Major Description

The University of South Florida offers a program of study leading to a Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) degree in the School of Social Work, College of Behavioral & Community Sciences. The B.S.W. has been developed in accordance with the guidelines of the Council on Social Work Education, the national accrediting body for social work education programs, and in accordance with the recommendations of the National Association of Social Workers. The B.S.W. program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and is a limited access program.

The primary objective of the B.S.W. program is the preparation of the graduate for beginning level professional practice as a social work generalist.

The secondary objectives of the B.S.W. program are to:

1. Provide for the social work human resources needs of the university service district (the central Florida west coast area), the State of Florida, and the Southeast Region;
2. Prepare graduates for additional professional training at the graduate level in social work or in related human service professions;
3. Provide an exposure to social work as a profession and to contemporary issues in the social welfare field.

In preparing the B.S.W. graduate for beginning professional practice, the curriculum provides students with an opportunity to develop a knowledge base and skill base as a "generalist" practitioner. Students will develop an understanding of various methods of intervention and skills in their application to a variety of client systems. For example, intervention methods may take the form of individual and group counseling, resource development, consultation, teaching, advocacy, etc. Client systems may be individuals, families, groups, organizations, or communities. The student will develop an understanding of the dynamics of human behavior in individual, group and organizational contexts and the influences of the socio-cultural environment upon those behaviors. The student will learn about the development of social welfare systems and institutions and the social, economic, and political processes affecting policy development and program implementation. The student will develop an understanding of the utilization of basic social research skills particularly related to the processes of problem-solving, planning, and evaluation.

The student will also become aware of the value base of the profession and engage in a self-examination process as it relates to the development and reflection of ethical and effective professional practice. The B.S.W. program places great emphasis on the development of a professionally responsible graduate in terms of one's obligations to the client system served, the profession itself, the organization in which one works, and to the general public which ultimately provides any profession with legitimacy.