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Bachelor of Arts in Social Work
On this page:
- Why Choose Social Work?
- Careers
- Real-World Experience
- Success Stories
- Academics and Curriculum
- Admission
Why Choose Social Work?
If you want to pursue social justice and the well-being of families and are looking for an academic environment in which you are safe to take risks, consider the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work program at Wright State.
You will prepare to become an ethical and competent practitioner who operates from an empowerment and strengths perspective as you work with individuals, families, groups and communities for social and economic justice. You can also look forward to being a life-long learner who continues to make contributions to the profession.
The Council on Social Work Education has accredited this program since 1974, assuring you that the curriculum and faculty meet established national standards. Qualified graduates of the bachelor's program are eligible for examinations to achieve advanced standing in master's degree programs. Those who qualify for dual-credit consideration could complete their master's degree in as little as one academic year.
A degree in social work from an accredited educational institution is a prerequisite to becoming a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) in Ohio. Some benefits of this licensure, according to the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board, include:
- Joining peers in holding yourself to a high standard of safe, competent, and ethical practice
- Title and practice protection through regulation.
- The ability to request reimbursement for services from insurance companies
- The potential to command higher salaries than non-licensed peers
- The opportunity for professional advancement, especially to supervisory or management positions
Successful completion of the B.A. in Social Work (SW) meets the educational requirements for the LSW in Ohio as regulated by the Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (CSWMFT).
Licensure and certification requirements vary from state to state. You will need to file an application to the licensure board for the state to which you are applying. However, a master's degree from a CSWE-accredited program is a basic requirement for this license.
Careers
Consider social work as a career if you are interested in people of widely varying ages, abilities, and backgrounds. You also need to be disciplined, emotionally stable, and intellectually creative. While most social workers perform direct practice duties, others are employed as outreach workers, community organizers, and administrators in public, voluntary, and for-profit agencies. Newer fields are opening up for social workers, such as services to older adults, addictions, child welfare, criminal justice, and other high-volume social service agencies that employ social workers.
Clinical social workers are trained to evaluate a person’s mental health and use therapeutic techniques based on specific training programs. They are also trained in case management and advocacy services. Only a limited number of professionals are eligible to evaluate mental health.
The largest organization for social workers is the National Association of Social Workers. The local chapter is the National Association of Social Workers Ohio Chapter. Another social work organization dedicated to social advocacy is the Social Welfare Action Alliance.
What can you do with a degree in social work? Recent social work graduates are currently working in:
- Adoption services
- Children’s services
- County prosecutor’s office
- County probation office
- Emergency housing facilities
- Family services
- Hospitals
- Mental health centers
- Older adult living facilities
- Probation and parole boards
- Public schools
- Victim Crisis Intervention
View the Social Work program profile for sample occupations, average salary, and employment projections
Real-World Experience
As a part of our Council on Social Work Education accredited social work pedagogy, you will be placed in one of our more than 100 partner agencies in the Dayton area and beyond to gain hands-on experience with the practice of social work. You will be given the opportunity to apply theory, practice wisdom, and create and employ interventions in a variety of settings. This experience will help develop the skills you will find necessary to graduate as a competent and well-prepared social work professional.
- Court-based mezzo/macro-level placements with Juvenile court, Montgomery County Probate Court, and an emerging partnership with the Montgomery County Public Defender's office
- Partnerships with the best-known social service agencies in the area, including South Community, Eastway, and Daybreak
- School-based social work placements with Mad River and Miamisburg City Schools
- Placements with a strong clinical focus, including opportunities with our very own Wright State University Counseling and Wellness Center
Success Stories
Academics and Curriculum
You will work through an interdisciplinary curriculum that will teach you generalist practice that can be applied across different social service settings. View the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work program information and requirements in the Academic Catalog.
Admission
First, you must enroll in Social Work 2700, Introduction to Social Work (or its equivalent if you are a transfer student). This course must be completed with a grade of C or better prior to the fall semester you begin the social work major. The course can only be repeated twice should you not pass the first time you take it. If you are taking this course at Wright State's Dayton and Lake Campuses, Sinclair, Edison, and Clark State, you will have the opportunity for the BSW program director to come to your class to review the application process and answer any lingering questions (once your instructor confirms our visit). Otherwise, you can review information from the Classroom Presentation on Applying to the BSW Program at Wright State (PDF).
Prerequisite courses must be completed no later than the summer preceding the fall semester you are planning to begin the major. Applications for admission to the major are due by Feb. 1 preceding the fall term you plan to begin the major. An extension is granted to the next weekday should Feb. 1 fall on the weekend. The prerequisite courses are listed on the Social Work Application (PDF).
Submit all materials to the department email, social_work@wright.edu.
Resources for determining which courses you have fulfilled and which to select from:
- If you have applied for admission and been admitted to Wright State (prior to applying to the social work major), you will have an online degree audit report in WINGS Express showing the official credits you have received for Wright State and any transfer courses and how those courses meet the degree requirements at Wright State. Pre-social work majors will also be able to see how their courses meet the degree requirements of the College of Liberal Arts and the Department of Social Work.
- See the social work department’s BSW Checksheet of Classes (PDF) for social work admissions and degree requirements.
Resources for determining if transfer courses are equivalent to those required at Wright State:
- Visit the Transferology website. Only certain schools in 19 states participate in this program. Neighboring states, apart from Ohio, include Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, among others. This transfer information is unofficial, since the department or college to which you are applying, or the departments that teach the core (general education) courses at Wright State, have the final say on course equivalencies.
- Visit the Ohio Transfer Module (OTM) and Transfer Assurance Guide (TAG) courses section of the Ohio Higher Ed website for course transfers between Ohio public institutions. Your current advisors should assist you in determining the general education requirements you must complete for your school’s Ohio Transfer Module (which all Ohio public institutions have). The college and department to which you are transferring may have additional admissions/degree requirements listed on our BSW Checksheet of Classes (PDF) beyond those that Wright State accepts as meeting the Ohio Transfer Module agreement.
- The Transfer Student Center at Wright State provides information about articulation agreements (on course equivalencies) between Wright State and local community colleges and offers unofficial information regarding other possible course equivalencies, in addition to a variety of information regarding attending Wright State. For more information and appointments, call 937-775-4830.
- College of Health, Education, and Human Services advisor, 937-775-2601, 120 Millett Hall, for information on requirements.
Resources for determining which terms specific classes are offered at Wright State:
You have the option of bringing your Social Work Application Packets to the social work department for review prior to the Feb. 1 due date, to help ensure they are complete. Two dates in January are reserved for reviewing applications on a first-come basis. Please contact the social work office, 937-775-2751, to verify the dates and times. Incomplete applications can delay your admission to the major.
If you are a transfer student planning to begin the social work major at Wright State in the upcoming Fall Semester, you are advised to submit a fall admission application (available on the Undergraduate Admissions website) to Wright State’s admissions office. You can do so during the prior Fall Semester to be admitted to the university before applying to the major by the Feb. 1 deadline. You must also submit the Social Work Application (PDF) for admission to the social work major.
Submit all materials to the department email, social_work@wright.edu.
