BSW Degree Planning and Course Load
How Do I Complete My Program?
For the Bachelor of Social Work program student’s admitted into first year who complete a full course load (2.5 credits, equivalent to an average of 5 courses) in Fall and Winter terms, would complete the degree in an average of 4 years (admitted with no transfer credits). As seen below,
IMPORTANT: Please note that the course sequencing immediately below is the standard degree track for students admitted without previous post-secondary studies. Students admitted with transfer credit into second or third year entry upon admission to BSW should refer to course sequencing for your first year of studies in the BSW program in the section below titled “Course Sequencing for Incoming [Second, or Third] Year Students”.
| First Year | First Year |
|---|---|
| Fall Term | Winter Term |
| SOWK 1001 Introduction to Social Welfare | SOWK 1002 Introduction to Social Work |
| Elective in related program | Elective in related program |
| Elective in related program | Elective in related program |
| Elective not in Social Work | Elective not in Social Work |
| Elective not in Social Work | Elective not in Social Work |
| Second Year | Second Year |
|---|---|
| Fall Term | Winter Term |
| SOWK 2001 Structural Analysis and Social Work | SOWK 2202 Introduction to Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families |
| SOWK 2005 Values and Ethics for Social Work | SOWK 2203 Introduction to Social Work Practice with Groups and Communities |
| SOWK 2100 Political Economy | Elective not in Social Work |
| Elective not in Social Work | Elective not in Social Work |
| Elective not in Social Work | Elective not in Social Work |
| Third Year | Third Year |
|---|---|
| Fall Term | Winter Term |
| SOWK 3600 Practicum I | SOWK 3600 Practicum I |
| SOWK 3001 Introduction to Research Methods | SOWK 3002 Introduction to Statistical Analysis |
| Elective not in Social Work | SOWK 3100 Social Policy and Administration |
| Elective not in Social Work | Elective not in Social Work |
| Fourth Year | Fourth Year |
|---|---|
| Fall Term | Winter Term |
| SOWK 4600 Practicum II | 0.5 credit in SOWK 4001, 4002, 4003, or 4004 |
| SOWK 4000 Social Work and Indigenous Peoples | 0.5 credit in SOWK 4103, 4204, 4300, 4301, 4302, or 4303 |
| Free elective | |
| Free elective | |
| Free elective |
*NOTE: Courses that are bolded and italicized are only offered in the indicated term for the Fall/Winter session. Any other courses listed for each year may be taken in either the Fall or the Winter terms, depending on course availability, with a maximum of five courses in each term.*
For information about your degree requirements you can review the Undergraduate Calendar or the BSW Program Requirements page, which indicates the program requirements for the BSW.
Course Sequencing Based on Year of Entry Upon Admission
-
COURSE SEQUENCING FOR INCOMING FIRST YEAR STUDENTS
First Year Fall Winter SOWK 1001 (0.5)
Elective (0.5)
Elective (0.5)
Elective (0.5)
Elective (0.5)SOWK 1002 (0.5)
Elective (0.5)
Elective (0.5)
Elective (0.5)
Elective (0.5)Suggested Electives: 2.0 credits in any combination of ANTH, CRCJ, ECON, HIST, HUMR, INDG, LAWS, PAPM, PSCI, PSYC, SOCI, or WGST *IMPORTANT NOTE: Courses that are bolded and italicized are only offered in the indicated term for the Fall/Winter session. Any other courses listed for each year may be taken in either the Fall or the Winter terms, depending on course availability, with a maximum of five courses in each term.*
Please note: the above table outlines course sequencing for students entering at first year of the program and attending full-time with a 100% course load over fall and winter terms only. If you plan to attend part-time or with a reduced course load, please note that most core Social Work courses are not offered in the summer terms and you need to adhere to course prerequisites. In these cases, it is highly suggested that you meet with the Undergraduate Administrator to plan your course sequencing.
