School of
Social Welfare

Online Catalog

Bachelor of Social Work

The School of Social Welfare provides the education and experience necessary for a career in social work. By helping shape students’ capacity for caring, the school prepares social workers to carry out the unique purposes of the profession — to develop human potential, to promote individual well-being, and to bring about a more just society.

Social work is a major professional discipline in the broad institution of social welfare. The term social welfare denotes the dimensions of society concerned with human needs — health, education, economic security, housing, and mental health.

The undergraduate program of the KU School of Social Welfare prepares graduates for beginning generalist social work practice. The program defines generalist practice as maintaining focus on the interface between systems (i.e., individual, family, groups, organizations, and communities), with particular emphasis on

• the strengths inherent in these systems.
• the need to understand the role of gender, culture, sexual orientation, disability, race, and class in all phases of the social work process.
• the promotion of social and economic justice for those disenfranchised on the basis of the attributes listed above.
• the assumption of a critical perspective regarding different ways of knowing.

Beginning generalist practice uses multilevel methodology, depending on the needs of the client system, and incorporates a knowledge, value, and skill base that is transferable between and among diverse contexts and locations.

The B.S.W. program is offered on the Lawrence campus and as part of a degree-completion program at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

KCKCC Program. The B.S.W. curriculum is also available at Kansas City Kansas Community College. The KCKCC curriculum is designed as a 2+2 degree-completion program. Associate of Arts degree holders interested in completing their undergraduate degrees take all of the necessary course work at KCKCC and receive a KU degree. For more information, contact the on-site program coordinator at (913) 288-7304.

Curriculum

Professional Socialization (SW 220, 623)
Students prepare for the responsibilities of social work, involving professional functioning, knowledge and use of professional ethics, values, attitudes, and skills. Students analyze their values critically to develop a unified personal and professional framework. Students develop their professional commitment to the code of ethics and understanding of social work to govern their professional behavior.

Human Behavior and the Social Environment
(SW 530, 532)
Students acquire a knowledge and understanding of individual, group, community, institutional, and cultural dynamics. Students become familiar with concepts, theories, and empirical findings that enable them to practice effectively as professional social workers.

Research (SW 540, 541)
Students achieve a command of fundamental social work research. A knowledge
of the scientific method is acquired and applied to current research. Students learn to apply critical thinking to professional
literature.

Social Work Practice (SW 510, 555, 610, 611, 612)
Students acquire knowledge and skills needed for effective social work practice with diverse populations. The accumulated knowledge and understanding of the social work curriculum come together in the practice courses.

Social Policy (SW 620, 621)
Students develop the capacity for critical analysis of social problems, policies and programs. Students analyze social work practice to understand the effect of policy on direct service. Basic policy analysis skills acquired in the first course are applied to specified areas of practice, applying analytical skills to problems, policies, and programs.

Field Practicum (SW 601)
Students acquire competence as beginning generalist social work practitioners.
With instructional supervision in a social work agency, students apply their knowledge and expand their practice skills from their course work to real-life situations. Practicum is a two-semester course
(fall-spring) for seniors, who spend two days a week in practicum assignments.

Field Practicum

The field practicum office works with community agencies throughout Kansas and western Missouri to provide field education opportunities for students. Students are placed in these agencies through a collaborative process among the practicum office, the student, and the agency. The field practicum office is responsible for ensuring that all field placements are able to provide the appropriate learning opportunities for students and that qualified field instructors will be available to the student. The practicum office arranges all placements.

Field placements are mainly in the Kansas City and Topeka areas, with a limited number of settings in Lawrence, Leavenworth, and other Kansas and Missouri communities.Students are responsible for transportation to the assigned field practicum. Most agencies also require a student to have transportation available for agency assignments.

B.S.W. students have one practicum placement during the senior year, concurrent with enrollment in the practice courses. Senior B.S.W. students attend classes two days a week and field practicum two days a week throughout fall and spring semesters. Seniors spend a minimum of 480 clock hours in practicum. Practicum is a 10-credit-hour, year-long course graded on an S/U basis. A satisfactory (S) grade is a requirement for the B.S.W. degree. At the end of the first semester, a grade of P is given for satisfactory progress toward completion of the course. No credit is given for partial completion (fewer than 10 credit hours) of practicum.

An orientation is held in the fall, before the beginning of classes, for all students entering a field practicum and the field liaisons who represent the school. The Field Practicum Handbook explains practicum-related expectations and policies. Students are responsible for the material in the handbook.

Every student in practicum has both a B.S.W. practicum instructor and a field liaison. The practicum instructor is responsible for designating learning opportunities, planning practicum assignments, and serving as the student’s teacher in the practicum. The field liaison is employed by the School of Social Welfare to work with practicum instructors and students in each agency, to help integrate practicum and class instruction, to evaluate student performance, and to assist if difficulties arise.

Because of the necessity for continuity in both client service and learning, the maximum time for a break between semesters in practicum is three weeks, regardless of time allowable according to the university calendar.

Advising

Early advising is recommended for students interested in social work. Pre-social work students (both KU and transfer) are encouraged to obtain advising through the school during each enrollment period.

For students who plan to transfer to KU but currently attend another college, advising is available by telephone or e-mail. The school works closely with counselors from all Kansas colleges.

Once a student is admitted, a member of the school’s faculty is assigned as an adviser to assist the student with course selection, career plans, and academic needs. The adviser also reviews the student’s academic progress to help ensure that degree requirements are fulfilled. Students consult with their academic advisers before enrollment each semester.

Four semesters, beginning with fall semester, are necessary to complete professional social work courses required for the degree.

Transfer of Credit

Transfer credit allows specific course work from other accredited colleges or universities to count toward the B.S.W. degree. Decisions to accept prior transcript credits are made by the university’s transcript evaluator during the admission process. Exceptions must be petitioned through the B.S.W. director. Petitions must be accompanied by a catalog description and a syllabus of the course and submitted at the time of application.

Community college equivalents to KU courses are available from the School of Social Welfare or community college counselors. A maximum of 64 credit hours from a community college may be transferred to count toward the B.S.W. degree.

Prior Work Experience

In accordance with national curriculum policy, prior employment and life experience may not be credited toward classroom course work or practicum requirements.

University Honors Program

The School of Social Welfare encourages qualified students to participate in the University Honors Program. This program offers outstanding students an expanded opportunity to develop special abilities and interests. To make an appointment to meet with the staff of the honors program, call (785) 864-4225, www.ku.edu/honors.

Grading

Undergraduate courses offered by the School of Social Welfare are graded A, B, C, D, F, and, in practicum, Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. Plus/minus grades are calculated in the overall grade-point average. S grades count as hours toward graduation but are not computed in the grade-point average. U grades do not count toward graduation.

No required social work course in which a student receives a grade below a C– will be counted toward the major. A student must retake the course and earn a grade of C– or better to fulfill the requirement for the major. Enrollment in SW 532, SW 541, SW 612, and SW 621 is contingent upon the student’s earning a grade of C– or better in SW 530, SW 540, SW 510, and SW 621. Any student who receives a grade lower than a C– in a required social work class will be required to attend an Academic Performance Committee meeting to discuss plans for continuation in the major.

Dean’s List

Students who have been accepted into the B.S.W. program, enrolled in a minimum of 9 credit hours during the semester, and earn a semester grade-point average in the top 20 percent of their class (junior or senior) qualify for the KU School of Social Welfare B.S.W. Dean’s List.

Credit/No Credit

An undergraduate student may elect to be graded CR (Credit) or NC (No Credit) in one course each semester. This option is not available for any required social work courses. The form is available from the School of Social Welfare office. For more complete information, see the University of Kansas Undergraduate Catalog.

Withdrawal

A student who must withdraw from school should discuss the matter with the adviser and complete the appropriate procedures in the office of the School of Social Welfare.

Any student re-entering the program after more than a five-year absence must retake all required social work courses for the major, except SW 220. Credit toward the major will not be given for any required social work course taken more than five years previous to re-entry.

Financial Aid

Students who need financial help to attend KU should apply to the University of Kansas, Office of Student Financial Aid, Strong Hall, 1450 Jayhawk Blvd., Room 50, Lawrence, KS 66045-7535, (785) 864-4700, financialaid@ku.edu.

Graduation with Distinction

The top 10 percent of the graduates of the B.S.W. program each year receive degrees with distinction.

Contact the University of Kansas Office of University Relations with questions or comments about this site.

© 2003 The University of Kansas Office of University Relations.
Photographs within this site © The University of Kansas Office of University Relations.

If you need assistance, contact:

The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare,
Twente Hall,
1545 Lilac Lane,
Lawrence, KS 66044-3184,
(785) 864-4720,

E-mail: admissionsBSW@ku.edu
E-mail: admissionsMSW@ku.edu
E-mail: admissionsw-PhD@ku.edu

Web: http://www.socwel.ku.edu/default.shtml