Social Work, Bachelor of Social Work

Program Overview

This program leads to a profession which requires an occupational license as defined under Texas Occupations Code 58.001. This requires that all applicants seeking to become licensed must undergo a criminal background check prior to licensure.

The School of Social Work at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley offers a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree program which is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The BSW is a professional degree built on a liberal arts foundation with supporting social and behavioral sciences coursework. Graduates of our program will qualify to take the Texas licensing examination to become a Licensed Baccalaureate Social Work (LBSW).

Admission requirements for this program beyond university admission requirements.

3.0 cumulative GPA

At least 30 hours of University General Education Core Curriculum requirements, with a 2.0 GPA

SOCW 2361 Introduction to the Social Work Profession, with a grade of ‘C’ or higher,

6 hours of freshmen Rhetoric and Composition, with a grade of ‘C’ or higher (ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302)

3 hours of college algebra or higher-level mathematics, with a grade of ‘C’ or better.

Progression requirements for this program.

A minimum grade of ‘B’ is required for SOCW 3323 (Practice I) as a prerequisite for enrollment in SOCW 4301 (Practice II), SOCW 4302 (Practice III) and SOCW 4303 (Practice IV).

A minimum grade of ‘B’ is required in SOCW 4301, SOCW 4302, and SOCW 4303 in order to progress to SOCW 4353 (Integrative Field Seminar).
A minimum grade 'B' is required in SOCW 4301, SOCW 4302, and SOCW 4303 in order to progress to SOCW 4619 (Field Education Block) or SOCW 4354 and SOCW 4355 (Field Education I and Field Education II).

Core Curriculum - 42 hours

The Core Curriculum serves as a broad foundation for the undergraduate degree. All candidates for a bachelor’s degree must achieve core student learning outcomes, including communication, critical thinking, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility and social responsibility, by completing courses within each category or component area of the Core Curriculum as outlined below.

The University has approved specific courses that satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements. Approved courses can be found on the Core Curriculum Page. Students seeking the most efficient way to complete the core curriculum and major or minor requirements are advised to take approved courses that can fulfill both requirements. Although core curriculum courses can also be used to fulfill major or minor requirements, earned credits hours are only applied once.

The courses listed below fulfill core curriculum and major requirements. Students who have completed a core curriculum category with courses other than those listed below will still be required to take the listed course(s) to meet major requirements.

020 Mathematics - 3 hours

Choose one:

MATH 1314	College Algebra	3
	Or
MATH 1414	College Algebra	4

MATH 1342	Elementary Statistical Methods	3
MATH 1324	Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences	3
MATH 1343	Introduction to Biostatistics	3
MATH 2412	Precalculus	4
MATH 2413	Calculus I	4

080 Social and Behavioral Sciences - 3 hours

Choose one:

SOCI 1301	Introduction to Sociology	3
PSYC 2301	General Psychology	3

Major Requirements - 72 hours

Required Courses - 42 hours

SOCW 2361	Introduction to the Social Work Profession	3
SOCW 2362	The Social Welfare Institution	3
SOCW 3375	Statistical Methods	3
SOCW 3314	Social Welfare Policy and Programs	3
SOCW 3321	Human Behavior and the Social Environment I	3
SOCW 3322	Human Behavior and the Social Environment II	3
SOCW 3323	Social Work Practice I	3
SOCW 4301	Social Work Practice II	3
SOCW 4302	Social Work Practice III	3
SOCW 4303	Social Work Practice IV	3
SOCW 4311	Research for the Social Services	3
SOCW 4353	Integrative Field Seminar	3

Choose one of the following six-hour options:

SOCW 4354	Field Education I	3
	And
SOCW 4355	Field Education II	3

	Or
SOCW 4619	Field Education Block	6

Prescribed Electives - 18 hours

Advanced Restricted Electives - 9 hours

Choose from any advanced CRIJ, REHS, SOCW, PSY, SOCI, POLS, or ANTH courses

Spanish Language Electives - 6 hours

Choose one pair:

SPAN 1311	Beginning Spanish I	3
SPAN 1312	Beginning Spanish II	3
	Or
SPAN 2313	Spanish for Heritage Language Learners II	3
SPAN 2315	Spanish for Heritage Language Learners III	3

Students are placed into a sequence and a level based on the proficiency exam or departmental approval. Contact the Spanish Department prior to enrolling in a course.

Social Science and Behavioral Sciences - 3 hours

Complete the Social and Behavioral Sciences course not completed in the Core Curriculum requirement.

Choose one:

SOCI 1301	Introduction to Sociology	3
PSYC 2301	General Psychology	3

Support Courses - 12 hours

Required

SOCI 4352

Social Stratification

Choose one:

PSYC 4313	Abnormal Psychology	3
SOCI 4314	Sociology of Deviance	3

Choose one:

PSYC 3337	Developmental Psychology: Lifespan	3
PSYC 3332	Developmental Psychology: Infancy Through Adolescence	3
PSYC 3333	Psychology of Adulthood: Maturity and Old Age	3

Choose one:

SOCI 4313	Race and Ethnic Relations	3
SOCI 4323	The Mexican American Experience	3

Free Electives - hours will vary

Free electives credit hours required may vary to achieve the institutional minimum of 120 hours for a degree.

Total Credit Hours: 42

Total Credit Hours: 120