Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) June 2007
Mission of the Social Work Program
The mission of the Social Work program at Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is to prepare students to be competent, effective, and professional generalist social work practitioners at the entry level with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Special attention is given to the needs of rural and developing communities and guided by a person-in-environment construct in a global perspective. Through this mission, the Social Work program serves predominantly first-generation African American students and other underserved groups who often choose to remain in the rural counties of Northeastern North Carolina. The Social Work program focuses on knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes that are required for effective practice in rural and developing communities which are challenged by disparities in social, economic, environmental, political, cultural, and educational arenas. Through mastery of specific competencies and behaviors outlined by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in the Education Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS), students are uniquely prepared to effectively and ethically serve diverse populations in these communities and other contexts. Students are also prepared to engage in practices that demonstrate their commitment to the eradication of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, oppression, and other forms of social injustice, as well as the commitment to continuous professional growth and lifelong learning.
Goals of the BSW Program
The Social Work program goals are derived from the program’s mission. The four goals of the Social Work program are:
- To prepare students to practice ethically and competently as generalist practitioners with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- To prepare students to engage with diverse populations to advance human rights and promote social, economic, and environmental justice in rural, developing, and global communities.
- To provide practice opportunities for students to serve the community.
- To prepare students for graduate study and lifelong learning.
Pre-Professional Social Work Courses
The six Pre-Professional courses are: SOWK 205 , SOWK 210 , SOWK 220 , SOWK 247 , SOWK 250 , and SOWK 260 . These courses are designed to introduce students to the social work profession, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, the rural context, fields of practice, interviewing and intervention skills, dimensions of human diversity, social, economic, and environment justice, the social welfare system and services, and human behavior in the social environment. These pre-professional courses total 18 semester hours.
Professional Social Work Courses
Students must be admitted to the Social Work program prior to enrollment in the Professional Social Work courses. These courses build upon the Pre-Professional sequence and expand students’ knowledge and skills in the areas of values and ethics, diversity, populations-at-risks and social and economic justice, human behavior in the social environment, generalist practice, social welfare policies and services, research and evaluation, and field education. The seven Professional Social Work courses are: SOWK 367 , SOWK 370 , SOWK 372 , SOWK 390 , SOWK 443 , SOWK 444 , and SOWK 445 . These professional courses total 27 semester hours. The following five professional courses must be completed prior to enrollment in Field Education: SOWK 367 , SOWK 370 , SOWK 372 , SOWK 390 and SOWK 443 . In addition, 35 semester hours of Liberal Arts and General Education courses should be completed prior to applying for enrollment in SOWK 444 - Social Work Field Education and Seminar I . Students must maintain a 2.50 GPA or higher to continue matriculating in the Professional courses.
Admission to the Social Work Program
All students who plan to earn the BSW degree must officially select Social Work as their major, complete the Declaration of Major Form, and meet the following Admission Requirements:
- Apply for admission before the end of the sophomore year;
- Return the completed application along with all supporting documents by February 15th;
- Return the completed application along with all supporting documents by February 15th;
- Transfer students return the completed application along with all supporting documents by February 15th;
- Completion of ENGL 102 and ENGL 103 , BIOL 100 or BIO 207, SOC 201 , PSY 212 , and SOWK 205 . A “C” grade or higher is required in ENGL 102 and ENGL 103 , and SOWK 205;
- A cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher;
- Two (2) Letters of Recommendation (faculty member, clergy, counselor, or other professionals in the human services field);
- Agree to abide by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics and University policies; and
- Approved Personal Statement (Writing Sample administered by the Social Work faculty);
NOTE: Students are only admitted to the Program during the Fall semester of each academic year.
Additional Program Requirements
- All Pre-Professional and Professional Social Work courses must be taken in sequential order.
- Students must be formally admitted into the Social Work Program and have completed SOWK 205 , SOWK 210 , SOWK 220 , SOWK 247 , SOWK 250 , and SOWK 260 with a “C” or higher prior to enrollment in the Professional Sequence Social Work courses.
- Students must also maintain a 2.50 GPA (or higher) to continue matriculating in the Professional courses.
- Students must complete an admission’s process prior to entering the Field Experience and Seminar courses.
- NOTE: The Social Work program does not grant course credit for employment/work experience.
Field Education and Seminar
Students must complete the application process prior to entering the Field Experience and Seminar courses. Across both program options, the Director of Field Education will provide the student with a referral to an agency for an interview. Students in the Social Work program are required to complete a minimum of 440 hours of supervised field experience at selected public, nonprofit, and for-profit human service agencies in North Carolina. Prior to enrollment in SOWK 444 and SOWK 445 , Field Experience and Seminar I & II, students must have completed liberal arts, general education, pre-professional, and professional social work courses as outlined in the social work curriculum. Across both program options, the Social Work program has a concurrent placement model in field education. For both program options, the concurrent placement model requires students to complete 220 hours of supervised field education experience at selected human service agencies during the Fall and Spring semesters. For Program Option 1: Main Campus, students are in their selected field agencies for two days (Tuesday and Thursday) for approximately 14 hours per week. For Program Option 2: Off-Site Campuses, students are in their selected field agencies in the evenings and weekends. Only students that are a part of institutions with Articulation Agreements and have an Associate’s Degree in Human Services Technology are eligible for this program option.
Across both program options, failure to successfully complete both courses in an academic year will require the student to repeat the entire process e.g. complete the application process, attend the pre-orientation meetings, and complete the interview to be placed at an agency. The student will not have to repeat the individual course, but he/she will be placed at a new agency. Students who do not satisfactorily complete Field Experience and Seminar forfeit hours earned and must reapply. Incomplete (I) grades are not given for SOWK 444 and SOWK 445 . Students who are readmitted to Field Experience and Seminar are assigned to new agencies. All students must earn a grade of “C” or higher in all required social work courses in order to graduate with the BSW Degree. In addition to the agency placements, students are required to attend and participate in a weekly seminar class. The seminar class is instrumental in guiding students in the field education process. The seminar classes also provide students the opportunity to discuss their agency experiences and to integrate social work knowledge, values, skills, cognitive and affective processes, and the program competencies with the field experience. In addition, the students will purchase liability insurance and complete a background check. Failure to submit an application will result in students not being considered for field education. Students employed in human service agencies will not be allowed to use their employment or work experiences as a substitute for their field education placements.
Transfer Student Policy
Transfer students (including those who have already achieved junior status) and other students who change their major to Social Work must also go through the application process and be officially admitted into the Social Work program. There is not a guarantee that courses transferred from other degree programs or institutions of higher learning will substitute for required Social Work courses. Social Work Practice courses from other institutions cannot be transferred.
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