-
COURSE SEQUENCING FOR INCOMING SECOND YEAR STUDENTS
Fall Winter SOWK 2001 (0.5)
SOWK 2005 (0.5)
SOWK 2100 (0.5)
Elective (0.5)
Elective (0.5)SOWK 2202 (0.5)
SOWK 2203 (0.5)
Elective (0.5)
Elective (0.5)
Elective (0.5)*IMPORTANT NOTE: Courses that are bolded and italicized are only offered in the indicated term for the Fall/Winter session. Any other courses listed for each year may be taken in either the Fall or the Winter terms, depending on course availability, with a maximum of five courses in each term.*
Students who enter the BSW program with 2nd year standing, and who do not have a transfer credit for SOWK 1000 (or SOWK 1001 & 1002) must add SOWK 1001 to the fall term and SOWK 1002 to the winter term, taking one less elective per term. This is a heavy workload and we strongly recommend that you read the text listed below (or any other Introduction to Social Work in Canada text) over the summer in order to have some familiarity with social work before the fall term begins.
Ives, N., Denov, M., & Sussman, T. (2020). Introduction to social work in Canada: Histories, contexts and practices (2nd ed.). Toronto: Oxford University Press.
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COURSE SEQUENCING FOR INCOMING THIRD YEAR STUDENTS
Fall Winter SOWK 2001 (0.5)
SOWK 2005 (0.5)
SOWK 2100 (0.5)
SOWK 2202 (0.5)
SOWK 2203 (0.5)SOWK 3100 (0.5)
SOWK 3601 (2.0) – Practicum (352 hours at the agency, plus 12 hours of seminar meetings on campus. Placement is usually 4 days per week)*IMPORTANT NOTE: Courses that are bolded and italicized are only offered in the indicated term for the Fall/Winter session. Any other courses listed for each year may be taken in either the Fall or the Winter terms, depending on course availability, with a maximum of five courses in each term.*
Please note:
- If you intend to attend full-time at a 100% course load, follow the sequencing above. You are required to successfully complete all 5 prerequisite courses in the Fall term in order to go on to your practicum in the Winter.
- If you plan to attend part-time or with a reduced course load, please note that core Social Work courses are not offered in the Summer terms and you are required to adhere to course prerequisites. In these cases, it is highly suggested that you meet with the Undergraduate Administrator to plan out your course sequencing.
- Students who are admitted into third year entry, and have received transfer credit for the first practicum (SOWK 3600 Practicum I) requirement, are not required to complete all 5 2000-level prerequisites in Fall of their first term, as seen above, as they would not be completing the full-time Winter SOWK 3601 practicum. Students with SOWK 3600 transfer credit can adjust their course sequencing based on their remaining requirements (in reference to their academic audit), prerequisite and Undergraduate Calendar requirements, and course offerings in Fall and Winter terms. If you have questions regarding this then please feel welcome to contact the Undergraduate Administrator for academic advising support.
Considerations For Planning Your Degree Progression
An important question that students should think about is “how do I plan out my degree progression and program requirements?” There are many tools and resources that have been developed on the School’s website, that can help in familiarizing yourself with understanding your academic audit as it is essentially a road map to completing your degree, and to support in empowering students to map out their degree plan and give them the confidence in knowing one’s requirements for making important course selection and program decisions!
It is important that students are aware that it is the individual student’s responsibility to review their Audit carefully to ensure they satisfy published requirements and to seek assistance if they do not understand their degree requirements or note discrepancies between their Audit, course plan, and/or Undergraduate Calendar requirements. Completion of all degree requirements is the sole responsibility of the student.
Here are some factors to consider when planning out your degree progression and trying to build a course sequencing plan:
Remaining Requirements
You familiarize yourself with your academic audit, this is a “road map” to your degree requirements, and it will specify how many credits you need to graduate. Please see the BSW Academic Audit page for learning how to read your audit.
Course Load
You consider how many courses you want to take per term. Standard course sequencing for the program involves Fall and Winter terms but students do have the option to take courses in the Summer terms. The credit limit in a term is set out by Carleton University for all undergraduate degree students, as stated in section 2.1.4. of the Undergraduate Calendar.
Maximum credit limits:
- Fall-Winter is 2.5 credits (an average of 5 courses per term).
- Summer is 2.0 credits (an average of 4 courses over the term). *Summer term courses are condensed over an average of 6 weeks.
When to Take a Course (Major, Not Included in Major – Electives, or Minor) and Prerequisites
You generally want to ensure you complete required core courses in accordance with your year-standing (i.e. taking 1000-level in first year, 2000-level in second year, and so on) and balance with taking some elective courses throughout your terms. But it is important that you plan your courses to ensure you are completing required prerequisites before taking upper year courses or practicum. For information on prerequisite courses for your Major requirements you can cross reference the Undergraduate Calendar or the Practicum Hub for the required prerequisites for practicum.
