Bachelor of Social Work

Admission Requirements

Students apply for admission into the DSU BSW Program during the fall only. The DSU BSW Program’s faculty and staff make up the Admissions Committee which administers the admissions process and provides the social work program orientation for prospective social work majors. The committee meets at the close of the Fall semester in December and again at the close of the Spring semester to review and make decisions on student applications using the following policies:

1. Students must be admitted to the university and have completed 30 hours of liberal arts course work.
2. Students must take SWO 201 Introduction to the Profession of Social Work as the initial social work course. This course is offered in the fall semester. Students are expected to take the course before or during their first semester of the junior year. Successful completion of the course with a grade of “C” or better is required as part of the admissions requirement to the DSU BSW Program. Students are allowed to take SWO 201 after completion of 30 hours. [Note: If a student takes a similar course at another institution, such as SWK 1113 Social Work: A Helping Profession, without the ten hours of volunteering required for SWO 201, they may be asked to complete the associated volunteer hours and/or write a report about their experience in order for the transfer credit to be accepted by the program unless otherwise determined by the DSU BSW Program Admissions Committee or the Office of the Registrar’s policies on transfer credit which takes precedence over BSW program policies.]
3. Students are allowed to take 12 hours in social work prior to admission to the program: SWO 201 Introduction to the Profession of Social Work, SWO 300 Human Diversity, SWO 305 Social Work Skills, and SWO 311 Social Welfare Policies and Services as long as they have a 2.00 GPA. If a student’s GPA is less than 2.00, the student can only take SWO 201 and SWO 300.
4. Applications for admission to the social work program are provided when students enroll in SWO 305 Social Work Skills. Students must submit two letters of recommendation on the referee’s letterhead and a form completed and signed by each referee along with the completed application. Students must submit an autobiographical statement and also schedule an interview with their social work faculty advisor prior to being admitted. Students must demonstrate personal responsibility and show commitment to the social work profession as demonstrated in the personal interview with the faculty advisor. Students must also provide a copy of their current articulated DSU transcript, and a signed form stating that they have read the DSU BSW Student Handbook along with the completed application. All students applying to the program must also attend Orientation to the DSU BSW Program and complete the Social Work Education Assessment Program (SWEAP) Entrance Forms as part of the application process to be completed as assignments in the course. Students who fail to fully complete the application process will not be considered for admission to the DSU BSW Program. Students who fail to make grade of C or better in SWO 305 Social Work Skills are not eligible to apply for admission. This process should be completed while students are enrolled in SWO 305 Social Work Skills. Students with a felony crime on their record will not be considered for admission to the BSW degree program or be allowed to enter field placement due to social work licensure requirements in Mississippi.
5. Even though transfer credit will be given for social work courses taken at other CSWE accredited social work programs, students must complete the social work methods courses, senior field placement experience, and the Integrative Seminar at Delta State University in order to receive the BSW degree. Students transferring credit for social work courses from another social work program must present a letter of reference from the social work faculty as one of his/her letters of reference and also must present the course syllabus for which they are requesting transfer. In addition, if the courses transferred do not meet the DSU Department of Social Work’s requirements for volunteer experience, the student will be expected to complete the number of required hours before being given credit unless otherwise determined by the DSU BSW Program Admissions Committee.
6. The social work faculty will meet the first week in December and May to review applications for admission to the program. Students can receive one of four statuses as follows: 1) Admitted 2) Admitted on Probation 3) Not admitted. 4) Admitted with Writing or Other Concern. Students are notified of their admissions status via Okramail. Due to the holiday or summer breaks that occur immediately following the Admissions Committee meetings and so the Registrar can process grades determining student GPAs, email notifications regarding students’ admissions status or contingent admissions status will be sent before classes begin in January or May.
7. Students must have a 2.25 GPA to be fully admitted into the program. Students who do not have a 2.25 GPA but have at least a 2.00 GPA can be admitted on probation status. Probation status can be maintained for one semester only (a semester is counted as fall, spring, or summer term.) Students with less than a 2.25 GPA will not be admitted.
8. Admissions Writing Concern Policy: Student writing is assessed in SWO 305. Additionally, faculty assess student writing to identify any writing concerns early in students’ social work entry classes and remediate as soon as possible. Faculty notifies identified students in writing via Okramail of the writing concern and the student is referred to the writing lab and/or the Student Success Center.
9. Following admission to the Social Work Program, in order to progress toward the BSW degree, students must maintain at least a 2.25 overall grade point average with no grade below a “C” in professional courses. A student may repeat no more than 3 social work courses (9 semester hours). A student may not take social work courses at other institutions for grade improvement without permission from the faculty. All requirements for admission to Field Instruction are described in the Department of Social Work’s BSW Student Handbook and Field Manual.
10. The Department of Social Work does not give credit for life or previous work experience.

Curriculum

Due to its small size and nature, the DSU BSW Program uses the cohort model of sequential learning to offer these components, meaning that the last two years of learning in the degree track occur with a firmly set format and schedule with most courses only being offered once per year. Fall junior courses provide the foundation for the spring junior courses which are the prerequisites to the fall senior courses which all lead up to the senior spring field placement in a stair-step sequence. Incoming junior social work students take courses together in their sequential order to stay on the Academic Map and graduate in two years if all liberal arts courses have been taken. Having other students on the same academic track of a cohort provides program stability and offers a sense of camaraderie as students get to know each other well as they progress through the program together. Social work faculty advisors help students stay on track. If a student needs to slow down their track, they can do so with the understanding that this delays their track and prospective graduation time since most DSU BSW courses are only offered once per year.

Degree Requirements

To earn this degree, you must successfully complete at least 120 credits, including your general education requirements and the major requirements below.

For more information on degree requirements and specifics on courses needed to complete the degree, consult the Undergraduate Academic Catalog.

Fees

Summer, Hybrid, and Online courses have a small university Distance Learning fee.

SWO 481 has a $55 lab fee for field instruction.

Social Work Club Dues are $25 per year

Phi Alpha Honor Society Dues are $30 per year