (60 units)- SW 220* (3 units)
- Research (6 units):
- Policy (6 units):
- Human Behavior and the Social Environment: PSY 240, SW 295, SW 427 (9 units)
- Information Technology Literacy: ISM 120 or BBA 293 (3 units)
- Generalist Practice: SW 321*, SW 422, SW 423 (9 units)
- Crisis Intervention: SW 401 (3 units)
- Contemporary Topics in Social Work: SW 450 topics (6 units)
- Field Education: SW 408** (12 units)
- Senior Seminar: SW 498C which meets the senior capstone requirement (3 units)
*SW 220 and SW 321 must be completed with grades of B or better. Students who earn a grade of “C” in either of the above courses may petition to retake each course one time for grade replacement. Student degree progression may be impacted if students have to retake SW 220 and/or SW 321.
** Students must successfully complete SW 408 the first time it is taken.
Only one grade of "D" in the professional core courses is permitted.
Students are required to maintain a 2.25 overall GPA for retention in the major.
Behavioral Science Cognates (15-16 units)
- Select one course from each of the following areas:
- Ethnicity, select one from (3 units):
- Gender, select one from (3 units):
- Human Biology, select one from (3-4 units)
- Indigenous Populations of the Southwest, select one from (3 units):
- Social and Economic Justice, select one from (3 units)
- A Social Work advisor's approval is necessary for any courses not listed above.
- Select one course from each of the following areas:
General Electives
Additional coursework is required, if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.
You may take these remaining courses from any academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you. (Please note that you may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.)
Additional Information
Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.
