Social Work, Bachelor of
VCU
Associate of Science: Social Sciences, Pre-Social Work Specialization
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
Reynolds Community College (Associate of Science: Social Sciences, Pre-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 | ||
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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.
- Schedule an advising appointment with your Reynolds advisor and review your Reynolds advising workbook.
- Be prepared for academic challenges in your classes and use tutoring resources to get ahead.
- Cultivate relationships with your professors.
- Explore financial aid resources and submit the FAFSA on time.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Explore the VCU School of Social Work website.
- Volunteer for service learning or community service projects.
- Learn about the transfer admission process for VCU.
- Get involved with student clubs and organizations.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Attend cultural events at community college and/or VCU and celebrate diversity.
- Attend VCU’s annual Intercultural Festival or another community intercultural event.
- Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Familiarize yourself with Handshake and explore Career Pathways on the VCU Career Services’ Website.
- Browse careers and occupations related to social work.
- Explore iGrad to look into building a career and financial future.
- Build a LinkedIn profile.
- Take a career assessment to explore job options.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
- Practice independent living skills (such as money management, self-care, time management, and personal responsibility).
- Create a weekly and monthly budget.
- Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
- Schedule an advising appointment with your Reynolds advisor.
- Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
- 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.
- Submit the FAFSA on time.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
- Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
- Research housing for next year.
- Apply to VCU.
- Join a professional organization related to social work: National Association of Social Workers, NASW Virginia.
- 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.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
- Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
- Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or Social Work-related events.
- Continue learning a foreign language, or make a plan for undertaking that study at VCU.
- Become familiar with OMSA at VCU.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
- Find out about VCU REAL and learn about REAL graduation requirement.
- Use Handshake to explore jobs and internships that match your interests and skills.
- Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
- If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
- Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
- Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
- Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
- 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.
Social Work, Bachelor of
Reynolds Community College (Associate of Science: Social Sciences, Pre-Social Work Specialization)
| Course | Title | Equivalent course | Credits | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | ||||
| SDV 100 | College Success Skills | UNIV 101 | 1 | Elective |
| ENG 111 | College Composition I | UNIV 111 | 3 | General education |
| ITE 152 | Introduction to Digital Literacy | BUSN 1XX | 3 | Elective |
| Language | Select one: ASL 101, FRE 101, or SPA 101 | VCU equivalent | 4 | Major (Ancillary) |
| MTH 154 | Quantitative Reasoning | MATH 131 | 3 | General education |
| ENG 112 | College Composition II | UNIV 200 | 3 | General education |
| BIO 101 | General Biology I | BIOL/Z 151 | 4 | Major (Ancillary) |
| Language | Select one: ASL 102, FRE 102, or SPA 102 | VCU equivalent | 4 | Major (Ancillary) |
| PSY 200 | Principles of Psychology | PSYC 101 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
| SOC 200 | Principles of Sociology | SOCY 101 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
| Year 2 | ||||
| History | History elective (select 1) | HIST | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
| BIO 102 | General Biology II | BIOL/Z 152 | 4 | Major (Ancillary) |
| UCGS Literature Elective | VCU equivalents | 3 | General education | |
| HMS 100 | Introduction to Human Services (students must earn a minimum grade of “B” to receive credits for the VCU equivalent) | SLWK 201 | 3 | Major |
| PHI 220 | Ethics | PHIL 201 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
| ENG 210 | Advanced Composition | ENGL 304 | 3 | Elective |
| PSY 230 | Developmental Psychology | PSYC 304 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
| SOC 211 | Cultural Anthropology | ANTH 103 | 3 | Major (Ancillary) |
| HMS 121 | Basic Counseling Skills I (students must earn a minimum grade of “B” to receive credit for the VCU equivalent) | SLWK 230 | 3 | Major |
| History Elective | HIST | 3 | General education | |
| Reynolds credits transferred to VCU | 62 | |||
| Course | Title | Credits | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 3 | |||
| SLWK 200 | Building a Just Society | 3 | Major |
| 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 380 | Ethical Research for Social Work Practice I: Methods | 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 381 | Ethical Research for Social Work Practice II: Application | 3 | Major |
| SLWK 395 | Social work field Instruction | 3 | Major |
| Open electives | 6 | Elective | |
| Year 4 | |||
| 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 494 | Senior Field Practicum I | 3 | Major |
| SLWK 442 | Generalist Social Work Practice III | 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 (Ancillary) |
| Open electives | 5 | Elective | |
| Credits completed at VCU | 58 | ||
| Bachelor's degree total | 120 | ||