Curriculum Overview
The minimum requirement for the B.S.W. degree is completion of the General Education requirements, 36 credit hours of core social work courses, one credit hour in inter-professional education, prerequisite courses as specified in course descriptions and elective hours, six of which must be in social work, for a total of 120 credit hours. If a grade of "C" (2.0) or above is not achieved the first time a social work course is taken, the student may repeat the course only once. All social work majors are expected to abide by the NASW Code of Ethics. Additionally, all majors participate in social work student outcome assessment measures.
Academic Advising
The Social Work Academic Advising Guide is available online. You will need to provide a JMU EID and password to access the guide.
Courses
A complete listing of all core and elective courses is available in the Social Work department section of the official JMU Catalog
Degree Requirements
Required Courses | Credit Hours |
---|---|
General Education courses 1 | 41 |
Social Work core courses | 44 |
Social Work electives | 6 |
Electives | 29 |
Total: | 120 |
1The General Education program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.
Supportive Area Requirements
In addition to the major courses listed below, there are a number of courses which support the social work major and are prerequisite for required courses. Many of these supportive area courses may also count as General Education requirements However, if students have selected other courses for their General Education requirements, they will still need to complete the courses below:
Supportive Area Courses | Pre-requisite for: | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
MATH 220 | SOWK 305 | 3 credits |
POSC 225 OR POSC 302 | SOWK 335 | 3 or 4 credits |
ANTH 195 (or another cultural diversity course) | SOWK 320 | 3 credits |
SOCI 110 (or another basic sociology course) | SOWK 320 | 3 credits |
PSYC 101 | SOWK 320 | 3 credits |
PSYC 160 | SOWK 320 | 3 credits |
Major Requirements
The minimum requirement for the B.S.W. degree is completion of the General Education requirements, 44 credit hours of core social work courses, prerequisite courses as specified in course descriptions and elective hours, six of which must be in social work, for a total of 120 credit hours. If a grade of "C" (2.0) or above is not achieved the first time a social work course is taken, the student may repeat the course only once. All social work majors are expected to abide by the NASW Code of Ethics. Additionally, all majors participate in social work student outcome assessment measures.
Core Courses | Credit Hours |
---|---|
SOWK 287. Introduction to Social Work | 3 |
SOWK 288. Human Rights | 3 |
SOWK 305. Social Work Research Methods | 3 |
SOWK 317. Skills Generalist Social Work | 3 |
SOWK 320. Human Behavior in the Social Environment | 3 |
SOWK 335. Social Policy | 3 |
SOWK 465. Social Work Practice in Mezzo Systems | 3 |
SOWK 466. Social Work Practice in Micro Systems | 3 |
SOWK 467. Social Work Practice in Macro Systems | 3 |
SOWK 481. Social Work Field Practicum I | 6 |
SOWK 482. Social Work Field Practicum II | 6 |
SOWK 493: Professional Forum I: Preparation for Field | 1 |
SOWK 494. Professional Forum II: Transition to Professional Practice | 3 |
SOWK Electives: Elective courses are offered on a rotating basis. See course descriptions in catalog. | 6 |
IPE 415. Ethical Decision-Making in Healthcare: an Interprofessional Approach | 1 |