Social Work, Bachelor of (G3 AAS Pathway)
VCU
Associate of Applied Sciences: Human Services, Pre-Social Work Specialization (G3 program)
Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.
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.
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.
The demand for social work professionals is expected to grow up to 14% through 2030. Social work is one of the few career fields that experienced significant growth and demand during the pandemic that has continued.
- Case Manager
- Child, Family, and School Social Worker
- Community and Social Service Specialist, Other
- Healthcare Social Workers
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker
- Patient Representative
- Probation Officer and Correctional Treatment Specialist
- Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP)
- Social and Human Service Assistant
- Social Workers
- Clinical Social Worker
- Counselor
- Government Agency Administrator
- Higher Education Administrator
- Policy Advocate
- Supervisor
- Therapist
Telephone: (804) 827-1349
Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu
VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist
Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638
Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.
Completion of associate degree
Minimum GPA of 2.5
All courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better
- Quantitative Foundations Only (excluding MATH 170)
- 1-2 additional science courses
- Yes
- Yes
- Continuing students must hold a 2.5+ cumulative GPA to be eligible for a change of major. Continuing students interested in declaring the social work major must complete this form [https://forms.gle/6HbKuqi8CSekKJ1p8] to attend a change of major information session.
Social Work, Bachelor of (G3 AAS Pathway)
Brightpoint Community College (program-specific pathway) (Associate of Applied Sciences: Human Services, Pre-Social Work Specialization (G3 program))
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING | GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY | DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY | EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS | PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE | ||
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Explore | Year 1 |
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Experience | Year 2 |
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MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Register for SDV 100
- Attend Brightpoint orientation
- Log into Navigate and view its features to help you on your pathway
- Explore Brightpoint financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
- Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor each semester and cultivate relationships with your professors.
- Be prepared for academic challenges in your ENG and MTH classes. Visit the Academic Resource Center on either campus.
- Check on G3 funding for your AAS program.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Learn about the transfer admission process for VCU.
- Get involved with student clubs and organizations.
- Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
- Explore the VCU School of Social Work website.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Attend diversity-focused events on campus.
- Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
- Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Get involved with a student or professional organization.
- Explore the community college’s iGrad Job Genius Search Engine to look into building a career and financial future.
- 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.
- Create Linkedln profile.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Assess your preparation for a career by completing a Gap Analysis.
- Create, upload and update your resume to the College Central Network.
- Take a career assessment through the career coach.
- Use SDV 100 to create a weekly and monthly budget.
- Understand how you will fund your education by taking advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
- Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Use Navigate to remain on your pathway
- Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes. Visit the Academic Resource Center on either campus to get ahead.
- Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
- Meet with your academic advisor
- Be prepared: Once you enroll at VCU, your VCU GPA will be determined by your grades at VCU.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Research housing for next year.
- Join a professional organization related to social work: National Association of Social Workers.
- Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
- Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU School of Social Work, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
- Apply to VCU.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Attend diversity-focused events on campus and in your community (i.e. international festival)
- 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.
- Get involved with service-learning opportunities
- Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
- Continue to partner with diversity leader/ facilitator/ mentor to move towards cultural competence
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- 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.
- Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- 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.
- Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
- Take advantage of free Financial Aid counseling.
- Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
Social Work, Bachelor of (G3 AAS Pathway)
Brightpoint Community College (program-specific pathway) (Associate of Applied Sciences: Human Services, Pre-Social Work Specialization (G3 program))
Course | Title | Equivalent course | Credits | Requirements |
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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 |
HMS 100 | Introduction to Human Services (students must complete a social work-designated section with a minimum grade of “B”) | SLWK 201 | 3 | Major |
HMS 251 | Substance Abuse I | TREL 2XX | 3 | Elective |
PSY 200 | Principles of Psychology | PSYC 101 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
ENG 112 | College Composition II | UNIV 200 | 3 | General education |
BIO 101 | General Biology I | BIOL/Z 151 | 4 | Major (Ancillary) |
MEN 101 | Mental Health Skills Training I (minimum grade of “B”) | SLWK 2XX | 3 | Elective |
PSY 230 | Developmental Psychology | PSYC 304 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
MEN 102 | Mental Health Skills Training II (minimum grade of “B”) | SLWK 230 | 3 | Major |
PHI 220 | Ethics | PHIL 201 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
SOC 200 | Principles of Sociology | SOCY 101 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
SOC 211 | Cultural Anthropology | ANTH 103 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
History | History elective (select 1): HIS 111, 112, 121, 122 | HIST | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
BIO 102 | General Biology II | BIOL/Z 152 | 4 | Major (Ancillary) |
ENG 210 | Advanced Composition | ENGL 304 | 3 | Elective |
Humanities elective | Select 1: ENG 246, ENG 45, ENG 255, REL 230, PHI 100, PHI 111 | VCU equivalent | 3 | General education |
Foreign Language | Foreign Language 101 or 102 Note: the Bachelor of Social Work requires completion of a foreign language through the 102 level | VCU equivalent | 4 | General education |
MEN 290 | Coordinated Internship | SLWK 2XX | 4 | Elective |
Brightpoint Credits Transferred to VCU | 62 |
Course | Title | Credits | Requirements |
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Foreign Language | Foreign language through the 102 level. | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
SLWK 311 | Social Work and Anti-oppressive Practice | 3 | Major |
SLWK 313 | Social Work Theory and Assessment With Individuals and Micro Systems | 3 | Major |
SLWK 330 | Social Work Theory and Assessment with Families, Small Groups and Mezzo Systems | 3 | Major |
SLWK 332 | Generalist Social Work Practice I | 3 | Major |
SLWK 380 | Ethical Research for Social Work Practice I: Methods | 3 | Major |
SLWK 381 | Ethical Research for Social Work Practice II: Application | 3 | Major |
SLWK 393 | Junior Field Instruction | 3 | Major |
SLWK 422 | Social Welfare, Policy and Practice | 3 | Major |
SLWK 431 | Social Work Theory and Assessment with Communities, Organizations and Macro Systems | 3 | Major |
SLWK 441 | Generalist Social Work Practice II | 3 | Major |
SLWK 442 | Generalist Social Work Practice III | 3 | Major |
SLWK 494 | Senior Field Practicum I | 3 | Major |
SLWK 495 | Senior Field Practicum II | 3 | Major |
SLWK 499 | Senior Capstone Seminar | 2 | Major |
PSYC 407 | Psychology of the Abnormal | 3 | Major (collateral) |
Select three open electives | 11 | Elective | |
REAL | The REAL requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing a 300-level (or higher) course that has received a REAL attribute of Level 2, 3 or 4 or through an approved “REAL” co-curricular experience that has received a REAL attribute of Level 3 or 4. See VCU advisor for options. | 0 | Major |
Credits Completed at VCU | 58 | ||
Bachelor's degree total | 120 |