College: Arts & Sciences, Social Work Program
Program Site: Traverse City
Visit the Social Work Student Website
Advance in a field that offers both personal and professional rewards!
A Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) prepares you to make a real contribution. It also opens doors for a variety of career
options. The comprehensive BSW program offered through Ferris State University gives
you solid preparation to enter the social work field as a professional with a generalist
perspective. The program is built around a practice model that is appropriate for
a wide variety of human service settings, including child and youth programs, mental
health and substance abuse agencies, senior centers, long term care facilities, employment
agencies, and court systems. The BSW program prepares you for employment in positions
such as child welfare worker, case manager, parole officer, client advocate and program
coordinator. Also, the Ferris BSW program enables you to continue your education in
graduate school - a necessary step for those wishing to advance in management and
clinical positions.
Take a Closer Look
The general coursework of the Northwestern Michigan College's associate degree provides
a liberal arts foundation that includes courses in communication, math, science, humanities,
psychology and sociology. All introductory social work coursework is offered at NMC
during the first and second year of the program. This coursework provides, an overview
of the history, values, and skills of the social work profession, and introduces students
to the many job opportunities of social work.
In the third and fourth years of the program, Ferris coursework builds on the knowledge, skills and values introduced in the first two years, and includes advanced courses in the theory and practice models of social work, research, policy and advanced interviewing skills.
The program also requires an introductory field experience assignment (120 hours) and a two-semester field instruction assignment. (480 hours) These assignments are in approved agencies, and will be made in student's home/work area whenever possible. Your advisor will work closely with you to make sure your field assignments suit your career goals and fit in with your work and family responsibilities.
A Schedule You Can Live With
This program is offered in partnership with Northwestern Michigan College, so that
all classes can be taken in Traverse City. All Ferris classes at the NMC University
Center are offered in the evenings to accommodate your busy schedule.
Classes That Work
Since the typical student in this program is already working either full- or part-time,
course work is designed to build on job experience with a balance of practical and
theoretical learning. If you're already working in the human services field, your
papers and special projects may be work-related, so the time you spend earning your
credits also enhances your job performance.
Your Best Choice
Choosing to complete your BSW through Ferris is a smart move for a number of reasons.
Basic Admission Requirements
To be admitted to this program you must have at least 48 transferable credits from
an accredited college or university, a GPA of 2.3 overall or above, and a 2.0 or higher
in each class being transferred.
