Major map compass icon
2021-2022

Social Work, Bachelor of

VCU

Community college:
Associate of Arts and Sciences: Psychology/Social Work Specialization (Rappahannock Community College)
Rappahannock Community College
Rappahannock 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

Rappahannock Community College (Associate of Arts and Sciences: Psychology/Social Work 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
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
  • Register for SDV course.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes and be prepared to request tutoring assistance.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester and cultivate relationships with your professors.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus or in your community.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
  • Familiarize yourself with the Career Services offered at Community College and VCU and explore Career Pathways on VCU Career Services’ Website.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Take a career assessment through the Virginia Wizard.
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
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.
  • Meet with your RCC academic advisor.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU School of Social Work and consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Research housing for next year.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week.
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway.
  • Register for SDV course.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes and be prepared to request tutoring assistance.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester and cultivate relationships with your professors.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Attend diversity-focused events on campus or in your community.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Familiarize yourself with the Career Services offered at Community College and VCU and explore Career Pathways on VCU Career Services’ Website.
  • Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
  • Take a career assessment through the Virginia Wizard.
  • Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).

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.
  • Meet with your RCC academic advisor.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU School of Social Work and consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Research housing for next year.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Consider learning a foreign language to open doors to international organizations and future study.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week.
  • Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.

Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2021-2022

Social Work, Bachelor of

Rappahannock Community College (Associate of Arts and Sciences: Psychology/Social Work Specialization)

Rappahannock 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
HIS Approved Transfer History HIST 3 General education
MTH 154 Quantitative Reasoning MATH 131 3 Major (Ancillary)
Laboratory Science BIO 101 General Biology I BIOL/Z 151 4 Major (Ancillary)
PSY 200 Principles of Psychology PSYC 101 3 Major (Ancillary)
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education
HIS Approved Transfer History HIST 3 General education
MTH 155 Statistical Reasoning STAT 208 3 Elective
Laboratory Science BIO 102 General Biology II BIOL/Z 152 4 Major (Ancillary)
Humanities Select one: PHI 220 Ethics or PHI 227 Bio-Medical Ethics PHIL 201 or PHIL 213 3 Major (Ancillary)
ITE 119 Information Literacy INFO 160, 161, 168 3 Elective
ENG Approved 200 Level American or English Literature ENGL 3 General education
PSY 230 Developmental Psychology PSYC 304 3 Major (Ancillary)
SOC 200 Principles of Sociology SOCY 101 3 Major (Ancillary)
Transfer elective Foreign language 101 VCU equivalent 4 Major (Ancillary)
Humanities Approved Transfer Humanities/Fine Arts VCU equivalent 3 General education
SOC 210 Survey of Physical and Cultural Anthropology ANTH 103 3 Major (Ancillary)
Transfer elective Foreign language 102 VCU equivalent 4 Major (Ancillary)
Transfer elective PSY 215 Abnormal Psychology PSYC 407 3 Major (Ancillary)
HLT/PED Health/Physical Education Elective VCU equivalent 1 Elective
Rappahannock credits transferred to VCU 63
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
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 1 Major
Open electives 11 Elective
Credits completed at VCU 57
Bachelor's degree total 120