Distinctions & Opportunities

Opportunities Outside the College

School of Social Work
Undergraduate Program

The School of Social Work offers an undergraduate program leading to the Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) The B.S.W. prepares students for entry-level social work positions in a variety of social service fields. In addition, graduates of this program who are admitted to many graduate programs may receive advance credit toward completion of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work.

All of the required social work courses for the B.S.W. degree are offered on the Indiana University campuses at Bloomington, Indianapolis (IUPUI), and Richmond (East).

Admission Requirements

Students are admitted to the program each year on a competitive basis. The following are the minimum requirements for admission to the program:
  • Regular admission to the university.
  • Completion of at least 12 credit hours of college-level courses or two semesters of full-time study, including the required introductory course in social work (S141).
  • A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.500 on a 4.000 scale.
  • Evidence of personal suitability and interest relevant to social work education. Such evidence may be derived from the application materials, letters of reference, pertinent work experience, and performance in the introductory course.

Applications may be submitted any time before the priority date of April 1 for admission the following fall semester. Application packets are available in the School of Social Work office and online each December. Admission decisions are made in late May, and students are notified about their applications in June.

For further information, call the School of Social Work Bloomington office, 1127 E. Atwater Avenue, (812) 855-4427, or visit the website (bloomington.socialwork.iu.edu/).

Note: The following four requirements apply to minors offered and transcripted by the College:

  1. any course in which the student receives a grade below C– cannot be used to fulfill a minor requirement;
  2. the grade point average of all courses taken in fulfillment of minor requirements must be at least 2.000.
  3. students must complete at least 9 credit hours in the minor on the Bloomington campus;
  4. students must complete at least 9 credit hours at the 300–400 level.
Minor in Social Welfare Advocacy (15 credit hours)

Requirements

  • SWK S100 Understanding Diversity in a Pluralistic Society
  • SWK S141 Introduction to Social Work
  • SWK S251 Emergence of Social Services (P: S141)
  • SWK S352 Social Service Delivery Systems  (P: S251)
  • Any SWK S300 non-major social work class
Labor Studies Program: Minor in Labor Studies (15 credit hours)

Requirements

6 credit hours must be selected from the following lower division courses:

  • LSTU L100 Unions and Collective Bargaining (3 cr.)
  • LSTU L101 American Labor History (3 cr.)
  • LSTU L105 Contemporary Labor Problems (3 cr.)
  • LSTU L110 Labor and Society (3 cr.)
  • LSTU L200 Employment Law (3 cr.)
  • LSTU L201 Labor Law (3 cr.)
  • LSTU L203 Labor and the Political System (3 cr.)
  • LSTU L230 Labor and the Economy (3 cr.)
In addition, 9 credit hours are required from the following:
  • LSTU L315 The Organization of work (3 cr.) or SOC S315 Work and Occupations (3 cr.)
  • LSTU L375 Comparative Labor Movements (3 cr.)
  • LSTU L380 Theories of the Labor Movement (3 cr.)
  • LSTU L385 Class, Race, Gender, and Work (3 cr.)
  • LSTU L390 Topics in Labor Studies (3 cr.) (depending on the topic, and after consultation with faculty advisor within the College of Arts and Sciences)
  • LSTU L480 Senior Seminar or Readings (3 cr.) (Topics vary)