Requirements and Electives for the Bachelor of Social Work
The Bachelor of Social Work is a 20-credit (4-year) Honours degree program. The 20.0 credits include 10.5 credits in the Social Work Major and 9.5 credits outside the Major.
10.5 credits in the Major are:
SOWK 1001 (0.5) Introduction to Social Welfare
SOWK 1002 (0.5) Introduction to Social Work
SOWK 2001 (0.5) Structural Analysis and Social Work
SOWK 2005 (0.5) Values and Ethics for Social Work
SOWK 2100 (0.5) The Political Economy of the Social Welfare State
SOWK 2202 (0.5) Introduction to Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families
SOWK 2203 (0.5) Introduction to Social Work Practice with Groups and Communities
SOWK 3001 (0.5) Introduction to Research Methods in Social Work
SOWK 3002 (0.5) Introduction to Statistical Analysis in Social Work
SOWK 3100 (0.5) Social Policy and Administration
SOWK 3600 or SOWK 3601 or SOWK 3602 (2.0) Practicum I
SOWK 4000 (0.5) Social Work and Indigenous Peoples
SOWK 4600 (2.0) or SOWK 4601 (1.0) & SOWK 4602 (1.0) Practicum II
0.5 credit from:
SOWK 4001 (0.5) Advanced Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families
SOWK 4002 (0.5) Advanced Social Work Practice with Groups
SOWK 4003 (0.5) Advanced Social Work Practice with Communities
SOWK 4004 (0.5) Social Policy Development and Practice
0.5 credit from:
SOWK 4103 (0.5) Practice and Policy in Immigration
SOWK 4204 (0.5) Social Work and Aging
SOWK 4300 (0.5) Social Work and Persons with Disabilities
SOWK 4301 (0.5) Racialization and Social Work
SOWK 4302 (0.5) Poverty and Social Welfare Policy
SOWK 4303 (0.5) Gender and Sexuality
9.5 credits not included in the Major:
- 2.0 credits in any combination of the following subjects: ANTH, CRCJ, ECON, HIST, HUMR, INDG, LAWS, PAPM, PSCI, PSYC, SOCI, or WGST
- 6.0 credits in non-SOWK electives
- 1.5 credits in free electives OR SOWK 4908 (1.0) Honours Essay and 0.5 credit in free electives.
Try to choose electives that interest you and do not conflict with your required Social Work courses. It may help if you look at the course list in the Undergraduate Calendar and then look in detail at courses under subjects that interest you. Start by looking at the 1000-level courses and check whether the course may be restricted to those degree students only (i.e. Architecture and Engineering courses will most likely be restricted to Architecture and Engineering students only). Perhaps you will notice some courses at the 2000-level or above that interest you, in which case you will want to check if there is a prerequisite course you would need to take first.
As noted in the BSW degree requirements, you need to take 2.0 credits in any combination of ANTH, CRCJ, ECON, HIST, HUMR, INDG, LAWS, PAPM, PSCI, PSYC, SOCI, or WGST, but you are welcome to take more of these if you wish. They will meet the 6.0 credits, not in Social Work requirement.
Some students may wish to consider taking a Language course(s) such as French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Italian, or American Sign Language. If you are interested in minoring in a language, you will likely want to start taking the required courses in your first year, as it can be difficult to meet language Minor requirements if you begin later in your degree.
Please keep in mind that you are able to take a maximum of 7.0 credits in 1000-level courses as part of your degree. Thus, you could end up taking a 1000-level elective even when you are at 2nd, 3rd or 4th year standing. Free Electives can be courses taken from within your major discipline (Social Work) or from another field of study.