Social Work, B.A.

The BA program is a professional preparation program rooted in the liberal arts. Students develop knowledge, values, and skills to work with people from diverse cultural, ethnic, and personal backgrounds. The program is fully accredited with the Council on Social Work Education.

Social work students have opportunities to work with local agencies through a highly individualized field experience program. Students find this helpful in building skills and obtaining jobs following graduation. The program emphasis is work with rural and indigenous communities.

Potential careers: services to children, families, and the elderly; rehabilitation; health care; community practice; youth work; corrections; employment services; substance abuse, mental health, and residential treatment.

Generalist Social Work Practice

Generalist social work practitioners work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, social policies, and communities in a variety of settings in pursuit of social and economic justice. Generalist practitioners view people and systems from a strengths perspective in order to recognize, support, and build upon the innate capabilities of all human beings. They engage, assess, broker services, advocate, counsel, educate, and organize with and on behalf of individuals, families, and collections of people. Generalist practitioners engage in community development, organizational development, and evaluation in order to ensure that services are useful, effective, and ethical.

Program Admission Requirements

Lower division GE courses required for the major can be taken at a community college and can be taken CR/NC. Program faculty can advise students on courses preparing them for their transfer to Humboldt’s Social Work program. For information and/or appointments, call 707-826-4448.

To be eligible to register for junior-level courses in the social work major, students must have completed, or be in the process of completing, all prerequisites. A cumulative 2.00 GPA and a 2.00 in all social work courses is necessary to be fully accepted to the program. Students who meet the prerequisites must submit a “Social Work Major Application”. The form and application deadlines are available on the Department of Social Work website.

Notification of acceptance will be made prior to the registration period for fall classes. All students accepted into the program will be required to attend an orientation the first week of fall semester.

Full acceptance into junior year coursework requires students to meet all of the admission standards and to submit the formal application. Provisional status may be granted to any student who does not meet requirements. Students who are given a provisional status must work out a plan with their faculty advisor that identifies those areas requiring improvement and how each area will be addressed in order to be accepted as a social work major.

Requirements for the Bachelor’s Degree

A bachelor’s degree requires a total of 120 units. Students must fulfill General Education & All-University Requirements , residency, unit, and GPA requirements as outlined in the Bachelor’s Degree Requirements . This major includes a Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) certified course.

Requirements for the Major (60 Units)

The upper division general education area D requirement is met by the coursework within the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Social Work.

Courses prepare students for professional generalist social work and are sequenced to best facilitate learning and acquisition of skills. Upper division major coursework always begins in the Fall semester.

Prerequisite courses for acceptance to the Social Work B.A. Major:

SW 101 - Introduction to Social Work and Social Work Institutions Units: 3
Complete one course.
NAS 104 - Introduction to Native American Studies Units: 3 or
ES 105 - Introduction to U.S. Ethnic Studies Units: 3 or
CRGS 108 - Power/Privilege: Gender and Race, Sex, Class Units: 3
or a course that is centrally organized around a theme related to the experiences of marginalized groups.
Complete one course.
STAT 108 - Elementary Statistics Units: 3 or
STAT 108I - Elementary Statistics with Integrated Support Units: 3 or
PSYC 109 - Introduction to Psychological Statistics Units: 4

Upper Division Courses

Juniors - Fall

SW 340 - Social Work Methods I Units: 3
SW 340L - Social Work Methods I Lab Units: 1
SW 350 - Human Behavior and the Social Environment I Units: 4
SW 355 - Social Agency Experience Units: 2 [may be taken in spring or fall]
SW 382 - Social Work Research Units: 4

Juniors - Spring

SW 330 - Social Work Policy Units: 4
SW 341 - Social Work Methods II Units: 3
SW 341M - Social Work Methods II Lab Units: 1
SW 351 - Human Behavior and the Social Environment II Units: 4
SW 355 - Social Agency Experience Units: 2 [may be taken in fall or spring]
SW 356 - Social Work Field Preparation Units: 1

Seniors - Fall

SW 455 - Field Experience Units: 5
SW 456 - Field Experience Seminar Units: 2
3 units of advanced social work methods courses (see course list below).

Seniors - Spring

SW 455 - Field Experience Units: 5
SW 456 - Field Experience Seminar Units: 2
3 units of advanced social work methods courses (see course list below).

Advanced Social Work Methods Courses

Courses include:

SW 411 - Distributed Learning Community - BA Units: 1.5
SW 442 - Advanced Social Work Methods Units: 3
SW 480 - Special Topics Units: 0.5-4
SW 499 - Directed Study Units: 1-3

Field Experience

Field experience courses are restricted to social work majors. Academic credit for life experience or previous work experience shall not be given, in whole or in part, in lieu of any required social work courses.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students completing the social work program will have demonstrated the ability to:

Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior, particularly with respect to work with indigenous and rural communities
Engage diversity and difference in practice, particularly with respect to work with indigenous and rural communities
Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice, particularly with respect to work with indigenous and rural communities
Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice, particularly with respect to work with indigenous and rural communities
Engage in policy practice, particularly with respect to work with indigenous and rural communities.
Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, particularly with respect to work with indigenous and rural communities
Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, particularly with respect to work with indigenous and rural communities
Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, particularly with respect to work with indigenous and rural communities
Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, particularly with respect to work with indigenous and rural communities

The social work program recognizes specific competencies and behaviors as the framework for social work education. Visit the Social Work website for information.