Social Work

Winona State University-Rochester Center offers the Social Work major which is an in-depth major requiring no minor. This BSW Program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Employment in most states following graduation will require the graduate to take the State Board Licensing Examination.

Through the 2+2 Program, students can complete this Bachelor of Science degree in its entirety in Rochester by completing lower division credits at Rochester Community and Technical College and the major's upper division credits at Winona State-Rochester. 

To graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work, a total of 128 credits are required. Normally, 64 credits can be transferred from a two-year institution and the remainder can be taken from Winona State University (some of these remaining credits may be transferred from another four-year institution).  Students who earn an A.A. from RCTC may be able to transfer in up to 72 credits from RCTC 9Please consult your advisor).  At least 30 semester hours must be taken from WSU.

THE B.S. DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK

• Prepares students in both the scientific and intuitive art of knowing.
• Prepares students to work at the entry level in human services fields, such as, mental health, aging, health, employment, education, and child protection.
• Prepares students for state licensure as a professional social worker.

Admission and Academic Standards

Admission to the Bachelor of Social Work program is a separate application process that takes place once each year.  Specific eligibility requirements (in addition to standard academic requirements) must be met for both program admission and retention.  A program admission packet is included in the "Social Work Student Handbook" which can be obtained from the University Rochester Center Bookstore.  Below are select highlights of the admission and retention policies:

• Students must have a "C" or better in each of the foundation courses (see below); a satisfactory, passing evaluation is required for SW 350.
• Students must have a "C" or better and an overall GPA of 2.5 in all courses considered for admission. In addition, students must also have a 2.5 GPA and a "C" or better in all courses required by the Social Work Department.
• Required foundation courses are to be completed (or in progress) when applying for admission to the Rochester Social Work Program
• Applications to the Rochester Social Work Program are reviewed once each year, and the application deadline is the third Tuesday of February (e.g. February 21, 2006).  Students generally apply for admission to the professional Social Work program during their enrollment in SOCW 340.  (Students transferring to the Rochester Social Work Program from a community college are advised to apply for admission to the program in the Spring preceding their desired entry into the program.  For instance, if one wants to enroll in "Practice I, SW Research and Human Behavior...." in the Fall 2006 semester, one would need to apply and be accepted into the program during the Spring 2006 semester.)  A maximum of 25 students are accepted into the program each year; admissions are competitive.
• Students who have not met the program requirements may be informed that they will be accepted pending their timely completion of certain requirements, but students may not participate in the program's core courses until all requirements are met and full acceptance into the program has been granted.
• Students are responsible for fulfilling all WSU graduation requirements.

Core Courses (must be taken in the order given)

Transfer of 2 year Degree - 64 semester hours

Foundation Courses - 19 semester hours (these may be included in your 2-year degree credits)

                                       Freshman English - 4 credits                           Fundamentals of Speech - 3 credits

                                       Human Biology - 3 credits                               General Psychology - 3 credits

                                       Developmental Psychology - 3 credits            Introduction to Sociology - 3 credits

                                       Introduction to Social Work (see below)         Field Experience (see below)

                               See you Community College Advisor or Counselor if you are unsure of course equivalencies.

CORE COURSES - 46 Semester Hours

SOPHOMORE YEAR - Spring Semester

(IMPORTANT:  Students wishing to continue in the Rochester Social Work program beyond SOCW 340 and SOCW 350 must apply for formal admission to the Rochester Social Work program by the 3rd Tuesday of February.  Please consult the Social Work Student Handbook and/or Dr. Arlen for further information.)

SOCW 340  Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare - 3 credits

SOCW 350  Field Experience (120 hour Sophomore-Level "Pre-Internship") - 3 credits

(permission of instructor and liability insurance are required)

JUNIOR YEAR - Fall Semester

(IMPORTANT:  Enrollment in the following courses is restricted to students who have applied to and have been fully accepted into the Rochester Social Work program.  Exceptions to this policy will not be granted.)

SOCW 365  Practice I - 3 credits

SOCW 370  Human Behavior and the Social Environment - 3 credits

SOCW 390  Social Work Research: Process and Skills - 3 credits

JUNIOR YEAR - Spring Semester

Students should apply for graduation this semester

SOCW 380  American Social Welfare Policy - 3 credits

SOCW 385  Practice II - 3 credits

SENIOR YEAR - Fall Semester

SOCW 400  Practicum Preparation - 4 credits

SOCW 410  Social Welfare Policy Analysis - 3 credits

SOCW 415  Practice III - 3 credits

SENIOR YEAR - Spring Semester

SOCW 475  Practicum - 12 credits (480 hour Senior-Level Internship)

SOCW 480  Integrative Seminar - 3 credits

Additional Requirements   6 Semester Hours

Diversity Course (see advisor) - 3 credits (must be taken before entering final semester of Practicum)

PSY 231  Psychology Statistics or Stats 110 Fundamentals of Statistics (must be taken before entering final semester of Practicum)  NOTE:  Psychology Statistics is not transferable as a General Education Math Course.

Most students will need to take an additional 12-18 Semester Hour credits in order to complete a Baccalaureate degree.  This can be accomplished through a minor or elective credits.

Please consult with the Social Work Student Handbook, the WSU catalogue and your advisor for further information.

Contact:

Faculty Support          Trisha Babcock    ST128              285-7486       tbabcock@winona.edu

Faculty                        Arlen Carey           ST129             280-5049       acarey@winona.edu