Bachelor of Social Work

1. Writing: Three courses beyond Rhetoric and Writing 306 or the equivalent that carry a writing flag; one of these courses must be upper-division. Social Work 323K and 327 count toward this requirement; students must complete the third writing course outside the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. Courses used to fulfill the writing requirement may be used to fulfill other requirements.
2. Cultural diversity in the United States: One flagged course. Social Work 310 and 325 carry the cultural diversity flag.
3. Ethics: One flagged course. Social Work 332 and 333 carry the ethics flag.
4. Quantitative reasoning: One flagged course. Social Work 318 carries the quantitative reasoning flag.
5. Global cultures: One flagged course chosen from approved list. Social Work 360K (Ghana Maymester) and Social Work 460K (London Maymester) also satisfy the global cultures flag.
6. Independent inquiry: One flagged course. Social Work 323K carries the independent inquiry flag.

Academic credit cannot be granted for life experience or previous work experience, and such experience cannot be substituted for any of the courses in the professional foundation areas or the field practicum. Students who believe they have the qualifications to receive credit by examination for a social work course other than the practice sequence coursework (Social Work 312, 332, 333, and 334) and the field practicum may submit a written request to the assistant dean for undergraduate programs. The assistant dean will review the request and determine whether or not the student should be permitted to take the examination.

1. The following courses are required:
   1. Social welfare policy: Social Work 310, 323K.
   2. Research: Social Work 313, 318.
   3. Human behavior: Social Work 325, 327.
   4. Practice: Social Work 312, 332, 333, 334.
   5. Field practicum: Social Work 640, 641, 444.
2. Students must complete a three-semester-hour introductory course in psychology. Psychology 301 fulfills this requirement and may also be counted toward the social and behavioral science requirement of the core curriculum.
3. Students must complete a three-semester-hour introductory course in sociology. Sociology 302 fulfills this requirement and may also be counted toward the social and behavioral science requirement of the core curriculum.
4. Students must complete a three-semester-hour course in human/environmental biology: Biology 301L, 301M, 309D, 311C, or the equivalent. Biology 301L and 301M or Biology 311C and 301M may be used together to complete the science and technology part I requirement. If biology coursework is not used for science and technology part I, any of these courses may be used to fulfill the science and technology part II requirement. 
5. Students must complete three semester hours in economics. Certain economics courses may also be used to fulfill the social and behavioral sciences requirement of the core curriculum.
6. Students must complete three semester hours in child psychology or child development. Psychology 304 or Human Development and Family Sciences 313 accompanied with HDF 113L may be used to fulfill this requirement.
7. Students must complete at least nine semester hours of upper-division coursework in the social and behavioral sciences (applied learning and development, anthropology, economics, educational psychology, government, history, kinesiology, psychology, sociology, Social Work 360K topics) in addition to other major requirements. Six of these nine hours may be upper-division social work electives.

To enroll in the field practicum, students must meet the following requirements: (1) admission to the major in social work; (2) a University grade point average of at least 2.00; and (3) both a grade point average of at least 2.50 for the following group of courses and a grade of at least C in each course in the group: Social Work 310, 312, 313, 318, 323K, 325, 327, 332, 333, and 334.

Following the student’s admission to the field practicum, his or her work is reviewed periodically by the student, the field faculty, and the agency supervisor. Should the student have trouble meeting the professional or academic requirements of the program, the review process will bring the difficulty to the student’s attention and assist the student in seeking appropriate resolution. The student may make use of counseling and advising services at any time. If difficulties cannot be resolved, the field director may conduct an administrative review, which may result in a decision to terminate the student’s field placement. The student is notified of this decision in writing.

All social work students enrolling in the field practicum are required to show evidence of professional liability insurance coverage paid for the duration of the course. The effective date of the policy must be on or before the first regular class period of the field practicum course for which the student is enrolling. Failure to provide evidence of insurance may result in the student being dropped from the field practicum.

Elective Requirements and Limitations

In addition to the area and major requirements given above, the student must take elective coursework to complete the 122 semester hours required for the Bachelor of Social Work. No more than five one-semester courses taken on the pass/fail basis, 36 hours in any one field of study other than social work, and 54 hours in social work may be counted toward the 122-hour requirement.

Minimum Scholastic Requirements

1. The student must fulfill the University-wide graduation requirements and the requirements of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work given earlier in this section.
2. To apply for admission to the social work major, a student must have earned a grade of at least C in each of the following courses: Social Work 310, 312, 313, 318 and 325. The student must also have a University grade point average of at least 2.00 and a grade point average of at least 2.50 in all the courses he or she has completed that are part of the social work major requirements. Additional requirements are given in the section Admission to the Major in Social Work.
3. Following the student’s admission to the major, the student’s coursework is reviewed periodically by the student and the academic adviser. Students must maintain a University grade point average of at least 2.00; they must also earn a grade of at least C in each course listed as a social work major requirement and must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.50 in these courses. If the student has trouble meeting the professional or academic requirements of the major, the review process delineated in Student Standards for Social Work Education, available at www.utexas.edu/ssw/current/forms/, will bring the difficulty to the student’s attention and assist the student in making appropriate resolution. The student may make use of counseling and advising services at any time.
4. If the student’s grade point average in social work courses falls below 2.50, the student is placed on academic probation in social work. If the grade point average remains below 2.50 for two consecutive semesters, including the summer session, the student is subject to academic dismissal from the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
5. All students who seek to reenter the Steve Hicks School of Social Work after having been placed on enforced withdrawal or academic dismissal must have the approval of the assistant dean for undergraduate programs.
6. Any student who has a grade of C or higher in a course may not repeat the course and use the second grade to improve his or her grade point average without special permission of the assistant dean for undergraduate programs. If a student repeats a course, all grades received for the course are included in the grade point average.