Social Work
College of Liberal Arts
Department of Social Work
907-474-7240
www.uaf.edu/socwork/
Minimum Requirements for Degree: 120 credits
We educate generalist social work practitioners to promote the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities, emphasizing the diversity and uniqueness of rural Alaska.
We create a community of critical thinkers dedicated to becoming competent, culturally sensitive professionals engaged in lifelong learning. We prepare students for generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities; to integrate the values and ethics of the social work profession into generalist practice; to apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments; to engage diversity in generalist practice to advance human rights and advocate for social and economic justice; and to understand bio-psycho-social, spiritual, and cultural functioning and apply it to all client systems.
Graduates in social work qualify for beginning practice positions in child welfare, mental health, services for the aged, family agencies, youth programs, health services, Native corporations and other social agencies. Social work applies knowledge in the behavioral sciences to deal with the emotional and social problems of individuals, families and communities.
The curriculum includes a liberal arts base, foundation requirements in the behavioral sciences, and sequences in social policy and services, practice methods and field instruction. A major emphasis is the preparation of the student for beginning social work practice with rural and Alaska Native populations.
Students learn to engage people on a personal level and are placed in a social service agency as part of their course work during the senior year. Students must apply to participate in a senior field placement and are required to complete a minimum of 400 hours over the course of two semesters in a social service agency practicing the skills learned in the program.
The UAF baccalaureate social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. This degree program is delivered collaboratively within the UA system.
- Complete the general university requirements. (As part of the core curriculum requirements, complete SOC F100X or ANTH F100X; and BIOL F100X, F103X, F115X, F116X, F213X, or F214X.)
- Complete the BA degree requirements. (As part of the BA degree requirements, complete ANS/ANTH F242 and PSY F101.)
- Compete the following program (major) requirements:*
- Complete the following:
SWK F103--Introduction to Social Work--3 credits
SWK F220--Ethics, Values and Social Work Practice--3 credits
SWK F305O--Social Welfare History--3 credits
SWK F306--Social Welfare: Policies and Issues--3 credits
SWK F320W--Rural Social Work--3 credits
SWK F341--Human Behavior in the Social Environment I--3 credits
SWK F342--Human Behavior in the Social Environment II--3 credits
SWK F375W--Research Methods in Social Work--3 credits
SWK F440--Social Work Practice with Military Families--3 credits
SWK F460--Social Work Practice I--3 credits
SWK F461--Practicum in Social Work I**--3 or 6 credits
SWK F463--Social Work Practice II--3 credits
SWK F464--Practicum in Social Work II**--3 or 6 credits
SWK F466--Practicum in Social Work III**--0 or 3 or 6 credits - Complete two courses from the following special problems areas:
HUMS F205--Basic Principles of Group Counseling--3 credits
HUMS F305--Substance Abuse Counseling--3 credits
SWK F310--Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder--3 credits
SWK F330--Seminar in International Social Work--3 credits
SWK F350W--Women's Issues in Social Welfare and Social Work Practice--3 credits
SWK F360--Child Abuse and Neglect--3 credits
SWK F370--Services and Support for an Aging Society--3 credits
SWK F470--Substance Abuse Theories and Treatment--3 credits
SWK F484--Seminar in Social Work Practice Areas--3 credits
- Complete the following:
- Minimum credits required--120 credits
* Students must earn a C- grade or better in each course.
** Students must complete a total of 12 credits of practicum, and students must take SWK F461 (Practicum I) and SWK F464 (Practicum II) for at least 6 of these credits. SWK F466 (Practicum III) is an option for students who have completed SWK F461 and SWK F464 for less than 12 credits.
- Complete the following:
SWK F103--Introduction to Social Work--3 credits
SWK F220--Ethics, