BA in Social Work Major

Social work is a profession with an abundance of options, action, and satisfaction. If you enjoy helping people change their lives and improve their environments, social work may be a good choice for you.

Social workers work with families, the aging, in child protection and child welfare, in schools, in corrections, with the developmentally disabled in occupational assistance, in health care, public assistance, in mental health, in clinical counseling, in administration, research, policy planning and substance abuse treatment.

The social work profession has its own code of ethics, body of knowledge based in the social sciences, licensing and national educational accreditation.

The Department of Social Work at the University of Northern Iowa offers a Social Work major that is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), preparing graduates for beginning practice. A high quality doctoral-level faculty provides core courses and electives coupled with a semester or summer internship in a social service agency.

A typical course sequence

In addition to completing the University's General Education program, the Social Work major requires 53 credit hours including the internship typically taken in the student's last term.

A minimum cumulative grade point average for all college work of 2.4 and a 2.4 grade point average for all UNI courses taken is required for admission to the Social Work major.

Freshman year:
Principles of Sociology
Introduction to Psychology
General Education courses

Sophomore year:
Social Welfare: A World View
Continuity of Life
Social Services and Social Work
Social Work Practice I
Intro to Developmental Psychology or Human Growth & Development
General Education courses or University electives

Junior year:
Statistics for Social Research
Upper Division Social Work courses
University electives

Senior year:
Upper Division Social Work courses
Field Instruction
University electives

Social work majors may earn a Substance Abuse Counseling Certificate which prepares students for social work in the substance abuse treatment field.

Doctoral-level faculty are accomplished classroom teachers and have established national level research-and scholarship. Each has years of professional practice in social work to inform their teaching.

The Social Work Student Organization is involved with a variety of service and social activities, and helps students orient to the major and the profession.

Alpha Delta Mu is the national Social Work honor society. The purpose of the organization is to advance excellence in social work practice and to encourage, stimulate and maintain scholarship of the individual member. An initiation ceremony and banquet is normally held each year for new members.

The program has a wide variety of Field Instruction internship placement opportunities locally and in selected locations in Iowa and other states.

Students may participate in an exchange program with the University of Hull, England.

Certificates in Conflict Management and Gerontology may be obtained in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

The University of Northern Iowa program will prepare students for beginning level professional social work practice or for graduate work. The Social Work Department at the University of Northern Iowa is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, Washington, D.C.

The faculty reserve the right to deny admission to the major for factors related to potential as a social worker. A minimum cumulative grade point average for all college work of 2.4 and a 2.4 grade point average for all UNI courses taken is required for admission to the Social Work major. A minimum University of Northern Iowa grade point average of 2.4 is required for graduation as a social work major. Students who graduate with a major in Social Work receive a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Social Work Certificate.

Required:

Total -- 53 hours

*450:184 can also be taken for 4 additional credit hours on an elective basis.

**Course may be taken for elective credit if not taken to fulfill core course requirements.

***Course may be repeated once with a different topic.

****400:102 or 800:072 may be substituted.

Social work majors are required to complete a departmentally-approved, 30 clock-hour service experience in a social service agency. This requirement will be fulfilled in conjunction with 450:042 Social Services and Social Work.

In order to enroll in Social Work Practice II the following requirements must be present: Social Work major; minimum UNI grade point average of 2.4; and completion of 450:091 Social Work Practice I with a minimum grade of C.

In order to enroll in Field Instruction the following requirements must be present: Social Work major; senior standing (90 or more credits); completion of 450:091 and 450:192 with a minimum grade of C in each course; 450:042; 450:164; and 450:185; and a minimum UNI grade point average of 2.4.