Major map compass icon
2021-2022

Social Work, Bachelor of

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Arts and Sciences: General Studies, Psychology Specialization (Germanna Community College)
Germanna Community College
Germanna Community College
Program description

The goals of the profession of social work are to provide services to persons who are vulnerable due to a lack of personal, social and/or institutional resources to meet their emotional, health and economic needs. Social work practice is the application of professional knowledge, skills and values across a range of settings and populations. The focus of practice is on individuals, couples, families, groups and communities.


In addition to direct clinical social work practice, social workers are involved in the administration of human service programs, social planning, the development of social policies, research and evaluation, and teaching. In order to achieve the goals of promoting social justice and enhancing well-being for individuals, families, groups and communities, social workers provide a variety of services primarily in public and nonprofit organizational contexts. Examples of the range of settings in which social workers practice include community centers, public social services, child welfare, residential treatment facilities, schools, community mental health agencies, family and children’s service agencies, psychiatric and acute care hospitals, substance abuse treatment facilities, services for the elderly, court services and adult and juvenile rehabilitation facilities.


Social work practice is designed to enrich quality of life by enabling individuals, groups, communities and organizations to achieve their greatest potential development. The goal of the School of Social Work at VCU is to provide professional education in response to these needs.

Career opportunities

A B.S.W. enables our graduates to empower others and effect change in prevalent areas such as addiction, substance abuse and behavioral health, aging, child welfare, community development, corrections/justice, developmental disabilities, employment/occupational social work, family services/group services, health care services, homelessness/housing, international social work, mental health, public welfare, rehabilitation, and school social work. When our students enter the field as professionals, they do so equipped with a nuanced understanding of the day-to-day demands of the job and a commitment to meeting the challenges of social work with strength and compassion.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Child, Family, and School Social Worker
  • Community and Social Service Specialist, Other
  • Community Health Worker
  • Health Educator
  • Healthcare Social Workers
  • Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker
  • Patient Representative
  • Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist
  • Social and Human Service Assistant
  • Social Workers
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Clinical Social Worker
  • Counselor
  • Government Agency Administrator
  • Higher Education Administrator
  • Policy Advocate
  • Supervisor
  • Therapist
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements

Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better

Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 131
Science required
  • 1-2 additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.5+ cumulative GPA to declare, 2.0+ cumulative GPA to graduate

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2021-2022

Social Work, Bachelor of

Germanna Community College (Associate of Arts and Sciences: General Studies, Psychology Specialization)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Register for SDV 100.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Get involved with a professional or student organization.
  • Visit career services to begin cultivating your own virtual brand across all social media profiles.
  • Browse careers related to social work through the career coach.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Create Linkedln profile.
  • Use SDV 100 to create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Work with career services to build resume.
  • Take a career assessment through the career coach.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
Experience Year 2
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Use Navigate to remain on your pathway.
  • Visit the VCU School of Social Work website to become familiar with upcoming course offerings, syllabi, and professors.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Get involved with service-learning opportunities.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or School of Social Work-related events.
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • Run for leadership in your student organization.
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Register for SDV 100.
  • Cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and use tutoring resources to get ahead.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Get involved with a professional or student organization.
  • Visit career services to begin cultivating your own virtual brand across all social media profiles.
  • Browse careers related to social work through the career coach.
  • Explore the community college’s iGrad’s Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
  • Create Linkedln profile.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Use SDV 100 to create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Work with career services to build resume.
  • Take a career assessment through the career coach.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Use Navigate to remain on your pathway.
  • Visit the VCU School of Social Work website to become familiar with upcoming course offerings, syllabi, and professors.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Get involved with service-learning opportunities.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or School of Social Work-related events.
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • Run for leadership in your student organization.
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.

Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2021-2022

Social Work, Bachelor of

Germanna Community College (Associate of Arts and Sciences: General Studies, Psychology Specialization)

Germanna Community College courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education
MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning MATH 131 3 General education
PSY 200 Principles of Psychology PSYC 101 3 Major (Ancillary)
BIO 101 General Biology I BIOL/Z 151 4 Major (Ancillary)
ENG 112 College Composition  II UNIV 200 3 General education
PSY 230 Developmental Psychology PSYC 304 3 Major (Ancillary)
MTH 155 Statistical Reasoning STAT 208 3 General education
BIO 102 General Biology II BIOL/Z 152 4 Major (Ancillary)
PSY elective PSY 215 Abnormal Psychology PSYC 407 3 Major (Ancillary)
PSY Psychology elective PSYC 3 Elective
SOC 200 Principles of Sociology SOCY 101 3 Major (Ancillary)
Humanities Humanities elective (select 1): ART 101, 102, 106, HUM 100, REL VCU Equivalent 3 General education
ENG Literature elective (select 1): ENG 241, 242, 243, 244, 251, 252 ENGL 3 General education
HIS History elective (select 1): HIS 101, 102, 111, 112, 121, 122 VCU equivalent 3 General education
ITE 115 Introduction to Computer Applications and Concepts INFO 160, 161, 162 3 Elective
PSY Psychology elective PSYC 3 Elective
Humanities elective PHI 220 Ethics PHIL 201 3 Major (Ancillary)
SOC 211 Principles of Anthropology ANTH 103 3 Major (Ancillary)
HIS History elective (select 1): HIS 101, 102, 111, 112, 121, 122 VCU equivalent 3 General education
Germanna credits transferred to VCU 60
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
Foreign Language Foreign language through the 102 level. 8 General education (not waived by associate degree)
SLWK 201 Introduction to Social Work (prerequisite for upper-level SLWK courses) Note: consider taking this course in the summer prior to your fall enrollment at VCU. 3 Major
SLWK 230 Communication in the Helping Process (prerequisite for upper-level SLWK courses) Note: consider taking this course in the summer prior to your fall enrollment at VCU. 3 Major
SLWK 311 Social Work and Oppressed Groups 3 Major
SLWK 313 Person in Society I 3 Major
SLWK 330 Person in Society II 3 Major
SLWK 332 Social Work Practice: Fundamentals 3 Major
SLWK 380 Foundations of Social Work Research I 3 Major
SLWK 381 Foundations of Social Work Research II 3 Major
SLWK 393 Junior Field Instruction 3 Major
SLWK 422 Social Welfare Legislation and Services 3 Major
SLWK 431 Person in Society III 3 Major
SLWK 441 Social Work Practice I 3 Major
SLWK 442 Social Work Practice II 3 Major
SLWK 494 Senior Field Instruction I 3 Major
SLWK 495 Senior Field Instruction II 3 Major
SLWK 499 Senior Seminar (capstone) 1 Major
Open electives 6 Elective
Credits Completed at VCU 60
Bachelor's degree total 120