Social Work Major Requirements
* As the program is currently seeking accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), students may officially declare the major starting in Fall 2024. Until then, please reach out to the Department of Sociology & Criminology for major change/declaration inquiries.
NOTE: CSWE Accreditation is a three-year process. In accordance with CSWE Accreditation policy 3.3.1, Programs in Pre-Candidacy that attain Candidacy in the academic year in which a student begins the program of study will be retroactively recognized as having graduated from a CSWE-accredited program once the program attains Initial Accreditation.
(51 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| SOW 200 | Social Services & Social Work | 3 |
| SOW 222 | Social Justice and Equity in Social Work | 3 |
| SOW 250 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment I | 3 |
| SOW 251 | Human Behavior and Social Environment II | 3 |
| SOW 290 | Advocacy and Social Action for Professional Social Workers | 3 |
| SOW 300 | Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SOW 301 | Field Work Experience | 3 |
| SOC 301 | Methods of Sociological Research | 3 |
| SOC 350 | Social Policy | 3 |
| SOW 302 Advanced Fieldwork (coming soon) | 3 | |
| SOW 400 | Social Work Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Cognate Requirements - select 9 credits from the following list: | 9 | |
| Sociological Imagination | ||
| Introduction to Forensics | ||
| Life Science: Brain and Behavior | ||
| Psychology:The Science of Well-being | ||
or PSY 131 | The Science of Mental Illness | |
| Cognitive Disabilities | ||
| Electives - select 9 credits from the following list: | 9 | |
SOW 260 Child Welfare Policy and Practice (coming soon) | ||
SOW 270 Education and Social Policy (coming soon) | ||
| Families | ||
| Youth and Crime | ||
| Aging | ||
or PSY 250 | Psychology of Aging | |
| Social Service Organizations | ||
| Schools and Schooling | ||
| Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis | ||
| Child Development | ||
| Youth and Adolescent Development | ||
| Stress, Health and Coping | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| Total Credits | 51 | |
Social Work Minor Requirements
(18 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SOW 200 | Social Services & Social Work | 3 |
| SOW 300 | Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SOW 301 | Field Work Experience | 3 |
| Select one course from each of the following two groups: | ||
| Group I | 3 | |
| Families | ||
| Social Service Organizations | ||
| Social Policy | ||
| Group II ` | 3 | |
| Child Development 1 | ||
| Youth and Adolescent Development | ||
| One additional course in an area of concentration relevant to social work 2 | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
- 1
PSY 100 is a prerequisite for all Psychology courses.
- 2
Examples of such areas are: Aging, Human Service Organizations, Psychological Counseling, and Criminal Justice. This course is chosen in consultation with an advisor.
Academic Plan of Study
The following educational plan is provided as a sample only. Rider students who do not declare a major during their freshman year; who are in a Continuing Education Program; who change their major; or those who transfer to Rider may follow a different plan to ensure a timely graduation. Each student, with guidance from his or her academic advisor, will develop a personalized educational plan.
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| SOW 200 | Social Services & Social Work | 3 |
| CMP 120 | Seminar in Writing and Rhetoric | 3 |
| SOC 101 | Sociological Imagination | 3 |
| HIS 150 | World History to 1500 | 3 |
| Foreign Language | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| SOW 222 | Social Justice and Equity in Social Work | 3 |
| CMP 125 | Seminar in Writing and Research | 3 |
| HIS 151 | World History Since 1500 | 3 |
| Foreign Language | 3 | |
| Elective Course | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| SOW 250 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment I | 3 |
| MTH 102 | Finite Mathematics | 3 |
| Aesthetic Perspectives: Literature | 3 | |
| Social Perspectives | 3 | |
| Scientific Perspectives | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| SOW 251 | Human Behavior and Social Environment II | 3 |
| Cognate Requirement (1 of 3) | 3 | |
| Aesthetic Perspectives: Fine Arts | 3 | |
| Scientific Perspectives | 3 | |
| PHL 115 | Ethics | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| SOW 290 | Advocacy and Social Action for Professional Social Workers | 3 |
| SOC 301 | Methods of Sociological Research | 3 |
| Cognate Requirement (2 of 3) | 3 | |
| Major Elective (1 of 3) | 3 | |
| Elective Course | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| SOW 300 | Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SOC 350 | Social Policy | 3 |
| Major Elective (2 of 3) | 3 | |
| Elective Courses | 6 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| SOW 301 | Field Work Experience | 3 |
| Major Elective (3 of 3) | 3 | |
| Cognate Requirement (3 of 3) | 3 | |
| Elective Courses | 6 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| SOW 400 | Social Work Senior Seminar | 3 |
| SOW 302 - Advanced Fieldwork (Coming Soon) | 3 | |
| Elective Courses | 9 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours for Graduation | 120 | |
Courses and Descriptions
SOW 200 Social Services & Social Work 3 Credits
An overview of the historical development of social work. Emphasis on current issues in social welfare and social service programs in the United States. Among the programs explored are those in public welfare, mental health, medical services, child abuse/neglect, school social work, and care for the elderly.
SOW 300 Social Work Practice 3 Credits
The course builds upon and reinforces the foundation of generalist social work knowledge, social work values, ethics, attitudes, and skills introduced in the Introduction to Social Work course. Students study the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers and practice ethical decision-making. The course reinforces the skills necessary to implement the phases of the planned change model to social work practice with multi-level client systems (individuals, groups, families, communities, and organizations). Interviewing techniques are taught and practiced. Skills in forming and running small groups, working with community organizations, and administering social programs are emphasized. Students study how to gather pertinent psycho-social facts about clients, make an assessment, plan an intervention, and successfully complete service to the client. Students who next will take SOW 301 Field Work Experience will be placed in a social service agency by the end of the semester.
Prerequisite(s): SOW 200.
SOW 301 Field Work Experience 3 Credits
Students observe and work in a social service agency. They study the structure of the agency and the people and roles within it, and develop helping skills with clients. Approximately six to eight hours of field work a week for each three credits are required, plus class sessions during the semester.
Prerequisite(s): SOW 200, SOW 300. May be taken twice in two separate semesters for a maximum of six credits toward the total credits required for graduation.
SOC 205 Families 3 Credits
Examines families in the United States, past and present, emphasizing the variety of family experiences in different social contexts and the relationship between family life and social change. Includes comparative material on families in other countries and considers possible alternatives to current family forms.
SOC 248 Social Service Organizations 3 Credits
Examines the growth and variety of social service organizations. The training of providers, such as teachers and physicians, and relationships between professionals and clients in settings such as schools and hospitals are studied as well as organizational decision-making, finances, and community relations.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 101.
SOC 350 Social Policy 3 Credits
Investigates the relationship between economic development and social policy in comparative and historical context. The main features of preindustrial, early industrial, and advanced industrial social welfare systems are described. Social, economic and political factors that shape social policy are investigated.
PSY 230 Child Development 3 Credits
Presents theory and research on the social, emotional and cognitive development of children birth to age 12.