Social Work - Curriculum

The design of the social work program at Xavier as an accredited program is grounded in the vision of social work education as set forth by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Following the overarching CSWE principles, schools of social work are encouraged to develop their own programs as unique entities grounded in the mission of their institutions.

Therefore, majors take required courses that reflect the following nine core competencies outlined by CSWE (see accreditation section for complete listing).

1. Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
2. Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice
3. Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ACEI) in Practice
4. Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-Informed Practice
5. Engage in Policy Practice
6. Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
7. Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
8. Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
9. Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Requirements

• Total minimum hours required for the Bachelor's of Social Work (BSW) degree is 120 credit hours. This includes meeting core curriculum requirements as well as those for the major. Several courses required by the social work department fulfill the core curriculum requirements.
• Major in social work: 57 credit hours.
• Social Work Required Courses:
  • SOCW 167 Survey of Society in Social Work
  • SOCW 206 Gender, Diversity, and Intersectionality
  • SOCW 208 Economics of Society
  • SOCW 299 Child Welfare and Development
  • SOCW 300 Adolescence-Older Adulthood
  • SOCW 315 Values, Human Rights and Advocacy
  • SOCW 316 Social Policy
  • SOCW 321 Communication Skills Seminar
  • SOCW Upper Level Diversity Course (Choose from SOCW 318 Race Relations, SOCW 325 Women/Men, or SOCW 338 LGBTQ)
  • SOCW 392 Practice I: Individuals
  • SOCW 393 Practice II: Groups and Families
  • SOCW 394 Practice III: Communities and Organizations
  • SOCW/THEO 404 Religion, Ethics and Professional Practice
  • SOCW 417 Field Instruction I
  • SOCW 418 Field Instruction II
  • SOCW 419 Seminar I
  • SOCW 420 Seminar II
  • SOCW 423 Research Methodology
  • SOCW 425 Research Methods II
• Non-Social Work Courses Required by the Major (also satisfy core curriculum requirements and are required by most graduate social work programs):
  • BIOL 102/132 Life: Human Biology Lecture/Lab or BIOL 106/107 Life: Biology of Aging
  • MATH 116 or 156 Elementary or General Statistics
  • PSYC 101 General Psychology
  • SOCI 101 Introduction to Sociology
• Courses Approved as Social Work Electives (3 courses/9 credit hours required):
  • SOCW 204 Social Problems
  • SOCW 318 Race Relations
  • SOCW 325 Women/Men
  • SOCW 330 Community Organizing
  • SOCW 338 LGBTQ
  • SOCW 402 Child Maltreatment and Family Violence
  • SOCW 444 Addictive Behaviors
  • CJUS 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice 
  • CJUS 260 Current Issues in Criminal Justice
  • CJUS 321 Juvenile Justice
  • COMM 101 Oral Communications
  • COMM 209 Group Dynamics
  • POLI 140 American Government and Politics
  • POLI 301 Political Philosophy
  • PSYC 231 Developmental Psychology
  • PSYC 261 Social Psychology 
  • PSYC 277 Abnormal Psychology
  • PSYC 367 Psychology of Aging
• View a general framework for the flow of courses throughout the four year program >>