DECLARING  SOCIAL WORK AS A MAJOR/MINOR

After you are accepted into the Program make sure you see your advisor each term

Admission to the Social Work program requires that students set up an appointment with the Program Director or other member of the admissions committee. Before this initial appointment the student must submit transcripts and/or evaluation of transfer credits and complete The Application for Admission to the Social Work Major. All prospective students must meet with a member of the Admissions Committee for an evaluation of their transcripts in an initial interview. In the evaluation meeting, the student is informed verbally and in writing of the requirements of the major in Social Work and the process for admission to the program. Their transcripts and/or evaluation of transfer credits are assessed. Decisions on transfer credits are based on course content documented through course syllabi, text used, and assignments. If the evaluator has some doubt, or if the student requests, a decision is made by a majority ruling of the entire faculty. Students are informed of what requirements have been fulfilled and what courses must be completed. This is done through giving the student a plan for getting through the Social Work curriculum. This plan contains all courses that have been accepted for transfer as well as all courses that are to be completed in sequence. This enables the student to estimate approximately how long it may take to complete the program given that they plan to go part-time, full-time or prefer evening or day classes. In the interview with a member of the Admissions Committee an assessment of the student's motivation and aptitude for a career in social work and her/his ability to manage the requirements of the program is made. During this interview, the student is encouraged to ask any pertinent questions they may have and to share any information about their particular needs that may assist the program in meeting these needs. For example, special helps needed because of dyslexia, blindness, etc. The assessment form completed during this interview is maintained in the student's folder. All students who apply are notified in writing by the Program Director of the Program's decision. Students accepted into the program receive a letter informing them of their acceptance, any conditions, and the name of their advisor. 

Admission requirements for entry into the social work major are:

The application asks for information regarding the student's motivation for choosing social work, their understanding of what being a professional social worker entails, as well as whether they have ever been convicted of a felony. If a person has been convicted of a felony, this is explored and it is explained to the prospective major that certain kinds of field placements require checks which may make them ineligible to work in those agencies thus limiting their options. It is also explained to them that this issue may also affect their ability to be licensed by the state. In Illinois, experience of other programs tells us that the Committee evaluates each case on an individual basis. 

To declare Social Work as a minor you need to contact the program secretary to be admitted as a minor.  Go to the section on Curriculum for more information.

Since there are fairly well established articulation criteria for the courses in the Liberal Arts Support courses which double as University General Education courses in several instances, the acceptance by the University of Biology 100, Macro Economics 215, Cultural Anthropology 215, Introduction to Sociology 100, Psychology 100 and Psychology 110-Life Span Development are usually recognized by the Social Work Program. In terms of Biology 100, content is explored to assure that there is human biology content in the course.

With respect to the courses required in the major, there is closer scrutiny. The acceptance of SWK-200-Introduction to Social Work requires a catalog description, text, or syllabus, and assignments to assure that the content is sufficiently similar to what we offer. The only other course that is usually accepted is one that may be accepted to fulfill the requirement of a pre-practice elective. Other courses must be taken from our own curriculum. In the rare cases of students transferring from other accredited programs we evaluate each course through the use of syllabi to assure comparable content. We however will not accept transfer credit for a second Human Behavior and Social Environment course or second Practice course because the structure of our program demands that the student be in attendance in those courses in order to have adequate material to complete the pre-field student assessments. Faculty require sufficient experience with the student to be able to assess their readiness to enter the field practicum.

Credit for Life Experience and/or previous work experience is not accepted to fulfill any of the required course content in the curriculum. This is specifically stated in the Student Handbook.

In the initial interview with the prospective student they are informed of the advisement procedures. Each student accepted into the program is assigned a tenure track faculty member as his or her advisor. The advisor is responsible for making sure that the student is completing the program as planned and is consulted whenever the student finds it necessary to make a change in the sequence that the courses are being completed in. This is so the student is aware that these changes the projected date of graduation and may make them ineligible to move on to the next course in the sequence. It is also a time when it is reinforced to the student that the program has a sequence that must be followed in order that they are fully prepared to work with the content at subsequent levels.

A student may be dismissed from the Social Work Program for: 1) failure to fulfill the academic requirements or 2) engaging in unprofessional conduct. Information about dismissal is given in the Field Manual and in the Student Handbook.

The Program, the agency, or the student may initiate termination of a student in a field placement. If all parties agree, the termination is finalized. If the parties do not agree, the Field Experience Committee will negotiate differences. In situations where the student is not at fault, alternate placement will be secured. The Committee will determine the number of hours remaining for the student to fulfill requirements. In all cases, the student must complete 256 hours per term. In some cases, major violations of ethical behavior will be grounds for dismissal from the field placement and the major. A student who does not agree with the termination decision has the right to appeal through the grievance procedures described previously, delineated in both the Field Manual and the Student Handbook. University and Program handbooks inform students of their rights and responsibilities. Students may receive further clarification of these policies through the Dean of Student's Office.

The following provides a map of the progression typical of curriculum content for a student. Students usually enter the Social Work Program in their sophomore year, the year in which they must complete the liberal arts requirements. Almost three-fourths of the students are transfer students, however, most of these students have already completed a majority of the liberal arts requirements due to our university’s successful articulation program with feeder schools. Transfer students must meet the same requirements, and pursue the same course sequence as all other social work majors.