Department of Social Work

Mission Statement

The mission of the Bachelor of Social Work Program at Savannah State University is to prepare students for generalist practice. The program promotes student focused learning, affirms the African American legacy and fosters a unique multicultural environment through its curriculum and advocacy roles in community change. Graduates of the program are culturally competent to practice social work in rural, urban and global settings.

Bachelor of Social Work Program

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree is a carefully articulated program that provides a generalist academic and experiential foundation for students seeking a career in the varied and expanding profession of social work. The Council on Social Work Education accredits the BSW program. The major requires a selective liberal arts base of knowledge from social, behavioral, and natural sciences (e.g. psychology, sociology, biology) together with group social work skills, values, and methodologies of intervention at the individual, family, group, institution, and community levels. BSW graduates are educated to respond in an informed way to identifiable social work needs in a variety of settings, including rural, urban, and international. The social work major is structured around four interrelated components: theoretical foundations/intervention strategies; client population/cultural diversity; research/evaluation; and skills development/fieldwork. Students admitted to the major are expected to maintain academic excellence and demonstrate professional and ethical behavior as reflected in the BSW Handbook. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 and above in all social work courses after formal admission to the social work program.

BSW Admission Requirements

The BSW program at Savannah State University is professional program, which requires a formal admissions process. Therefore, students considering admission into the BSW program must submit an application packet. Prior to seeking admission into the BSW program, students must have completed or be currently enrolled in the gateway courses SOWK 3305 . Additionally, the student must have completed 60 hours of Core Curriculum courses. Applicants must have a minimum overall GPA 2.3. Students must have earned a grade of C or higher in SOWK 3305 - Introduction to Social Work Practice . All students considered for admission are expected to demonstrate professional behavior and scholastic performance. Items to be submitted for review:

Completion of the BSW Application Packet (Must be typed)
Unofficial transcript
Letters of reference:
- one (1) Letter of Reference from an SSU Professor or Instructor from a previous college
- One (1) Professional Letter of Reference (Employer, Supervisor,)

All letters of reference should be addressed to the BSW Screening Committee
*note: a personal interview may be requested by the BSW Screening Committee

Applications must be submitted no later than April 24, 2020 for Fall admission

Students interested in declaring social work as a major are required to complete the Application for Admission to the BSW Program.

Academic credit for life or previous work experience is not considered in completely or in part in lieu of admission requirements or in lieu of social work courses including field practicum requirements (CSWE Accreditation Standard 5.2, 2004).

Transfer Students

The BSW Program at Savannah State University is a professional program dedicated to preparing beginning level generalist social work professionals for social work practice in any human service setting and with any population level in the society in which they live. BSW students attain a beginning level of generalist practice proficiency, which enables them, with instruction and experiential learning, to provide direct service to clients, including the organization and provisions of resources on behalf of clients. Students may declare social work as their major as freshmen or when transferring from another college. Though freshmen and sophomores may declare social work as their major, the social work program actually begins in the junior year. A formal application process for admission to the major is required and must be processed by the BSW admissions committee. Transfer students must first apply for admission to the University.

The SSU Registrar’s Office provides preliminary evaluation of transfer credit in the core curriculum. The BSW program evaluates and provides final approval for all transfer credits in the social work curriculum. The Department of Social Work makes decisions about transfer of credit toward requirements specifically for the social work major. Students who wish to transfer other social work courses from other CSWE accredited programs must submit a copy of the course syllabus for each course being considered for transfer. The BSW Program Coordinator and faculty to determine whether there is a comparable course in the BSW Program for which credit may be given review the course syllabus. Non-equivalent social work courses from CSWE-accredited programs may be transferred as social work electives.

Students who wish to transfer other social work courses from non-CSWE accredited programs must submit a copy of the course syllabus for each course being considered for transfer. The BSW Program Coordinator and faculty to determine whether the course meets the BSW program standards for transfer review the course syllabus. Only social work courses completed within the last ten years of readmission or transfer to Savannah State University will apply toward the BSW degree requirements.

Requirements for Admission to Field Practicum (SOWK 4701 , SOWK 4702 and SOWK 4901 , SOWK 4902 )

To be eligible for admissions to Field Practicum, students must earn a minimum GPA of 2.5 and above in all Social Work courses after formal admission to the social work program. Students must also satisfy the standards for social work education as stated in the BSW Student Handbook. Field placements are during weekday and daytime hours. Students must adjust their personal schedules to meet the demands of field practicum. Students who are denied admission to field practicum must select another major. Students who fail field practicum a second time will be dismissed from the social work program and must select another major.

Requirements for Graduation

In addition to completing 42 hours of Savannah State University’s core curriculum requirements (Areas A, B, C, D*, E, and additional requirements), 18 hours in Area F (courses appropriate to the program of study); and 60 hours of social work major (SOWK) courses. *Social Work majors must complete BIOL 1104 - Human Biology and BIOL 1104L - Human Biology Lab in Area D. Social Work majors must complete 400 clock hours of field practicum (during their senior year) at an approved field agency.

Minimum grade of “C” is required for Areas A, F and all Social Work Major Courses
Must make take SOWK 2200 Human Needs and Human Services and SOWK 3305 Intro to Social Work Practice before applying to Social Work Program
Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5 in the social work program, after formal admission
Must have a minimum of 2.5 in the social work courses to be accepted into Field Education.
Minimum GPA of 2.3 for admission to the Bachelor of Social Work Degree Program
Students are required to take at least 3 social work electives and may take 2 general electives of their choice from any department
Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that all courses taken reflect the expectations of the BSW course grid in the catalog year of your admission to SSU. It is important to bring your BSW Grid anytime you meet with your advisor.
Social work majors must complete BIOL 1104 - Human Biology and BIOL 1104L - Human Biology Lab in Area D