BSW Admissions

Students who plan to transfer to the University of Georgia and wish to pursue a BSW should plan to complete the following courses or their equivalents as determined by the BSW program director:

• UGA Diversity course (3)
• Foreign language through the third semester (e.g., SPAN 2001)
• PSYC 1101 (3) – Elementary Psychology
• SOCI 1101 (3) – Introductory Sociology, or SOCI 2600 (3) – Social Problems
• STAT 2000 (4) – Introductory Statistics
• BIOL 1103 and BIOL 1103L (4) – Principles of Biology I
• PSYC 2101 (3) – Psychology of Adjustment, or PSYC 3230 (3) – Abnormal Psychology

If you have questions, call the BSW Program Office at (706) 542-5420 to make an appointment with one of our advisors.

Are you ready to give social work a try, but not sure if you want to commit to the program? Contact an academic advisor in our BSW program office at ugabsw@uga.edu, or register for these lower-division social work courses that are open to all UGA students:

SOWK 2154 – The Profession of Social Work (3 credits)
Intro to the profession of “helping people.” History and current status of the profession of social work. The role of the social worker in various fields of practice. The profession’s commitment to social and economic justice for vulnerable and oppressed populations. The person-in-environment perspective. Communication and interviewing skills lab.

SOWK 2154S – Service Learning in Social Work (1 credit)
What is it like to be a social worker? Students will observe and analyze how social service agencies empower individuals and social well-being of clients/people and how community agencies attempt to alleviate social and economic injustices. Course includes a service-learning project during the semester that either employs skills or knowledge learned in the course or teaches new skills or knowledge related to course objectives. Students will be engaged in the service-learning component for approximately 50-75% of overall instructional time. Students volunteer 25 hours at social/human service agencies. Experiential learning with reflective and analytical components.

SOWK 2155 – Communication in the Helping Process (3 credits)
Communicating across borders. A study of the values, knowledge, and skills of effective human communication and interpersonal relations as necessary for planned change with individuals, groups, families, and communities. Includes observation, collection, and description of data, verbal and non-verbal communication, and their relevance to social work practice. Issues in communication regarding minority and oppressed populations.

SOWK 2156 – Social Work with Diverse Populations (3 credits)
Diversity and social justice. Exploration of the complex concerns that emerge in diverse environments in order to understand the historical, political, and sociological realities of perceived and genuine differences that can lead to ethnocentrism, biases, prejudice, discrimination, exploitation and oppression within, among, and between groups. Students will be challenged to expand their visible and invisible perceptions of those who are different from themselves.

Ready to change your major?

Follow these instructions to begin the process of changing your major to Social Work:
1. Log in to Athena
2. Add “Intended Social Work”
3. Drop all other majors unless you are pursuing a dual degree.
4. Contact the BSW program office at ugabsw@uga.edu

You will be asked to set up an appointment with a BSW academic advisor (Trelle McGinnis Turner or Jessica Davis).

Are you ready to give social work a try, but not sure if you want to commit to the program?

Consult our FAQs guide and Advising pages to learn more about the program and the profession of social work, or contact an academic advisor in our BSW program office at ugabsw@uga.edu, or register for these lower-division social work courses that are open to all UGA students:

SOWK 2154 – The Profession of Social Work (3 credits)
Intro to the profession of “helping people.” History and current status of the profession of social work. The role of the social worker in various fields of practice. The profession’s commitment to social and economic justice for vulnerable and oppressed populations. The person-in-environment perspective. Communication and interviewing skills lab.

SOWK 2154S – Service Learning in Social Work (1 credit)
What is it like to be a social worker? Students will observe and analyze how social service agencies empower individuals and social well-being of clients/people and how community agencies attempt to alleviate social and economic injustices. Course includes a service-learning project during the semester that either employs skills or knowledge learned in the course or teaches new skills or knowledge related to course objectives. Students will be engaged in the service-learning component for approximately 50-75% of overall instructional time. Students volunteer 25 hours at social/human service agencies. Experiential learning with reflective and analytical components.

SOWK 2155 – Communication in the Helping Process (3 credits)
Communicating across borders. A study of the values, knowledge, and skills of effective human communication and interpersonal relations as necessary for planned change with individuals, groups, families, and communities. Includes observation, collection, and description of data, verbal and non-verbal communication, and their relevance to social work practice. Issues in communication regarding minority and oppressed populations.

SOWK 2156 – Social Work with Diverse Populations (3 credits)
Diversity and social justice. Exploration of the complex concerns that emerge in diverse environments in order to understand the historical, political, and sociological realities of perceived and genuine differences that can lead to ethnocentrism, biases, prejudice, discrimination, exploitation and oppression within, among, and between groups. Students will be challenged to expand their visible and invisible perceptions of those who are different from themselves