About the Social Welfare BA Major

The Social Welfare undergraduate major at Berkeley emphasizes an education that is grounded in the liberal arts, rather than specialized training in the profession of social work - thus, its designation as a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and not the professional Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree.

The Social Welfare major reflects Berkeley Social Welfare’s commitment to provide undergraduates with a broad-based introduction to America’s social welfare problems and social policies within a social science context. Students gain knowledge of organized networks of public and private social services, and the basic practice methods associated with the social work profession. In doing so, students acquire the knowledge needed to understand, address, and actively participate in the amelioration of critical social problems in American Society.

Objectives of the Social Welfare Major

The objectives of the Undergraduate Social Welfare major are to:

  1. Provide an overview of the field of social welfare within the context of the major social science disciplines (e.g., sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, and political science) as part of a liberal arts program.
  2. Provide an overview of the history and domains of the social work profession, with attention to cultural competence (e.g., racism, discrimination, difference sensitivity, acceptance and tolerance).
  3. Provide an overview of the welfare state as a collective enterprise addressing human need, through a description of social welfare policies (e.g., public assistance, social security, child welfare and child protection, mental health and health care) and practices (e.g., case management, community advocacy, family support, crisis intervention).
  4. Foster the intellectual resources and critical thinking skills relevant to a wide range of careers and civic responsibilities.

Social Welfare is a popular major and enrollment controls for required courses are in place to manage student demand.

This means that students interested in declaring the Social Welfare major should:

  1. Thoroughly explore the Social Welfare field as a major, and become familiar with the curriculum and its required sequence as outlined in this Handbook.
  2. Complete the prerequisite entry requirements as soon as possible.
  3. Be aware of semester deadlines to declare the major, and complete the Petition to Declare the Social Welfare Major (Google Form) the semester after they have completed all of the prerequisites.