Social Work, Associate
Program Description
Workers in this field help people improve their lives, work to alleviate human suffering and promote social justice. In direct service delivery programs you will be working with people who are caught in the grips of social problems and/or struggling with personal adjustment issues. This program provides beginning level skills and knowledge to enable you to help people in these circumstances.
You will learn about the field of social work, current issues in social work, introductory level clinical diagnosis and practice and will acquire skills in one-on-one counseling. Behavioral and social science perspectives on human behavior as well as basic human biology are included in this program. An extensive internship experience in one or more agency settings will provide you with an opportunity to apply, in a supervised setting, knowledge and skills gained in the classroom. The internship may be completed in the local area or outside the local area.
If you are seeking the Associate Degree in Social Work you are strongly encouraged to continue your studies to complete a Bachelor’s degree to be successful in today’s competitive labor market. You may find the expanded understanding of human behavior provided by the Sociology major or Psychology major to be particularly useful for work in social work programs. Both of these majors also help you develop critical thinking ability, improve writing skills and learn about research through first-hand experience developing and conducting a research project. These abilities are valued by employers in social work and human service agencies.
Although most students combine the Associate Degree in Social Work with a bachelor degree in Psychology or Sociology, some choose other bachelor programs to best prepare them to achieve their particular career goals. Advisors will help you make these decisions.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to discuss the field of social work, current issues in social work and basic human biology.
- Students will demonstrate skills in one-on-one counseling.
- Students will demonstrate mastery of skills necessary to work in social services agencies.
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| SOWK 110 | Introduction to Social Work | 3 |
| PSYC 201 | Comm Skills in Counseling | 3 |
| SOWK 250 | Social Work Practicum | 9 |
| SOWK 310 | Clinical Practice Diagnosis | 3 |
| SOWK 344 | Social Welfare Systems | 3 |
| Cognates - Required | ||
| Select one additional social work course, not taken above, from the following: | 3 | |
| Social Research Methods | ||
| Group Counseling | ||
| Deviance | ||
| Addiction | ||
| Family Therapy | ||
| Other Departments | ||
| BIOL 105 | Function of the Human Body | 4 |
| PSYC 101 | Intro to Psychological Science | 4 |
| or SOCY 101 | Introduction to Sociology | |
| SOCY 102 | Social Problems | 3-4 |
| or PSYC 155 | Lifespan Development | |
| Electives | 8 | |
| Total Hours | 43-44 | |
General Education: All LSSU Associate’s degree candidates must complete the LSSU General Education Requirements.
A minimum of 64 credits (at the 100 level or higher) must be earned for graduation with a cumulative gpa of 2.00 or higher. A gpa of 2.00 or higher is also required in your Major, as well as in your General Education Requirements.