Career and Academic Paths

Graduates of the UMBC program succeed in the job market, as well as in graduate school. Alumni are employed in various human-service positions with federal, state and local governments, as well as with non-profit agencies, corporations, health care organizations and hospitals.

The undergraduate social work major at UMBC is affiliated with the University of Maryland School of Social Work. As such, students completing the social work major at UMBC with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better in their final 60 credits may be eligible for consideration for advanced standing in the master’s degree program of the School of Social Work.

Completion of the accredited program at UMBC also qualifies graduates for consideration for admission to all accredited master’s degree social work programs in the United States.

Academic Advising

Students enrolled in the social work major are assigned a faculty advisor from the department. Students are encouraged to contact their advisor early in their educational experience to plan their course of study. Advisors in the program are also available to meet with students who anticipate majoring in social work to plan prerequisite courses.

Major Program

Social work builds on and is integrated with a liberal arts base that includes knowledge in the humanities and the social, behavioral and biological sciences. The course of study in social work at UMBC includes: social work practice methods, social welfare policy and services, human behavior and the social environment, statistics and social research and participation in direct services through an intensive field-work education in a community-based social service department or agency.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degree

SOWK 240
Information Technology in Social Work [3]
SOWK 260
Introduction to Social Welfare, Social Policy and Social Work I [3]
SOWK 360
Social Welfare, Social Policy and Social
Work II [3)
SOWK 388
Human Behavior I [3]
SOWK 389
Human Behavior II [3]
SOWK 397
Social Work Methods I: Introduction to Practice [3]
SOWK 470*
Social Work Research [3]
SOWK 480
Field Instruction I [6]
SOWK 481
Social Work Methods II: A Generalist Approach
to Practice [3]
SOWK 482
Field Instruction II [6]
SOWK 483
Social Work Methods III: Selected Intervention Strategies Research and Evaluation [3]
SOWK Elective [3]
300- to 400-level social work course

Human Biology*
PSYC 100
ECON or POLI 301
SOCY 101
STAT 121*
* A list of approved courses is available in the program office.

Field Requirement

The required field education experience is 16 hours per week and is taken throughout the senior year. It begins in the fall semester and continues during winter session and spring semester. Student participation in the field during the winter session does not require additional payment of fees or tuition. The Baccalaureate Social Work Program does not arrange evening and weekend field placements. Field experience is taken on a P/F basis. Admission to field education is at the recommendation of the faculty.

To be considered for a field placement, students must have an overall GPA of at least 2.5 and must have completed SOWK 260, 397 and 388 with a grade of “C” or better in each course. All students registering for field education must participate in a university-arranged professional liability insurance plan for which they are billed separately by the university. The cost of travel to and from the field agencies and health insurance are additional student expenses.

Minor in Social Welfare

The minor in social welfare provides the student with a comprehensive background of study in social welfare in the United States; its relationship to the market economy; and the historical, political and cultural factors that shape its course. The minor also offers the opportunity to explore, in depth, some of the challenging issues confronting society in the alleviation of poverty and the delivery of health and welfare services to families and children, elderly people and individuals with disabilities. This knowledge will be of particular importance to students planning careers in government, the private sector, law and health. To earn a minor in social welfare, students must complete the following 18 credits of course work with a grade of “C” or better in all courses to be applied to the minor. Courses are divided as follows:

A. Core requirements [9]

SOWK 260
Introduction to Social Welfare, Social Policy and Social Work I [3]
SOWK 360
Social Welfare, Social Policy and Social Work II [3]
SOWK 388
Human Behavior I [3]

SOWK 200
Social Issues-Social Action [3]
SOWK 240
Information Technology in Social Work [3]
SOWK 311
Introduction to Field Experience in Social
Work [3]
SOWK 386
Problematic Family Functioning [3]
SOWK 387
Policies, Programs and Services for Children [3]
SOWK 389
Human Behavior II [3]
SOWK 371
Social Work Practice in Aging [3]
SOWK 372
Social Work and Health Care [3]
SOWK 377
Women and Social
Policy [3]
SOWK 390
Special Topics in Social Welfare [3]
SOWK 395
Addictive Behavior and Social Functioning [3]
SOWK 470
Social Work Research [3]
SOWK 499
Independent Study [1-3]

Honors Program

The Social Work Program has established a chapter of Phi Alpha, the social work national honor society. Phi Alpha “fosters high standards of education for social workers and invites into membership those who have attained excellence in scholarship and achievement in social work.” At present, there are 62 chapters of the honor society in schools nationwide. Students are eligible to join if they have:

Declared social work as their major
Achieved sophomore status
Completed nine semester hours of required social work courses
Achieved an overall GPA of 3.0
Achieved a 3.5 GPA in required or elective social work courses.

Evening and Part-time Options

All core courses, with the exception of the senior field education courses, can be taken in the evening on a space-available basis.

In addition, the design of the program allows students to complete their course work on a part-time basis. The senior field experience (SOWK 480/482) must be taken during the work week. The program does not arrange evening and weekend field placements.

Special Opportunities

Information technology has an important role to play in effective social work practice. At UMBC, students are introduced to the use of technology in human services through laboratory experiences in the introductory course, SOWK 240: Information Technology in Social Work, as well as through course assignments throughout the curriculum. Students are taught to use technology to communicate electronically, conduct research, organize data and develop efficient service systems. Students use this training in their advanced course work and field experiences.

The Universities at Shady Grove

UMBC offers the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville, MD. Students can complete the last two years of the program at this suburban Washington location. Because only upper-level courses are offered, students must have
completed most General Education Requirements and lower-level major requirements. Prospective students are invited to make an appointment with the Shady Grove program coordinator to review their previous courses. For more information about the Universities at Shady Grove, see page 16.

Student Organizations

The Social Work Student Association (SWSA) is the student organization of social work majors at UMBC. The SWSA works to sensitize its members to the profession, promote social work through community activities and provide majors with the opportunity to discuss issues and concerns. It also provides them with information and resources related to their educational experience and career planning.

Membership is open to all majors. Activities of the SWSA have included food drives, community volunteer activities, career planning conferences, newsletters and student socials. Information on the SWSA is available through the program on the association’s Web site: www.umbc.edu/socialwork