Welcome to the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work program at Chico State! We are thrilled you are considering social work as your major. The social work profession is an exciting field of study and practice with countless career possibilities. We are proud to offer courses in a traditional on-campus format and also in a distributed learning (DL) format which allows students to take courses online with periodic class time on campus.
As part of a professional undergraduate degree program, students also complete a field internship in a social service setting. The BSW program combines a robust curriculum with practical experience in the field for future social workers wishing to work with individuals, families, groups, and communities.
Impacted Program
Several years ago, the Social Work program was compelled to declare impaction due to a limited number of field placements for all of our master's and bachelor's students in our service region. Impaction means that we can use an admissions process to limit the number of students entering the social work major in the junior year—essentially our application to the Professional Sequence process.
Fortunately, over the past two years, we have been able to admit 95% of students who apply as long as they have completed the required prerequisites.
We are pleased to invite applications to our BA program from all qualified candidates.
BSW Distributed Learning (DL) Program
The School of Social Work offers a BSW Distributed Learning (DL) Program designed for individuals committed to providing professional social work services in our region. Curriculum in the DL BSW Program is the same, fully-accredited curriculum as the campus-based, traditional BSW Program.
Through the DL Program, the curriculum is delivered in a hybrid format that combines online and face-to-face coursework. Students attend courses on the Chico State campus two weekends per semester and attend regularly scheduled live class sessions through an online platform. DL students can choose either a two-year course plan or a part-time, three-year course plan.
Students who plan to apply to the DL Program should consult with the DL Coordinator or the DL Advisor to review their current academic standing and courses completed, as well as to discuss an academic plan. Major advising is mandatory each semester to ensure on-time graduation.
Professional Standards and Disqualification
The social work degree signifies readiness to begin professional work in positions requiring trust and high ethical standards. You are expected to meet the ethical and professional standards set by the profession and the practicum agencies. Should it be determined you do not meet such standards, you can be dropped from the practicum and all co-requisite social work courses and, thus, be prevented from completing the social work major.
The professional standards include the following:
Honoring the NASW Code of Ethics of the social work profession;
Being found acceptable and receiving at least a minimum satisfactory evaluation by practicum agencies;
Passing performance in Social Work core and Professional Sequence;
Avoiding behavior that suggests potential harm to clients, colleagues, or themselves.
Please refer to the BSW Student Handbook for more complete information regarding these standards.
Federal Title IV-E Program
The undergraduate social work program is a participant in the Federal Title IV-E Program. Title IV-E provides stipends to on-campus social work students who commit to a minimum of one year of postbaccalaureate employment in public or tribal child welfare. Title IV-E provides financial support to distributed learning social work students who commit to a minimum of two years of postbaccalaureate employment in public or tribal child welfare. Interested students should contact the BSW Director and the Title IV-E Project Coordinators in the School of Social Work.
Grading Requirement
All courses taken to fulfill program course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as credit/no credit grading only.
Students receiving less than a grade of C in the Social Work Core and Professional Sequence may not progress in the program. Progression in the Professional Sequence also depends on maintaining a cumulative and Chico State grade point average of 2.0 and completing all prior and current required classes.
Course Requirements for the Major: 62 units
Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree. Courses in this program may complete more than one graduation requirement.
Social work elective in consultation with your major advisor. The elective may be taken during the semester of your choice.
Total Units
28
Professional Sequence
The completion of the Social Work Core is a prerequisite for applying to the Professional Sequence.
Credit for life experience or prior work experience in lieu of coursework or the social work practicums is not permitted. Please refer to the BSW Student Handbook for more information regarding the school's transfer of credit and proficiency exam policies. All social work courses required in the Professional Sequence are restricted to social work majors.
In the event you drop, do not receive a grade of C or higher, or take an incomplete in a required course, including the Social Work Core, you may be ineligible to progress in the major. Contact the BSW Program Director immediately to develop an academic contract.
All courses must be taken in the sequence outlined. Students entering our DL Program may have a slightly different course sequence.
To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.
Honors in the Major
Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It requires 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.
The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or academic competition. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.
Some common features of Honors in the Major program are:
You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. All 6 units are honors classes (marked by a suffix of H), and at least 3 of these units are independent study (399H, 499H, 599H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.
You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.
Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.
While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.
For more about honors in Social Work, please visit our website.
See Bachelor's Degree Requirements for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.
General Education Requirements: 48 units
See General Education and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Requirements and course offerings.
Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units
You must complete a minimum of two courses that focus primarily on cultural diversity. At least one course must be in U.S. Diversity (USD) and at least one in Global Cultures (GC). See Diversity Requirements for a full list of courses. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education.
Upper-Division Writing Requirement
Writing Across the Curriculum (EM 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements for more details on the four courses. The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.
The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (EO 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.
Prerequisites for Admission to the Social Work Major
Achieved junior class standing, including transfer students with 60 transferable semester units;
Completed or have in progress 39 of the 48 required General Education units and the specific prerequisites;
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 for the traditional, full-time BSW program; have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.1 for either the hybrid BSW Distributed Learning Program;
Have 60 hours of documented volunteer experience in social work-related activities in a community agency. The application will require that you document completion of these hours. The BSW Director is responsible for evaluating the applicability of documented volunteer experience;
Completion of the 5 non-social work core courses with a grade of C or higher by the conclusion of the summer before the applicant's junior year;
SWRK 170, SWRK 200, and SWRK 202 must be completed with a grade of C or higher by the end of the fall semester of the applicant's junior year;
Preference is given to California residents within the 18 Northern California counties of Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, or Yuba.
If you have passed the above requirements with a C or higher you are eligible to apply for the BSW Professional Sequence. Applications will be available on the BA social work website in August. Complete and return the application electronically to the Chico State School of Social Work by the deadline indicated.
Transfer students who plan to take prerequisites at other educational institutions must consult the BSW Director, DL Coordinator, or DL Advisor to ensure they are enrolled in articulated equivalents to the prerequisite courses on the Chico campus. The BSW Director, DL Coordinator, or DL Advisor is responsible for evaluating the transferability of all social work prerequisites not listed on the articulation agreements between Chico State and other units of the California State University, the University of California, and the California Community Colleges system. Refer to the School of Social Work website for information on articulated equivalents.
We are committed to your success. We are here to support you, please reach out to the BSW Director with any questions.
