
Contact Us
Matt Butler, MSSA, LISW-S, LICDC-CS,
Program Director
Phone: 440-964-4268
Email: mabutle3@kent.edu
Kimberly J. Steele, LPCC/S, LICDC-CS, LSW
Academic Advisor
Phone: 330-337-4283
Email: ksteele6@kent.edu
Matt Butler, MSSA, LISW-S, LICDC-CS,
Program Director
Phone: 440-964-4268
Email: mabutle3@kent.edu
Kimberly J. Steele, LPCC/S, LICDC-CS, LSW
Academic Advisor
Phone: 330-337-4283
Email: ksteele6@kent.edu
Kent State University’s Bachelor of Science in Social Work provides a comprehensive education in social work studies. This program prepares students for various careers, including roles in social work and related fields.
The Bachelor of Social Work degree prepares students to work at a generalist level across many social work areas or to continue on to the Master of Social Work degree. Students in the program apply their academic knowledge to the practical realities of making a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities. The curriculum includes a focus on rural social work, with options for students to specialize in mental health, substance use disorder, gerontology, child welfare settings, suicide prevention and trauma-informed care.
This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.
First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the admissions website for first-year students.
First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Kent State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Kent State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.
Former Students: Former Kent State students who have not attended another institution since Kent State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Kent State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.
Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.
Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's Academic Policies.
Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab
Graduates of this program will be able to:
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA; min C/S grade required in all courses) | ||
SWK 24140 | INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WORK | 3 |
SWK 24146 | PERSPECTIVES ON BEHAVIOR AND ENVIRONMENT I | 3 |
SWK 24147 | PERSPECTIVES ON BEHAVIOR AND ENVIRONMENT II | 3 |
SWK 25100 | SOCIAL WORK IN RURAL SETTINGS | 3 |
SWK 25248 | SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY | 3 |
SWK 34140 | PRACTICE CONTENT FOR SOCIAL WORK I | 3 |
SWK 34141 | PRACTICE CONTENT FOR SOCIAL WORK II | 3 |
SWK 34149 | APPLIED RESEARCH IN SOCIAL WORK | 3 |
SWK 44192 | FIELD EXPERIENCE I (ELR) | 3 |
SWK 44210 | INTEGRATIVE SEMINAR | 3 |
SWK 44292 | FIELD EXPERIENCE II (ELR) | 3 |
SWK 44299 | SOCIAL WORK CAPSTONE (ELR) (WIC) | 3 |
Major Electives, choose from the following: | 12 | |
SWK 25195 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN SOCIAL WORK | |
SWK 35120 | SOCIAL WORK IN MENTAL HEALTH SETTINGS | |
SWK 35121 | SOCIAL WORK IN SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER SETTINGS | |
SWK 35122 | SOCIAL WORK IN CHILD WELFARE SETTINGS | |
SWK 35123 | SOCIAL WORK AND TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE | |
SWK 35124 | SOCIAL WORK PERSPECTIVES ON AGING | |
SWK 35125 | INTERPROFESSIONAL APPROACHES TO SUICIDE PREVENTION | |
SWK 35195 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN SOCIAL WORK | |
SWK 35196 | INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION IN SOCIAL WORK | |
Additional Program Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
Kent Core Composition | 6 | |
Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning | 3 | |
Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each) | 9 | |
Kent Core Social Sciences (must be from two disciplines) | 6 | |
Kent Core Basic Sciences (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 | |
Kent Core Additional | 6 | |
General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours) | 35 | |
Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 |
Prior to enrolling in SWK 44192, students must complete the following requirements:
Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
---|---|
2.000 | 2.000 |
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Semester One | Credits | |
---|---|---|
SWK 24140 | INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WORK | 3 |
UC 10001 | FLASHES 101 | 1 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Credit Hours | 16 | |
Semester Two | ||
SWK 24146 | PERSPECTIVES ON BEHAVIOR AND ENVIRONMENT I | 3 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Credit Hours | 15 | |
Semester Three | ||
SWK 24147 | PERSPECTIVES ON BEHAVIOR AND ENVIRONMENT II | 3 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | |
Credit Hours | 15 | |
Semester Four | ||
SWK 25100 | SOCIAL WORK IN RURAL SETTINGS | 3 |
SWK 25248 | SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY | 3 |
General Electives | 8 | |
Credit Hours | 14 | |
Semester Five | ||
SWK 34140 | PRACTICE CONTENT FOR SOCIAL WORK I | 3 |
SWK 34149 | APPLIED RESEARCH IN SOCIAL WORK | 3 |
General Electives | 9 | |
Credit Hours | 15 | |
Semester Six | ||
SWK 34141 | PRACTICE CONTENT FOR SOCIAL WORK II | 3 |
Social Work Electives | 6 | |
General Electives | 6 | |
Credit Hours | 15 | |
Semester Seven | ||
SWK 44210 | INTEGRATIVE SEMINAR | 3 |
SWK 44192 | FIELD EXPERIENCE I (ELR) | 3 |
Social Work Elective | 3 | |
General Electives | 6 | |
Credit Hours | 15 | |
Semester Eight | ||
SWK 44299 | SOCIAL WORK CAPSTONE (ELR) (WIC) | 3 |
SWK 44292 | FIELD EXPERIENCE II (ELR) | 3 |
Social Work Elective | 3 | |
General Electives | 6 | |
Credit Hours | 15 | |
Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 120 |
The Kent State University Bachelor of Social Work Program has achieved candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA).
Candidacy for a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the BOA indicates that it has made progress toward meeting standards of program quality evaluated through a peer review accreditation process. A program that has attained candidacy status has demonstrated a commitment to meeting the standards set by the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) but has not yet demonstrated full compliance. Students that are admitted to candidate programs in the fall (or later) of the academic year in which the program is granted candidacy status will be retroactively recognized as graduates from a CSWE-BOA accredited program as long as the program attains initial accreditation. Candidacy is typically a 3-year process and attaining candidacy does not guarantee that a program will eventually attain initial accreditation.
Candidacy applies to all program options, which includes locations and delivery methods.
Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.
Review our program’s candidacy status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs (https://www.cswe.org/accreditation/about/directory/?). For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation.
Graduates of Kent State University's Bachelor of Science in Social Work are prepared for various careers in the social work industry, including roles in management, consulting, and specialized fields.
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