Transfer Student Information

Students Admitted to JMU as Transfer Students

Students transferring into JMU may immediately declare the social work major.

Those students who are enrolled in a Virginia Community College can take several courses at the community college prior to transferring to JMU that will meet prerequisite requirements for certain social work courses and make their progression toward the Bachelor of Social Work degree more efficient.

If not completed at the community college, they can be taken at James Madison University once the student transfers.

Transfer Evaluation Policy

In order to avoid redundancy, promote program integrity, and contribute to relevant undergraduate social work education, transfer courses are handled in the following manner. These steps help assure that the student completes, as much as possible, the curriculum for which he/she will be held accountable in the field practicum and in senior outcome assessment.

Students transferring prerequisite courses to JMU other than those identified above and taken at a Virginia community college will be asked for a syllabus of the course in question as well as assignments completed in the course, when the course in question is not an exact match of the course required.

The syllabus is then reviewed by the department head and, when appropriate, by the faculty member(s) who teach the course for which the transferred course is a prerequisite. The department head and/or faculty member determine if the course is approved.

Students seeking to transfer social work courses from other accredited social work programs submit syllabi of these courses to the department head who assigns review of the syllabi to the appropriate faculty member(s). The faculty member(s) submit, to the department head, a recommendation in writing including suggestions as to how the student will be able to take care of gaps created by the differences in courses from program to program without repeating the entire course.

Students seeking to transfer courses from social work programs that are not accredited also submit syllabi of the courses for which they are seeking social work credit. Additionally, students may be asked for course assignments completed in the courses under review. If comprehensive syllabi are not available, proficiency examinations may be used. Faculty evaluate course syllabi including course objectives, content outline, learning activities, theoretical frames of reference, and bibliographies of courses. This review determines whether the content and objectives of courses taken are substantially equivalent to the academic content offered in the JMU-BSW Program. The faculty member(s) submit a recommendation in writing including suggestions as to how the student would be able to take care of the deficiencies created without repeating the entire course unless necessary.

In either case, the recommendations are submitted to the department head who reviews them and, where necessary, requests that a faculty member work with the student contracting on items needing completion. The student is notified by the department head of the need to contract. Upon completion, documentation is submitted to the department head for inclusion in the student’s permanent file and credit is awarded.

Policy on Life Experience Or Previous Work Experience

The JMU-BSW Program does not grant social work course credit for life experience or previous work experience.