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 The
Program
The
Undergraduate Group Major in Social Welfare introduces students
to problems, policies, and methods in the social welfare field through
four core social welfare courses and a minimum of five approved
upper-division electives in other social science and related departments.
The major thus allows students to test their career interest in
social work prior to employment or graduate social work education
and to pursue their own interests in the social sciences. It also
serves as a good pre-professional major for education, law, public
health, public policy, and related fields.
Student
Advising
Students
interested in the major may contact SHERMAN BOYSON, the Undergraduate
Advisor. Undergraduate advising is available every day from 9:00
a.m. to Noon, and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. on a walk-in basis in 219
Haviland Hall. Phone: (510) 642-4407. E-mail: boyson@berkeley.edu
Declaring
the Major
Social
Welfare is one of the most impacted majors on campus. Not all students
who would like to declare the Social Welfare major are able to do
so. 130 Students are declared for each year-long graduation cycle
on a first-come, first-serve basis once they have completed the
prerequisites. Since declarations for continuing students at Berkeley
are processed in chronological order, interested students should
contact the Undergrad Advisor in 219 Haviland Hall as early as possible
during the semester that prerequisites are being completed. (See
handout: "Procedures for
Declaring Social Welfare as your Major".)
When
a student declares the major, they will be assigned to an academic
period (Fall, Spring, or Summer) when they will take SW 110 (formerly
SW 102) - the introductory Social Welfare course that is the "gateway"
to the remaining core courses. After completing SW 110, declared
majors will take the remaining core courses (SW 112, SW 114, SW
116) in any sequence and during any academic period that suits the
student. When necessary, the remaining core courses can be taken
during the same semester as SW 110, if permission is granted by
the Undergraduate Advisor. All four core courses are offered every
academic period -- Fall, Spring, and Summer.
Transfer
students who wish to declare the major should complete the necessary
prerequisites at their community college. Once accepted to the University,
they should attend the CalSO orientation for transfers and meet
with the Undergraduate Advisor on that day. Transcripts verifying
completion of the prerequisites (unofficial copies are acceptable)
should be presented at that time. Transfer students unable to attend
CalSO should contact the Undergraduate Advisor directly.
Prerequisites
The five prerequisites
must be completed with a minimum letter grade of C in order to declare
the major. This applies to courses taken at Berkeley or equivalent
courses taken at other institutions.
Note: Prerequisites completed prior to Spring 2006 will count with
a C- or P grade.
Introductory
Psychology (At UCB: Psychology 1, or 2)
Introductory Statistics (At UCB: Stats 2 or 21, Soc 5, or
Poli Sci 3)
Introductory Sociology (At UCB: Sociology 1, 3, 3A, or 3AC)
The Letters and Science Reading and Composition requirement.
(This is a 2-course series)
Recommended:
It is suggested that three other courses (Introductory Anthropology,
Introductory Economics, and Introductory Political Science) should
be taken as preparation for the major, but these courses are not
required to declare the major.
Students
are encouraged to meet the Letters and Science foreign language
requirement with a language helpful to serving an immigrant or refugee
population (e.g., Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, or Vietnamese).
Minimum
G.P.A. Requirement for Graduation
All courses taken
for the major, both the prerequisites and the upper division requirements,
must be taken for a letter grade. Students must achieve a 2.0 minimum
GPA in the four core social welfare courses; and a 2.0 minimum GPA
in their five social science electives. Students who are concerned
about their grade point average in the major should contact the
Undergraduate Advisor.
Careers
and Employment
A
good resource on potential careers in social work may be found at
the NASW web site: http://www.socialworkers.org/students/default.asp.
However, Social Welfare graduates have many career options because
their academic backgrounds are broad and they have developed the
writing, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills that are highly
valued by employers in a wide variety of settings. Most students
in the major enter the fields of social work or education after
graduation. However, graduates also enter the fields of public policy,
public health, law, medicine, business, and any other field that
values a solid liberal arts education.
The Career Center, located in the Banway Building at 2111 Bancroft
Ave, provides a great amount of resources and counseling for prospective
job seekers. Career Counselor Heather Hughes is especially helpful.
She has specialized in working with Social Welfare graduates. Heather's
phone number to set up an appointment is (510) 642 1718.
Course
Requirements for the Social Welfare Major
(29
Units -- At least 9 classes) -- All courses for the major must be
taken for a letter grade.
