Bachelor of Social Work
The Bachelor of Social Work degree is a four-year program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. It is built on a strong liberal-arts base that prepares the student for beginning social-work practice with communities, groups, families and individuals in a variety of settings with diverse populations and problems. This program also prepares the student to pursue graduate study in social work. Graduates with the B.S.W. degree are eligible to sit for the state social-work license (L.S.W.) and to apply for advanced standing in the Aurora University M.S.W. program.
The curriculum offers basic liberal-arts education in the first two years with a professional orientation during the third and fourth years. This provides the option for students to transfer in or out of the program without loss of credit until the beginning of their junior year. The educational components of the B.S.W. degree program include the general liberal arts and sciences, supportive liberal-arts requirements and the social-work curriculum foundation, which includes a field-work component.
The focus of the program is on understanding how people function in relation to their environment and on developing growth-enhancing professional relationships. Students develop an understanding and appreciation of human diversity and are able to practice effective social work with vulnerable populations, especially those experiencing social and economic oppression. In developing professional competency, a strong emphasis is placed on the student's interpersonal effectiveness and self-awareness.
General Education
With an academic advisor, students select courses in the Ways of Knowing areas: Knowing Ourselves and Others, Observation of the Natural World, Aesthetic and Philosophical Expression, and Mathematical and Technological applications to complete their General Education requirements.
Supportive Liberal Arts Requirements
In addition to meeting the General Education requirements of the university, specific liberal-arts courses are also required to support the social work required (foundation) coursework. These include:
| PSY1100 | General Psychology (or suitable transfer course) |
| SOC1100 | Principles of Sociology (or suitable transfer course) |
| PSC2110 | United States Government (or suitable transfer course) |
Admission to the B.S.W. Program
Students must be admitted to the School of Social Work before beginning the social-work coursework in the junior year. Students declare their intention to pursue social work as their major in their freshman and sophomore year and can begin taking 1000- and 2000-level social-work classes prior to formal admission to the B.S.W. program. Formal admission to the School of Social Work occurs during the spring semester of the sophomore year. Applicants to the B.S.W. program are expected to have an overall grade point average of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale and submit the required B.S.W. program application.
In accordance with Aurora University regulations, the School of Social Work reserves the right to maintain academic standards for admission and retention in the Social Work program, above and beyond compliance with the general academic regulations of the university.
Also recognizing that there are professional competencies and conduct not measurable by academic achievement alone, the School of Social Work reserves the right to make decisions regarding admission and retention based on high standards of personal and professional conduct. Because social-work education involves a significant amount of internship experience, and preparation for helping vulnerable populations, student evaluation will honor not only the rights of students, but also the rights and well-being of clients and others to whom students relate in a professional role.
Full-Time/Part-Time Study
Students can complete the B.S.W. program either as full- or part-time students. B.S.W. courses are offered during the day and evening. Required coursework must be completed within five years.
B.S.W. Social Work Curriculum Foundation
The program emphasizes generalist practice. Students are taught to examine problems from an ecological perspective and effectively intervene in ways that are preventive, build on strengths and promote healing. The social-work curriculum integrates knowledge, values and skills related to the eight basic components necessary for preparation for social-work practice: values and ethics, diversity, populations at-risk and social and economic justice, human behavior and the social environment, social welfare, social-work practice, research, and field education.
