Social Work (BSW)
The information on the tabs below will help students planning to major in Social Work to choose appropriate classes for their first semester. The recommendations below are for your first semester only, so you may have additional Core requirements, for example, that you'll learn more about during your first semester here.
Advising Notes
Important Notes for Social Work majors from Advising:
- Because of the size and structure of the major, Social Work students begin SOWK classes in the second semester of freshman year and into sophomore year. The first semester you will be focused on taking pre-requisites and Core!
- Most social work majors will need to add a second major, minor, or general electives to reach 120 credits. This major complements most other programs in social sciences or humanities. You can also study abroad at almost any time!
- While not a required course, Social Work majors tend to benefit from taking an introductory statistics class. The suggested statistics courses would be one of CJC 206, STAT 103, or ISSCM 241. If you choose to take one of these courses, you can reduce your fall Core classes by 1 (3 credits) in order to make sure you’re still enrolling in 16 credits.
First Semester Course Recommendations
As a Social Work major, you will enroll in the following courses:
Pick one of the following (3 credits):
- PSYC 101
- SOCL 101
- Social Science Elective in PSYC, SOCL, ANTH, CJC, PLSC, ECON, WSGS, or URB
One Freshman Seminar:
- UNIV 101 (1 credit)
Four of the following Core classes (Pick only one course per category, 12 total credits):
- College Writing Seminar: UCWR 110
- Foundational Historical Knowledge: HIST 101, HIST 102, HIST 103, or HIST 104
- Foundational Scientific Knowledge: ENVS 101
- Foundational Philosophical Knowledge: PHIL 130
- Foundational Literary Knowledge: UCLR 100C, UCLR 100E, or UCLR 100M
- Foundational Theological Knowledge: THEO 100 or THEO 107
- Quantitative Knowledge: CJC 206, COMP/MUSC 122, COMP 125 or 150, ISSCM 241, MATH 108, or STAT 103
- Ethics Knowledge: PHIL 181, PHIL 182, THEO 185, or THEO 186
- Artistic Knowledge: (see options in the Undergraduate Catalog)
The total number of credits you will enroll in for the fall is 16 credits.
Interdisciplinary Honors First Semester Course Recommendations
As a Social Work major, you will enroll in the following courses:
Pick one of the following (3 credits):
- PSYC 101
- SOCL 101
- Social Science Elective in PSYC, SOCL, ANTH, CJC, PLSC, ECON, WSGS, or URB
One Freshman Seminar:
- UNIV 101 (1 credit)
Interdisciplinary Honors Requirements (6 credits):
- HONR 101
- HONR D101
Two of the following Core classes (Pick only one course per category, 6 total credits):
- Foundational Historical Knowledge: Any 100/200/300-level HIST course
- Foundational Scientific Knowledge: ENVS 101
- Quantitative Knowledge: CJC 206, COMP/MUSC 122, COMP 125 or 150, ISSCM 241, MATH 108, or STAT 103
The total number of credits you will enroll in for the fall is 16 credits.
The information on the tabs below will help students planning to major in Social Work to choose appropriate classes for their first semester. The recommendations below are for your first semester only, so you may have additional Core requirements, for example, that you'll learn more about during your first semester here.