- If you are admitted into First Year of the program you can see information about course sequencing for your first two terms in the section above ‘Course Sequencing for Incoming First Year Students’. For the remainder of your degree you would follow the standard track, as seen at the top of this page, for the second, third and fourth year of the program in order to complete the degree in the average 4 years.
- If you are admitted into Second Year of the program you can see information about course sequencing for your first two terms in the program above, under ‘Course Sequencing for Incoming Second Year Students’ (you are required to concurrently complete SOWK 1001 and 1002 along with second year SOWK courses if you did not receive transfer credits for these courses upon admission into the program). For your third and fourth year of study, you can follow course sequencing as seen at the top of this page, for the third and fourth year of the program. However, it is very important to cross reference your academic audit to confirm the transfer credits that you received in case your requirements vary from the course selection reflected at the top of this page.
- If you are admitted into Third Year of the program you can find course sequencing for the first two terms (Fall-Winter) you enter into the program above, under ‘Course Sequencing for Incoming Third Year Students’. This only indicates the course sequencing for the year you enter into BSW. For your final year (or subsequent terms) you can follow course sequencing as seen at the top of this page for standard course sequencing for fourth year of the program. However, it is very important to cross reference your academic audit to confirm the transfer credits that you received in case your requirements vary from the course selection reflected at the top of this page.
Course Offerings
You must consider general course offerings by departments. Students can explore the public class schedule and compare course offerings in a Fall or Winter term to gain an understanding of when specific courses are generally offered in an academic year. Availability of SOWK course offerings can be seen in the above course sequencing for the standard degree track of the program above. Please note that this does not guarantee that a specific course will be offered in future academic years, but rather it may help you to gain a sense of general class scheduling for a specific subject or discipline such as when SOWK courses are offered (Fall and Winter, or just one specific term) or required courses for a minor.
Undergraduate Calendar Requirements
You are meeting the Undergraduate Calendar requirements for courses, such as required prerequisites, year-standing requirements, or if the course is restricted to degree students in a certain program.
Creating A Course Plan For Your Degree
Considering factors mentioned in the section above (including remaining requirements, course offerings, course load, and Undergraduate Calendar requirements) students can create a course sequencing plan for their degree by using a chart or table, excel document, paper, or whatever works best for the individual!
Students can use the Student Draft Course Plan document below as a tool to plan out their own degree sequencing and adjust in conjunction with their up-to-date academic audit and degree requirements. Please note that this BSW Course Plan on this document reflects the 20.0 credits that are required for students admitted to first year of the program with completing the degree with a full course load in Fall-Winter terms over an average of 4 years, students must adjust accordingly with their own requirements based on their audit.
Draft Student Course Plan
Part-Time Studies
Part-time Studies or Reduced Course Load – What if 5 courses per term is too intensive?
There is no requirement for how quickly someone should take to complete the degree, and sometimes it can be in a student’s best interest to take a little bit longer to complete their degree then to compromise their well-being or GPA to finish as soon as possible. An option students can choose is to reduce their course load or complete the degree program part-time.
A student’s course load can really depend on the individual and we have students who organize their degree requirements for all different sorts of course loads. Everyone’s course sequencing may look different and may vary from the standard track for the degree progression. In a case where someone wishes to complete a reduced course, it is highly suggested that you meet with the Undergraduate Administrator to discuss your course sequencing.
What to Consider:
- How to complete the degree: Reducing one’s course load to 2.0 credits or less would either require students make up reduced credits in Summer terms throughout their studies to remain on ‘track’ for the degree progression of the program, otherwise it would result in extending one’s studies beyond average 4-year degree timeline.
- Limited SOWK course offerings in Summer term: If a student plans to attend part-time/with a reduced course load, please note that most core Social Work courses are not offered in the Summer terms and you must still adhere to course prerequisites. Student’s should also be aware of impacts to degree progression with completing a reduced course load, since there are limited SOWK course offerings in Summer it is often best to focus on core courses over the Fall and Winter terms and take reduced credits in electives over a Summer term.
- Impacts to student funding: Student’s should be aware that completing a reduced course load can have impacts on student funding. Should you have questions about scholarship, bursary, OSAP or other student funding requirements, please contact the Awards and Financial Aid Office.