Required Courses: 44-48 semester hours
Foundation Knowledge, Values and Skills - 36-40 semester hours
| SWK3100 | Introduction to Social Work (3) (or SWK1100 Careers in Social Work [4] and |
| SWK2100 Social Work in American Society [4]) | |
| SWK3140 | Social Work with Groups (4) |
| SWK3150 | Social Welfare: Institutions and Policies (4) |
| SWK3210 | Human Behavior in the Social Environment: Infancy to Adolescence (HBSE I) (3) |
| SWK3390WI | Social Work Practice with Diverse and Vulnerable Populations (4) |
| SWK3400 | Human Behavior and Social Environment: Adult Lifespan (HSBE II) (3) |
| SWK4010 | Social Work with Communities and Organizations (3) |
| SWK4110 | Individuals and Families (4) |
| SWK4120 | Senior Integrated Seminar (4) |
| SWK4200 | Social Work Research I (3) |
| SWK4300 | Social Work Research II (3) |
Field Instruction (concurrent with SWK4110 and 4120) - 8 semester hours
| SWK4210 | Field Instruction I (4) |
| SWK4220 | Field Instruction II (4) |
Selected courses: a minimum of one course from courses listed below. The B.S.W. program provides students with the following elective courses from which they are required to select a minimum of one course. Students may be granted credit for suitable transfer courses.
| SWK2050 | Drugs and Human Behavior: Substance Abuse Evaluation and Treatment (4) |
| SWK2150 | Violence in America (4) |
| SWK3710 | Child Welfare Services (3) |
| SWK3720 | Social Work with Vulnerable Children and Families (3) |
| SWK3730 | Social Development and Prevention Programs (3) |
| SWK3760 | Effects of Trauma on Children (3) |
| SWK3770 | Social Work Practice with Older Adults (3) |
| SWK3810 | Selected Topics |
| SWK4710 | Expressive Therapy for Children (3) |
| SWK4740 | Family Violence: Issues and Intervention (3) |
| SWK4400 | Social Work Perspectives and Practice on Psychopathology |
Addictions Specialization
Students in the B.S.W. program may elect to pursue the addictions specialization. The addictions specialization consists of four courses and an addictions-specific internship that qualifies students to sit for the Illinois professional credential in addictions: the Certified Alcohol and other Drug Abuse Counselor certification-the CADC.
Addictions Specialization: 13 semester hours
| SWK2050 | Drugs and Behavior: Substance Abuse Evaluation and Treatment (4) |
| SWK3200 | Psychopharmacology (3) |
| SWK3750 | Addictions Counseling I (3) |
| SWK4700 | Addictions Counseling II (3) |
Child Welfare Specilization
Students in the B.S.W. program may elect to take four electives in child welfare to obtain a specialization. The four courses and an internship specific to field of child welfare will qualify the student to take exams to become a certified child welfare worker.
Child Welfare Specialization: 12 semester hours
| SWK3710 | Child Welfare Services (3) |
| SWK3720 | Social Work with Vulnerable Children and Families (3) |
| SWK3760 | Effects of Trauma on Children (3) |
| SWK4710 | Expressive Therapy for Children (3) |
Field Instruction
Field instruction is an integral part of the B.S.W. curriculum. Students are placed in an agency where they receive instruction from a qualified, approved instructor holding an M.S.W. degree. Students are required to complete a minimum of 15 hours per week in their field placement during fall and spring semesters for a total of 450 clock hours while enrolled concurrently in classes.
A wide variety of field practice settings are available, reflecting the fields of service and social-service agencies available for beginning careers in social work. A series of theory and practice-related courses help the student to prepare for and make productive use of the field learning experience.
Advanced Standing for Graduate Work
Students who have earned a B.S.W. degree at Aurora University, or through other B.S.W. programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship in coursework and in the field are eligible to apply for advanced standing in the M.S.W. program at Aurora University. If granted, advanced standing allows the student to apply B.S.W. courses toward a maximum of 30 semester hours of the M.S.W. degree. The M.S.W. degree consists of 60 semester hours.
Criteria for Academic Performance
The B.S.W. degree program requires all students enrolled in the program to earn a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.00 in the three prerequisite liberal-arts General Education supportive courses. In addition, students are expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.80 in all social-work coursework. Full regulations are contained in the B.S.W. Handbook.
Criteria for Personal/Professional Performance
Students in the B.S.W. program are evaluated, and may be dismissed from the program, on the basis of standards of personal and professional behavior, lack of adherence to ethical standards, and on the basis of certain civil and criminal records. Full regulations are contained in the B.S.W. Handbook.
