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Fall 2025 Health Sciences Catalog
Social Work, BS
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The full-time, upper-division, undergraduate program leads to a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in social work. The curriculum provides a foundation for generalist social work practice. Graduates are prepared for entry-level, professional social work positions in a wide range of health and human service institutions. The professional program comprises of a sequence of courses and practicum education. Required credits in practicum education are accrued in the senior year at the rate of 6 credits per term, 14 hours per week. Practicum education placements are available in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, youth services and public and community social service agencies, among others. No credit is given for life experience or previous work experience. This professional program is accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) and graduates are eligible to apply for advanced standing MSW graduate programs.
Minors or other majors of particular interest to students majoring in Social Work: Anthropology (ANT), Ecosystems and Human Impact (EHI), Environmental Studies (ENS), Globalization Studies and International Relations (GLI), Health & Wellness (LHW), Health, Medicine, and Social Change (MHS), Leadership Development (LDR), Political Science (POL), Psychology (PSY), Sociology (SOC), Sustainability Studies (SUS), Women & Gender Studies (WST)
Career Pathways
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Admission Requirements
Applicants to the undergraduate program must achieve upper-division status before admission to the School. The School encourages applications from transfer students as well as applicants from Stony Brook University. The Priority deadline is March 1 and final deadline is May 1. Interested students are advised to complete all general University requirements by the end of their second year of undergraduate work. Refer to Degree Requirements in this Catalog for general requirements. These include a minimum of 57 credits that must be earned prior to beginning the program. Within these credits, students must have completed with a letter grade of C or better courses providing a broad liberal arts base with core content in the following areas. - A minimum of one three-credit course in English composition, which develops proficiency in the composition of expository and argumentative essays and fulfills the WRT designation for the Stony Brook Curriculum. This requirement may be met by WRT 102: Intermediate Writing Workshop, or by having taken comparable course work at another institution. A minimum of one three-credit introductory course in human biological sciences which provides an understanding of the major concepts of human biology, including the cell, the gene, molecular biology, development and evolution, the human implications and values associated with these concepts, and the impact of biology on human behavior. This requirement must fulfill the SNW designation for the Stony Brook Curriculum and maybe met by ANP 101: Human Biology, or comparable*course work at another institution.
- A minimum of one three-credit course in modern American history (post-Reconstruction era) which provides knowledge of modern American history including industrialization, the impact of industrialization upon social, cultural and political life, the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the resulting social and technological changes. This requirement may be met by HIS 104: United States Since 1877, or comparable* course work at another institution.
- A minimum of one three-credit course in American political systems which provides knowledge about the organization of American government, including the Constitution, Congress, political parties, pressure groups, growth of the presidency, the Supreme Court, judicial review, federalism, separation of powers, and the Bill of Rights. This requirement may be met by POL 102: Introduction to American Government, or comparable* course work at another institution.
- A minimum of one three-credit introductory course in sociology or anthropology which provides an analysis of the principles of social structure through an examination of various forms of kinship, marriage, family, age group, voluntary associations, and various levels of political, judicial, religious and economic organization. This requirement may be met by ANT 102: What makes us Human? or SOC 105: Introduction to Sociology, or comparable course work at another institution.
- A minimum of one three-credit introductory course in psychology which provides an understanding of psychology as the science of behavior, including content related to personality theory, social and developmental psychology, and psychological testing. This requirement may be met by PSY 103: Introduction to Psychology, or comparable coursework at another institution.
- A minimum of one three-credit course in mathematics (above college algebra) or statistics. This requirement must be met by a course that fulfills the QPS designation for the Stony Brook Curriculum. A statistics course is recommended preparation for succeeding in the Social Work Research sequence.
- A minimum of one three-credit course in the humanities. This requirement must be met by a course that fulfills the HUM designation for the Stony Brook Curriculum.
- A minimum of one three-credit course in the fine arts. This requirement must be met by a courses that fulfills the fine arts. This requirement may be met by a course that fulfills the ARTS designation for the Stony Brook Curriculum.
