Image courtesy of The Muse.
Do you want to have a positive impact on your community? Do you want to help the most vulnerable individuals in society? Do you want a job in a quickly-growing industry that’s forecasted to have a 7% increase in available jobs in the next year?
If you answered ‘yes’ to the above questions, studying social work is a great option for you. However, many colleges do not offer social work majors to undergraduates. The following is a list of the best schools that offer BSW programs or give undergraduates ample preparation for a Masters of Social Work.
University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
University of Michigan—Ann Arbor is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, about 45 minutes outside of Detroit. University of Michigan is very competitive with an acceptance rate of just 18%. It is a large university and has a student population of over 50,000.
The University of Michigan offers various options for undergraduate students interested in pursuing social work. These include:
- University of Michigan School of Social Work: This school is open to students majoring in sociology. Sociology students must select the Social Work subplan of their major in order to apply for the School of Social Work. The School of Social Work offers part-time and online programs, as well as work directly with the community.
- Community Action and Social Change Minor (CASC): This minor is open to most students at the University of Michigan. The minor focuses on studying community action and social change.
- UM Dearborn Human Services and Social Work: This program is open to students majoring in Health and Human Services who opt to a concentration in Human Services. Students in this program automatically matriculate into University of Michigan’s Master of Social Work (MSW), one of the best social work programs in the country.
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in St. Louis, Missouri, It is highly selective and has an acceptance rate of only 12%. Washington University is a medium-sized school with a population of over 16,000 students.
Washington University offers a 3-2 program for receiving a MSW (Masters of Social Work). This is available for students of all majors, although courses in physiology and statistics are often required. A college cumulative GPA of 3.0 is necessary for entry into this program. Through this program, students are able to achieve a MSW with only 1 year of additional study.
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university located in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, in the state of Illinois. UChicago is extremely selective, only letting 5% of applicants into the university. It is a medium-sized university and boasts a student population of just over 16,000.
UChicago offers a BA/MA degree in Social Work, Social Policy, and Social Administration. Students in this program are encouraged to finish their undergraduate coursework during their junior year and have to have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25. Afterwards, students will receive professional training in social work at the Crown Family School.
University of California—Berkeley
University of California at Berkeley is a public research university located in the city of Berkeley in California’s bay area. UC Berkeley is very selective with an acceptance rate of just over 11%. It is a very large university with over 45,000 students.
UC Berkeley offers an undergraduate BA in Social Welfare. It is one of the more popular majors at UC Berkeley, so admission is competitive and has many prerequisites. Students in this major focus on the history of social work, the welfare state, and networks of public and private services, as well as gain practical experience in social work.
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university located in Seattle, Washington. UW is moderately selective, letting in 48% of applicants—however, out-of-state applicants have a lower acceptance rate of between 20-30%. UW has a total student population of almost 50,000, making it a fairly large institution.
UW’s School of Social Work offers an undergraduate major in Social Welfare, which is the 3rd best undergraduate program of its kind in the country. Admittance is selective, and requires prior coursework in sociology, psychology, and statistics, as well as social service experience. Students who meet the requirements enter the major in their junior year.
The program has a strong emphasis on hands-on training, and it endeavors to prepare students for the workforce and graduate school.
University of California—Los Angeles
UCLA is a public research university located in Los Angeles, California. It is extremely selective and has an acceptance rate of 14% for Californians and 10% for out of state students. UCLA has a total enrollment of around 45,000 students, 31,000 being undergraduates.
Although UCLA does not offer an undergraduate program focusing specifically on social work, it offers many similar programs. These include a BA in Public Affairs, as well as various minors: Minor in Public Affairs, Minor in Urban and Regional Studies, and Minor in Gerontology.
These programs pave the way for students to eventually receive a MSW from UCLA’s prestigious Social Welfare graduate program at the Luskin School of Public Affairs.
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private research university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. UPenn is extremely selective, as only 7% of applicants are admitted into the school. Over 24,000 students attend UPenn, with just under 10,000 being undergraduates.
UPenn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) offers a BA/MA program for Social Work. It is a unique opportunity for UPenn students attending the School of Arts and Sciences to gain hands-on experience in social work. In their senior year, students in the BA/MSW program spend 2 days per week doing field work in various social agencies. Before entering the BA/MA program, students must have prior experience in an area of social work.
University of Texas—Austin
University of Texas—Austin is a public research university located in Austin, Texas. UT Austin is very selective with an acceptance rate of 33%. However, out-of-state students face an even tougher competition, having an acceptance rate of around 10%. UT Austin is a large school with over 51,000 students.
UT Austin’s Steve Hicks School of Social Work offers a BSW (Bachelor of Social Work). A BSW is a professional degree that enables students to directly enter the workforce, unlike other types of Bachelor’s degrees. The BSW requires, on top of course work, 440 hours of field experience under the supervision of a social worker, and 60 hours working at a community agency. This work begins in a student’s first semester.
SWEEP (Social Work Education Enhancement Program) is a program in which all BSW students are required to participate. It includes structured membership for first-year students, community-building activities, networking, and career development and volunteer opportunities.
BSW students also have the opportunity to partake in an honors program. This program involves conducting independent research on a topic related to social work.
The Steve Hicks School of Social Work also offers two undergraduate minors: a Social Work Minor, and a Critical Disability Studies Minor.
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio. It is very selective with a 27% acceptance rate, and is consistently ranked as the best university in Ohio. CWRU is a medium-sized university with 12,000 students, about half of whom are undergraduates.
Though CWRU does not offer an undergraduate major in social work, there are many opportunities for undergraduates to get started in the field.
- 3+2 Social Work: Students with any undergraduate major can pursue the 3+2 Social Work program at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. A student in this program begins the first year of their MSW after their junior year of undergrad.
- 3+1 Nonprofit Management: Students of any major can receive an MNO (Master of Nonprofit Organization) during their senior year of college. The 3+1 consists of a 39 credit hour program completed alongside senior year coursework.
- Social Work Minor: Undergraduate students have the opportunity to pursue a minor in Social Work. It consists of 15 credit hours and is a way for undergraduate students to access CWRU’s top-ranked Mandel School.
- Study Abroad: Undergraduate students of any major are able to study abroad while enrolled in courses related to social work and social justice. Some previous programs included:
- Ecuador, studying international social work and justice
- Poland, studying invisible groups in Poland
- Netherlands, studying mental health
- South Africa, studying social justice, social work, international learning through community, and an NGO internship.
Why pursue social work?
What are the benefits of studying social work in college?
As you probably know, a career in social work provides more than just a steady income. Studying social work gives you the ability to make a positive change in the world. Not only can you work as a social worker, but your skills can be applied in hospitals, the foster system, retirement homes, and more.
Studying social work is a great opportunity to dedicate your life to helping others!
