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Department: Social Work

The York College Bachelor of Science in Social Work Program is committed to undergraduate social work education of the highest academic rigor and professional relevance with a particular emphasis on serving diverse urban populations in the global context. The cohesive curriculum of the Program, built on a strong and well-integrated liberal arts base, is designed to educate students in the knowledge, skills, and values for generalist social work practice. The York College undergraduate Social Work Program prepares students for successful professional employment and advancement as well as graduate study in the field of social work.

In a perpetually changing social landscape in the United States and global demands, social work higher education institutions are continuously engaged in the practice of self-assessment, rejuvenation, and adjustment to current demographic, cultural, and economic realities. York College of the City University of New York is located in Queens County, which is one of the most ethnically diverse boroughs in the nation. Diversity on campus and at the Program level goes beyond ethnicity and is expressed in family structure, gender, age, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, and religion.

One of the main pedagogical aspects of the York College BS (Social Work) Program is the emphasis on preparing students to work with diverse urban populations in a variety of practice settings. The complexity of the human condition in the context of a rapidly changing global environment and technological advances demands a high level of expertise and sophistication from social work practitioners. The Program prepares students through an effective integration of a liberal arts foundation with the social work knowledge base. The distinctive and effective pedagogies which characterize the York College Bachelor of Sciences degree in Social Work, equip students with a broad and cohesive generalist knowledge base and the skills that allow graduates to work competently as emerging social work practitioners and leaders, and who pursue graduate study in social work.

BS (Social Work) Program Goals

  1. Develop professional social work attitudes, behaviors, and communication skills based on the foundation of professional social work values and ethical principles.

  2. Develop a strong intellectual foundation of analytical skills and research methods to understand the existing knowledge and develop new models of professional intervention.

  3. Develop culturally competent empowerment-based practice skills to promote understanding, sensitivity, and social justice for marginalized and oppressed client systems.

  4.  Integrate scientific theories into the bio-psycho-social and political systems approaches to understand human systems at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of social work practice.

  5.  Demonstrate competence in the generalist social work practice skills of engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation in working with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

The BS (Social Work) Program, accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, prepares students for the beginning level of professional social work practice and for graduate school. The curriculum provides students with a solid liberal arts foundation and a generalist social work education, including professionally supervised training in agencies.

For assessment purposes, the BS (Social Work) Program treats the 9 required CSWE 2022 Core Competencies as Goals, and the subsequent Practice Behaviors as PSLOs

The Department of Social Work seeks to provide scholars with the opportunity to reinforce, integrate, and demonstrate the practice behaviors associated with each of the 9 Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Competencies:

Competency 1:  Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, And Environmental Justice
Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice
Competency 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice
Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice
Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Admissions Criteria

  1. Matriculation at York College

  2. Completion of 45 credits

  3. Cumulative GPA of 2.7 or higher

  4. Completion of SCWK 101

  5. Grade of “C” or higher in all SCWK courses (including transfer)

  6. Completion of the BS in Social Work Program Application Form

Retention Criteria

  1. Grade of "C" or higher in each social work course. Students who earn an unacceptable grade in a Social Work course have one chance to repeat the course and earn an acceptable grade. Department permission is required to repeat Social Work 410 or 492.

  2. Maintenance of a cumulative GPA of 2.70 or higher.

  3. Adherence to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics and to the York College Code of Conduct. Failure to meet these criteria may be grounds for dismissal

Failure to meet criteria 1 or 2 will prevent a student from continuing in the major until it is corrected.

Courses that Require Department Permission to Enroll

SCWK 350, SCWK 360, SCWK 370, SCWK 400, SCWK 410, SCWK 470, SCWK 480, SCWK 492