- A minimum of one three-credit course in the human language other than English. The School of Social Welfare follows the Stony Brook Curriculum requirements with the exception of the Communicate in a Human Language other Than English (LANG), learning objectives. This requirement may be met by the first course in a language sequence that partially fulfills the LANG designation (LANG-PART).
- The following Stony Brook Curriculum learning outcome course designators must be successfully fulfilled (with a letter grade of C or better) prior to beginning the professional core curriculum in the School of Social Welfare: ARTS, HUM, LANG-PART, QPS, SBS, SNW, USA, and WRT.
* Consult the School of Social Welfare for approved courses. Graduation Requirements
Candidates for the Bachelor of Science degree in social work must: - Meet the general requirements of the University that are described in Degree Requirements in this Catalog.
- Meet the graduation requirements of the School of Social Welfare, including successful completion of all course, practicum education, and professional development requirements of the School of Social Welfare described in this section and in the School of Social Welfare Student Handbook:
- Complete 43 credits in required courses in the School of Social Welfare Program.
- Complete 12 credits in required Practicum education coordinated through the School of Social Welfare Office of Practicum education.
- Complete 2 credits in required professional preparation courses in the School of Social Welfare Program.
- Complete 12 credits of elective courses in the field of Social Welfare.
- Complete a total of 126 credits of undergraduate work.
- Maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in the Social Welfare Program.
Curriculum
The curriculum in the undergraduate program is organized around five substantive areas of knowledge and skills: human behavior and the social environment,social welfare policy, social research, social work practice, and Practicum education. The following program represents the curriculum for the Bachelor of Science student: Junior Year, Fall Semester
Junior Year, Spring Semester
Senior Year, Fall Semester
Senior Year, Spring Semester
Note:
Electives* Elective topics vary from term to term.*Students must take four courses (12 credits) of social work electives prior to graduation - two (2) 300-level Foundation electives and two (2) 400-level Enrichment electives (electives can be taken in any combination of summer, fall, winter, and spring semesters; 400-level electives can only be taken after the successful completion of all required courses of the Junior Year BSW curriculum or by permission of the Undergraduate Program Director). Electives
Students are required to take a minimum of 12 credits of electives to fulfill the curriculum requirements. Electives are differentiated between foundational electives (300 level) and enrichment (400 level) electives. Students are required to take a minimum of six credits of foundational electives and six credits of enrichment electives to fulfill the minimum required total of twelve elective credits. A foundational elective is one which provides an overview or broad-based exposure to the topic under consideration. An enrichment elective is one that considers the topic in more depth. An enrichment elective provides a specific focus on the issues and often addresses the practice concerns and skill application related to the topic. Enrichment electives are only open to students successfully completing the junior year BSW curriculum and achieving U4 (Senior) standing. In addition to the choice of electives offered in the SSW, to satisfy that requirement, students may take two upper division electives relevant to social work that are taught outside the School of Social Welfare. The course selected may be from those offered by a variety of departments within the University including those courses offered by other schools within the Health Sciences. The content of the course must be in concert with the School’s mission and program objectives and in a subject not covered by the School’s curriculum offerings. Prior to registering for such an elective, students must obtain approval from the Director of the Undergraduate Program in writing. See BSW Pre-Approval and Petition of Transfer Credits form on the SSW Website. Students may apply six credits (two electives) from outside the program OR from transfer into the program. Independent Study Policies and Procedures Students may elect to take an Independent Study as an elective. The independent study may not replace required course work. The Independent Study needs to be in a subject area that is in concert with the School’s mission and program objectives, and is not covered already by the curriculum offerings. An independent study proposal and bibliography should be signed and agreed upon by the student, the member of the faculty who has agreed to sponsor the independent study and the Director of the Undergraduate Program before registering for independent study (HWC 395 or HWC 495) credit for a maximum of 3 credits. Students may apply one 3-credit independent study during their tenure in the program towards fulfillment of required elective credit. |
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