Core
Social Welfare Classes (4 courses, 11 units)
Social
Welfare majors are required to complete four core courses:
SW
110, Social Work as a Profession (3 units) (formerly
listed as SW 102)
(SW 110 must be taken prior to or simultaneously with any other
core course.)
SW 112, Social Welfare Policy (3 units)(formerly
known as SW 100)
SW 114, Practice in Social Work (3 units) (formerly
known as SW 103)
SW 116, Current Topics in Social Welfare
(2 units) (formerly known as SW 105)
Each
core course is offered every academic semester: Fall, Spring, and
Summer. Students accepted to the major will be assigned a specific
semester to start the core courses with the gateway course - SW
110 -- when their declaration is processed. Students can then complete
the remaining core courses at their own pace in any order they choose.
Elective
Social Science Courses (at least 5 courses, 18 units)
All
Social Welfare majors must complete at least 5 approved electives.
At least three of those electives must be selected from the Master
List of Approved Electives in the Primary Social Sciences (commonly
known as the Purple List). The remaining two electives may come
from either that list of Primary Social Sciences or the Master
List of Approved Electives in the Secondary Social Sciences
(commonly known as the Green list). The five electives must total
at least 18 units, or else additional approved electives must be
taken. **There is no restriction on what departments may be chosen.
The former rule that majors had to form a "concentration"
by taking 3 courses in a single subject is no longer required.
Primary
and Secondary Social Sciences
There
are five departments designated as the PRIMARY
SOCIAL SCIENCES: Anthropology, Economics, Political Science,
Psychology, and Sociology.
All
other departments that offer approved electives are considered the
SECONDARY SOCIAL SCIENCES
and include African American Studies, American Studies, Asian American
Studies, Chicano Studies, City & Regional Planning, Demography,
Education, ESPM, Ethnic Studies, Gender & Women's Studies, Health
& Medical Sciences, History, Legal Studies, Native American
Studies, Peace & Conflict Studies, Public Health, Public Policy,
and UGIS.
Supplemental
Units
The
five electives must equal at least 18 units. Students who choose
five electives that do not add up to 18 units will need additional
coursework to supplement the five electives. Supplemental units
could come from additional approved electives from either a Primary
or Secondary department; or elective Social Welfare coursework such
as SW 195, SW 148, SW 174, SW 107, etc.; or community service course
work thru Education or SW 98/198/97/197.
Optional
Electives for Social Welfare Majors
SW
195H - Seniors Honors Program
Senior
level students who meet minimum grade point requirements (3.3 overall
and 3.5 in the major) and have completed two core courses will be
invited to participate in an honors seminar in the fall and write
an honors thesis in the spring of their senior year. To graduate
with honors, students must achieve a GPA of 3.3 overall and 3.5
in the major. Interested students should see the Undergraduate Advisor
for information.
Procedures
and Forms for Special Studies Courses in Social Welfare
[click here]
SW
97/197 - Field Studies in Social Welfare
Earn
academic credit for volunteer work performed in community agencies
or on campus. Students may enroll in a SW 97/197 course through
one of two ways: working individually with a Social Welfare professor;
or in a group SW 97/197 section offered by a classroom format by
various groups and/or individual. If you work individually with
a professor, he or she will establish the parameters of the workload.
If you enroll in the group section, in addition to performing volunteer
work, all students will meet for a weekly seminar. Information on
community service for academic credit is available in the Undergraduate
Advisor’s office.
SW
98/198 - Group Study in Specialized Topics
The
School of Social Welfare offers the opportunity to study specialized
topics in a small seminar setting. For the Fall 07 semester, topics
will include teaching yoga to persons with disabilities, and an
Undergraduate Colloquium.
Graduate
Level Social Welfare Courses
While
priority for enrollment in graduate level social welfare courses
is reserved for grad students, the instructors will sometimes consider
undergraduates for enrollment when space is available. The instructor
has total discretion in determining the suitability of the undergraduate
for enrollment in a graduate course. The list of courses that will
consider undergraduate enrollment is available in the Undergraduate
Advisor's office.
Social
Welfare Courses During Summer Sessions
Each
summer the department offers elective undergraduate Social Welfare
classes in addition to the four core courses. Students wishing to
accelerate graduation, or free up their senior year in order to
more easily do field work and/or a thesis, or just ease the unit
load they take during a regular semester, can take Social Welfare
classes during the summer.
In
Summer 2007, three elective courses were offered -- SW 148: Substance
Abuse Treatment; SW 186: Domestic Violence; and SW 10: International
Social Work -- along with each of the four core courses.
[revised 8-20-07]
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