Baccalaureate Social Work Curriculum
Sacred Heart University requires that students complete 120 credits of course work to meet the requirements for graduation. Social work students fulfill the core curriculum requirements and general electives, in addition to the identified liberal arts prerequisite courses and the social work professional foundation course work. The University Core Curriculum Plan is described below.Foundational Core | Credits |
Proficiency in Written and Oral Rhetoric:
EN110, CA101
Proficiency in Mathematics at the
Collegiate Level
IL101 Information Literacy
| 6
3
1 |
| Common Core | |
HI/CC101 The Human Journey: Historical Paths to Civilization EN/CC102 Literary Expressions of the Human Journey CC103A Social & Behavioral Sciences - The Human Community: The Individual and Society
or
CC103B Natural Sciences - The Human Community & Scientific Discovery RS/PHCC104 The Human Search for Truth, Justics, and the Common Good
| 3
3
3
3
3
|
Elective Core | |
Humanities - Nine credits from at least two disciplines:
Art/Music, Literature, Media Studies, History, Foreign Language (max. of one History and one Literature course) | 9 |
Social/Behavioral Sciences - Nine credits from at least two disciplines: Anthropology, Political Science, Sociology, Economics, Psychology | 9 |
Mathematics/Sciences - Two courses (6-8 credits) with at least one in the Natural/Physical Sciences:
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science | 6-8 |
Religious Studies/Philosophy - Nine credits from two disciplines: Religious Studies, Philosophy
| 9 |
Total | 55-57 |
General Elective Courses | 20-22 |
Liberal Arts Courses Required for the Social Work Major
The Baccalaureate Social Work Curriculum requires students to complete 21-22 credits of liberal arts prerequisite courses (12-13 of these credits are applied to the Elective Core requirements) and 43 credits of social work courses. The liberal arts courses are taught by other disciplines and provide necessary content for social work majors in the social, political, behavioral, and biological sciences, as well as the area of economics. Students earn 22 credits for their liberal arts prerequisite courses if they select BI010 The Nature of Life, a 4-credit biology course that includes a laboratory, or 21 credits if they instead take BI030 The Human Body, a 3-credit course with no lab attached. Four of the required liberal arts courses, PS110, BI010 or BI030, SO110, and PO121 (totaling 12-13 credits) may be taken in partial fulfillment of Elective Core area requirements, as indicated in the listing below. The other three prerequisite liberal arts courses, SO215, SO 239, and SO254 (totaling 9 credits), are additional required supporting courses for the social work major.
Required Liberal Arts Supporting Courses | Credits |
PS110 Introduction to Psychology (Social/Behavioral Sciences) | 3 |
BI010 The Nature of Life, or
BI030 The Human Body (Mathematics/Sciences) | 3-4 |
PO121 Introduction to American Government (Social/Behavioral Sciences) | 3 |
SO110 Sociological Imagination (Social/Behavioral Sciences) | 3 |
SO215 Social Psychology: Macroprocesses | 3 |
SO239 Human Diversity and Oppression in Contemporary Society | 3 |
SO254 Society and Economic Change | 3 |
Total | 21-22 |
Social Work Major Requirements
The curriculum has been designed to provide students with coursework and field experiences to prepare them for beginning level professional social work practice and for graduate study in social work or related disciplines. Graduates of the program are educated for generalist practice with individuals, families, small groups, organizations, and communities.
The Baccalaureate Social Work Curriculum at Sacred Heart University adheres to the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards of the Council on Social Work Education.
The Social Work curriculum is founded on a strong liberal arts base and incorporates content on human diversity and the dual perspective; ecological systems theory in relation to understanding human functioning from an interactional, transactional, and interdependent perspective; resources and resource systems; populations-at-risk; the consequences of social and economic injustice; and the patterns of discrimination and oppression existing in society. These themes are first introduced in the liberal arts courses and are reinforced and infused throughout the social work curriculum. Following the Introduction to Social Work course, students take required courses in each of the five areas of the professional foundation: Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Social Welfare Policy and Services, Social Work Practice, Research, and Field Education.
Professional foundation courses: | Credits |
SW101 Introduction to Social Work | 3 |
SW265 Social Welfare as a Social Institution | 3 |
SW266 Social Welfare Policy and Services | 3 |
SW267 Human Behavior and the Social Environment I | 3 |
SW268 Human Behavior and the Social Environment II | 3 |
SW275 Social Work Practice I | 3 |
SW278 Junior Field Practicum | 4 |
SW279 Junior Field Practicum Seminar | 2 |
SW375 Social Work Practice II | 3 |
SW378 Senior Field Practicum I | 4 |
SW379 Senior Field Practicum Seminar I | 2 |
SW380 Senior Field Practicum II | 4 |
SW381 Senior Field Practicum Seminar II | 2 |
SW390 Research Methods for Social Work | 4 |
Total | 43 |
Social Work Course Sequence
Freshman Year
Fall
EN 110 or Academic Writing or
CA101 Effective Communication
HI/CC 101 or Human Journey Historical Paths of Civilization or
EN/CC 102 Literary Expressions of the Juman Journey
SO110 Sociological Imagination (Social/Behavioral Sciences)
MA___ College Level Math Course
Elective Core
IL101 Information Literacy (fall or spring semester)
Spring
CA101 or Effective Communication or
EN110 Academic Writing
HI/CC101 or Human Journey: Historical Paths of Civilization or
EN/CC 102 Literary Expressions of the Human Journey
PS110 Introduction to Psychology (Social/Behavioral Sciences)
BI010 or The Nature of Life or
BI030 The Human Body
Elective Core
Sophomore Year
Fall
CC103A or The Human Community: Individual & Society or
CC103B The Human Community & Scientific Discovery
SO254 Society and Economic Change
SO215 Social Psychology: Macroprocesses
Elective Core
Elective Core
Spring
PH/CC104 or The Human Search for Truth, Justice, and the Common Good
RS/CC104
SW101 Introduction to Social Work
SO239 Human Diversity and Oppression in Contemporary Society
PO121 Introduction to American Government (Social/Behavior Sciences)
Elective Core
Junior Year
Fall
SW265 Social Welfare as a Social Institution
SW267 Human Behavior and the Social Environment I
SW275 Social Work Practice I
SW390 Research Methods for Social Work or
Elective
Elective Core
Spring
SW266 Social Welfare Policy and Services
SW268 Human Behavior and the Social Environment II
SW278 Junior Field Practicum
SW279 Junior Field Practicum Seminar
Elective Core
Senior Year
Fall
SW375 Social Work Practice II
SW378 Senior Field Practicum I
SW379 Senior Field Practicum Seminar I
SW390 Research Methods for Social Work or Elective
Elective
Spring
SW380 Senior Field Practicum II
SW381 Senior Field Practicum Seminar II
Elective
Elective
Elective