Curriculum

The primary goal of the BSW program is to prepare students for beginning level generalist practice. A secondary goal is to provide a solid foundation for students who plan to pursue advanced social work education.

In order to achieve these goals, the BSW program is organized around a foundation curriculum with content in social work practice, human behavior and the social environment, social welfare history and policies, research, and practicum. Such a perspective provides an integrated system of courses that orients the student to practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Infused throughout the curriculum is an emphasis on a generalist practice within the context of a multicultural environment.

To complement and support the core social work courses, the curriculum also provides for a broad selection of elective courses. Design of the electives curriculum encourages the student to choose courses of special interest consistent with a liberal arts background.

Candidates for the BSW degree must complete the following program requirements and earn a grade of C or better in all required courses.

1. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa General Education Core and Graduation Requirements, 54-56 credits

See the UH Mānoa Catalog for course listings in each category.

Students who entered the UH system in Spring 2001 or earlier and have remained continuously enrolled should check with the Admissions Coordinator for applicable requirements in this area.

UHM GENERAL EDUCATION CORE

I. Foundation Requirement (12 credits)

Written Communication, 3 credits
Symbolic Reasoning, 3 credits
Global and Multicultural Perspectives, 6 credits

II. Diversification Requirements (19 credits)

Arts, Humanities, and Literature, 6 credits (from two different areas)
Social Sciences, 6 credits (from two different departments)
Natural Sciences, 7 credits (Physical, Biological, and 1 lab)

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

I. Focus Requirements

Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Issues, 1 course
Contemporary Ethical Issues, 1 course
Oral Communication, 1 course
Writing Intensive, 5 courses

II. Hawaiian/Second Language Requirement

Second Level, or or First Level and preapproved culture courses

2. Social Work Major Courses*, 41 credits

*Subject to change

3. Electives Required in Upper Division Liberal Arts Courses, 21 credits

To see a listing of required upper division electives in pdf format, click the link below.

BSW Upper Division Electives Listing (pdf)

4. Other Electives, 6–8 credits

Courses in this area may be either lower or upper division courses and will include any social work knowledge-base courses that have not been taken as part of the General Education Core.

Knowledge-Base Requirements for Social Work Majors

Philosophy 110 :: Introduction to Deductive Logic or
Philosophy 111 :: Introduction to Inductive Logic

Political Science :: any introductory course

Psychology :: any course

Any biological science course emphasizing human biology (Click to see a listing of biological science courses in pdf format).

Social Work 200 :: The Field of Social Work

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

Students must fulfill writing-intensive requirements as specified in the UH Mānoa Catalog.

Practicum

Practicum with professional social work supervision is an integral part of social work education. Students are expected to demonstrate a sense of responsibility, good judgment, responsiveness to the supervision of their work, and to demonstrate sensitivity and good interpersonal skills in professional interactions. Substandard performance in any of these areas is considered grounds for probation, suspension, or dismissal from the practicum.

Junior practicum (SW 391) is required of all students in the second semester of their junior year while concurrently enrolled in SW 303. The junior practicum experience requires eight hours per week at a social work agency in the community, as well as attendance at regularly scheduled meetings with the BSW Coordinator who is responsible for all placements. The primary objectives of SW 391 are to introduce and prepare students for their role as a social work student in an agency setting. To enhance these objectives, students will remain at their assigned practicum sites for their junior and senior practicum experiences.

Senior practicum (SW 490–491), required of all students in their final year of the BSW program, is to be completed concurrently with SW 402–403. Each student must spend 16 hours per week, for a total of 450 hours, at the assigned agency for the academic year. Additionally, students are required to attend scheduled meetings with the Practicum Office staff to enhance their practicum experience.

Degree Requirements

To qualify for the BSW degree, the student is required to:

Fulfill all University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa General Education Core and graduation requirements;
Complete the undergraduate social work curriculum, which includes the knowledge-base courses and required upper division electives, with a grade of C or better (a C- is not acceptable);
Complete the curriculum in keeping with specific standards of the school, under professional social work supervision and instruction;
Earn an aggregate of no less than 124 credit hours; and
Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5.

Tuition and Fees

Outreach

Related Certificate and Honors Programs

BSW students may also choose to earn an undergraduate certificate in a field related to social work. These include aging/gerontology, ethinc studies, interpretation and translation studies, peace studies, and woman's studies. See UH Mānoa Catalog for more information. In addition, there is an Undergraduate Honors Program.

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School of Social Work