Social Work, BA

About the Program

The Social Work Program educates students to become professionals in social work. The Social Work curriculum provides a professional social work foundation that is transferable to different settings, population groups and problem areas. Students select a curriculum focused in clinical, organizational, community, international and social justice issues with a strong emphasis on service learning in the community with excellence in scholarship.

The Social Work program at Purdue University Northwest fulfills the educational requirements for a license as a bachelor’s degree social worker as required by the State of Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IC 25-23.6-5-1.5). Social work license requirements differ from state-to-state, students should contact their home state’s licensing board for additional information regarding licensure requirements. 

Degree Requirements

• 120 Credit Hours
• Minimum grade of C+ required for all Social Work courses; C required for ENGL 10400; C- required for ENGL 10500
• Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
• Certain courses may only be available at one campus location

PNW General Education Core (30 Credits)

• English Composition (6 Credits): ENGL 10400 - English Composition I  and ENGL 10500 - English Composition II  
• Speech Communication (3 Credits): COM 11400 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication  
• Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits):  SOC 38200 - Introduction To Statistics In Sociology   or STAT 11300 Statistics And Society  
• Natural Sciences (3 Credits): Select from the Natural Sciences Core list  
• Technology (3 Credits): Select from the Technology Core list  
• Humanities (3 Credits): Select from the Humanities Core list  
• Social Sciences (3 Credits): SOC 10000 Introductory Sociology       
• General Education Elective (3 Credits): PSY 12000 Elementary Psychology    
• First-Year Experience (FYE) (3 Credits): SWRK 20100 Introduction To Social Work   

CHESS College Core (24 Credits)

• CHSS 10000 - Topics In Self & World (3 credits)
• CHSS 20000 - Topics In Knowledge (3 credits)
• CHSS 30000 - Topics In Individual & Society (3 credits)
• CHSS 40000 - Topics In Happiness (3 credits)
• World Language - Proficiency through Level IV in one world language (12 Credits)

Major Core (45 Credits)

• SWRK 24000 - Social Work Helping Communication With Individuals And Small Groups
• SWRK 30100 - Social Work Research
• SWRK 32100 - Human Behavior In The Social Environment I
• SWRK 32200 - Human Behavior In The Social Environment II
• SWRK 35100 - Junior Practicum
• SWRK 35900 - Macro Practice: Human Service Organizations And The Community
• SWRK 36100 - Institutional Social Welfare
• SWRK 36200 - Social Work Practice I
• SWRK 36300 - Social Work Practice II
• SWRK 36600 - Group Practice In Social Work
• SWRK 46100 - Field Practicum In Social Work
• SWRK 46400 - Field Practicum In Social Work II
• Social Work Elective (3 Credits) - one SWRK course 30000-level or above

Other Required Courses (21 Credits)

• Free Electives (21 Credits)

Civics Literacy Proficiency

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

• Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
• Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
• Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)

For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Resources

The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, click here to visit the Careers and Employment Trends page.

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here. Annual FAFSA filing deadline is March 10. Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to stay eligible for the standard financial aid award.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester.  Certain exclusions apply.