Curriculum

• SWORK 110 – Social Work Fields of Service (3)
• SWORK 120 – Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare (3)
• Biology (ONE of the following):
  • BIOL 100 – General Biology (3)
  • BIOL 101 – World of Animals (3)
  • BIOL 204 – Principles of Organismal Biology (3)
  • BIOL 261 – Human Physiology (4) 
• ECON 101 – Principles of Economics (3) or ECON 102 – Principles of Economics (3)
• PSY 101 – Introductory Psychology (3)
• SOC 101 – Introductory Psychology (3)
• Statistics (ONE of the following):
  • PSY 280 – Statistical Methods in Psychology (4)
  • SOC 201 – Elementary Social Statistics (3)
  • STAT 250 – Statistical Principles and Practices (3)

These prerequisite courses may not be taken Cr/NC. The minimum grade in each class is C or higher. Complete all courses in preparation for the major with a minimum GPA of 2.70.

Many of these courses have equivalent courses at the community college. Check with a community college advisor for more information and for a list of equivalent courses. Equivalent courses for SWORK 110 and SWORK 120 are offered at San Diego Community College and Cuyamaca College. You can also check for comparable courses by using the Transfer Admission Planner (TAP). 

Competency (successfully completing the third college semester or fifth college quarter) is required in one foreign language to fulfill the graduation requirement. Refer to the section of SDSU general catalog on “Graduation Requirements.”

Passing the Writing Placement Assessment with a score of 10 or completing one of the approved upper division writing courses (W) with a grade of C (2.0) or better. See “Graduation Requirements” section for a complete listing of requirements.

All social work undergraduate majors are required to participate in a pre-approved international experience to increase awareness of cross-cultural issues, global health, economic, political, cultural, social services, and health challenges experienced by local populations in international environments. Students participate in residence for two or more weeks (exemption  from the study abroad portion of the requirement must be approved by the dean of the college based on serious and compelling life events or physical limitations; a relevant course will be substituted). Specific details can be found on the CHHS Undergraduate International Experience web site.

To meet the international experience requirement, majors must complete one of the following:

1. A CSU Study Abroad Program;
2. An SDSU Exchange Program;
3. An SDSU Study Abroad Program;
4. An SDSU Study Travel Program; 
5. OR one course selected from:
   • Health and Human Services 290 or 350;
   • Asian Studies 490;
   • Education 450;
   • General Studies 450;
   • Honor 450;
   • International Security and Conflict Resolution 450;
   • Latin American Studies 320, 450, or 550;
   • Political Science 450;
   • Science 350

 A minimum of 44 upper division units, in a prescribed course sequence, to include:

• SWORK 350 –  Cultural Pluralism (3)
• SWORK 360 – Perspectives on Human Behavior and the Social Environment (3)
• SWORK 361 – Human Behavior Across the Life Span (3)
• SWORK 370 – Social Policies and Social Issues (3)
• SWORK 381 – Practice Skills Micro (3)
• SWORK 382 – Practice Skills Macro (3)
• SWORK 391 – Methods of Social Work Research (3)
• SWORK 483A – Generalist Social Work Practice I (3)
• SWORK 483B – Generalist Social Work Practice II (3)
• SWORK 489A* – Field Experience in Social Work (4)
• SWORK 489B* – Field Experience in Social Work (4)
• Nine units of approved upper division electives in social work (three units may be taken from the list of approved electives outside the School of Social Work, or six units may be taken from the list of approved electives outside the School of Social Work to include Gerontology 520)

All students must enroll in field practicum. This is a 16-hour per week internship at a School of Social Work arranged and supervised social work community agency (students are not permitted to locate their own agencies). Students begin field practicum during the fall semester only and must concurrently enroll in Social Work 483A and 489A. The continuation of field practicum is offered in spring semester only when students must concurrently enroll in Social Work 483B and 489B. These courses are sequential and students must complete both “A” courses before going on to the two “B” courses. During the spring semester, preceding enrollment in field practicum, students attend a field orientation meeting. Specific date and time  of the orientation is posted on the field bulletin board outside Hepner Hall 119 and announced in class. In addition, students should read the appropriate section in the current student handbook. The section outlines all requirements and processes the student is expected to follow. The coordinator of field instruction evaluates each application to determine whether  the  student has met all requirements for admission to field practicum (Social Work GPA of 2.4 and senior status, which consists of at least 90 units) and assigns the student to  an agency for internship. Students who do not file a field application by the deadline date will not be able to enter field practicum. Specific times and days of field practicum are arranged between the student and the assigned agency, but most agencies require daytime availability. Evening and weekend placements are not available. Students should arrange their schedules appropriately to meet these criteria.

See the SSW Field site for additional details.

• 321 Black Political Participation in America
• 331 The Black Family
• 332 Black Women: Myth and Reality
• 341 Cultural Patterns and African American Identity
• 360 Communications and Community Action
• 380 Blacks in the American Justice System

• 320 American Indians in Contemporary Society
• 420 Indian Peoples of California

• 459 Modern Asian Cultures
• 460 Contemporary Issues in Filipino-American Communities*

• 307 Biology of Sex
• 336 Principles of Human Physiology
• 335 The Human Body

• 301 Political Economy of the Chicano People
• 303 Mexican American Community Studies
• 306 Mexican Immigration*
• 320 Mexican American Lifestyles
• 355 The United States-Mexico International Border
• 375 US/Mexico Border History
• 480 The Mexican American and the Schools

• 335 Interaction in Families
• 370 Research, Assessment, and Evaluation of Children & Families*
• 437 Violence in Relationships
• 536 Divorce and Remarriage*
• 578 Parent-Child Relationships Across the Life Span*

• 401 Quest for Identity

• 300 Crime, Law and Justice
• 301 Law & Society
• 310 Law Enforcement Administration*
• 321 Juvenile Justice Administration*
• 531 Probation and Parole*

• 340 Confronting AIDS
• 420 Disability and Society

• 350 Social Policy and Aging
• 360 Minority and Ethnic Aging
• 370 Images of Aging in Contemporary Society
• 402 The Aging Network*
• 520 Programs for the Aging*

• 355 US-Mexico International Border

• 321 Lesbian & Gay Identities in the Modern World

• 331 Emergency Preparedness & Disaster Response

• 321 Organizational Psychology
• 331/332/333 Developmental Psychology
• 340 Social Psychology
• 350 Abnormal Psychology
• 351 Psychology of Personality
• 355 Psychology of Human Sexual Behavior
• 365 Drugs and Behavior

• 320 Sex/Gender Roles in American Society
• 355 Minority Group Relations*
• 420 Sexuality in Modern Society
• 421 The American Family and Its’ Alternatives
• 433 Wealth, Status, and Power
• 436 Sociology of Health and Illness
• 443 Crime and Society
• 444 Juvenile Delinquency
• 445 Sociology of Deviance
• 555 Immigrants and Refuges in Contemporary American Society

• 310 Global Cultures and Women’s Lives
• 320 Socialization of Women
• 325 Psychology of Women
• 360 Women’s Sexuality
• 370 Women, Law and Policy
• 522 Women: Madness and Sanity
• 535 Lesbian Lives and Cultures
• 572 Women and Violence*
• 580 Women, Development, and the Global Economy*