Social Work (SOWK) - Ferris Course Catalog

Locate a Course
Find a Degree
Learn about a Program
Follow a Career Path

Social Work SOWK

Degree Type: Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

Required Courses		Credit Hours
General Education:
This degree requires completion of the General Education requirements for a Bachelor of Social Work degree. Details of these requirements are delineated at: General Ed Requirements. Courses listed below as program/major required courses with the indicators: C, S, Z, R, G, may also be used to satisfy some of these general education requirements.
PSYC 150	Introduction to Psychology	3
PSYC 226	Lifespan Human Dev* RS	3
OR
EDUC 251	Life Span Human Growth & Dev	3
SCWK 110	Intro to Social Work Profession	2
SCWK 130	Soc Work Interviewing Skills 1	3
SCWK 170	Agency & Program Orientation	1
SCWK 191	Introductory Field Experience	3
SCWK 210	Intro to Social Welfare	3
SCWK 220	Theories/Methods of Practice 1	4
SCWK 240	Foundations of Practice	3
SCWK 310	Social Welfare Policy Analysis	3
SCWK 320	Theories/Methods of Practice 2	4
SCWK 330	Social Work Interviewing 2	3
SCWK 370	Field Instruction Orientation	1
SCWK 450	Appl Social Research Statistics	3
SCWK 481	Field Instruction Seminar 1	2
SCWK 482	Field Instruction Seminar 2	2
SCWK 491	Field Instruction 1	6
SCWK 492	Field Instruction 2	6
SOCY 121	Introductory Sociology* RS	3
SOCY 340	Minority Groups in America* RS	3
SOCY 443	Soc Stratificat'n/Inequal * RS	3
OR
ECON 221	Principles of Macroeconomics*S	3
SSCI 310	Applied Social Research Methods	3
SSCI 450	Intercultural Competence RS	3
Choose one:
COMM 105	Interpersonal Communication	3
OR
COMM 121	Fundamentals of Public Speaking	3
Choose one:
PLSC 121	Amer Govt 1: People & Politics *RS	3
OR
PLSC 122	Amer Govt 2: Policy Making*RS	3
Choose one:
RELG 215	Comparative Religions*G C	3
OR
RELG 325	Eastern Religions*GC	3
OR
RELG 326	Western Religions *C	3
Choose one:
BIOL 101	Genetics - Human Aspects*Z	4
OR
BIOL 109	Basic Human Anatomy/Physiology*Z	4
OR
BIOL 111	Environmental Biology *Z	4
Choose one:
SOCY 225	Marriage & the Family *GRS	3
OR
SOCY 230	Gender Roles in Society * RS	3
Minimum credit hours required for B.S.W. degree:		120

Why Choose Social Work?

The curriculum includes a strong liberal arts foundation, including courses in communication, biology, natural sciences, math, history, politics, psychology and sociology. Beyond this are the professional foundation courses that develop knowledge, skills and values relating to interviewing, problem solving, social research and understanding the complexities of social welfare policies and services.

Social work majors complete 600 hours of field instruction in two different social work agencies. The first field placement requires 120 hours and is scheduled in the summer between the student's first and second years in the program. It is usually completed in the student's home town. The second field placement requires 480 hours over the senior year and is usually located in the region surrounding Ferris. The Ferris Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Get a Great Job

It's a rewarding profession. Social workers help to bring about individual and social change. Examples include helping delinquent youth change their disruptive behavior, improving an abused child's chances of emotional and physical survival by providing supportive family services or locating alternate placement, helping alcoholics change their self-destructive habits, assisting communities in providing better housing for the elderly, or working professionally and politically to help our nation improve its policies and programs for the poor and unemployed.

It's a big and diverse profession. There are approximately 500,000 social work jobs in the United States, with estimates of an additional 200,000 needed by the year 2005. U.S. News & World Report named social work as one of '21 Hot Job Tracks for the 21st Century.'

Admission Requirements

First year student admission is open to high school graduates (or equivalent) who demonstrate academic preparedness, maturity and seriousness of purpose with educational backgrounds appropriate to their chosen program of study. High school courses and grade point average, ACT composite score, and ACT reading and mathematics subscores will be considered in the admission and placement process. Transfer students must have at least 12 credits at the time of application with a minimum 2.0 overall GPA including an English and mathematics course, or they must provide their high school records and ACT scores for admission review.

Graduation Requirements

The Social Work program at Ferris leads to a bachelor of social work (BSW) degree. Graduation requires a minimum 2.0 GPA overall and presentation of a social work portfolio. Students must complete all general education requirements as outlined on the General Education website.

More Information

Department of Social Sciences
Ferris State University
820 Campus Dr./ASC 2108
Big Rapids, MI 49307-2225
Phone: 231-591-2737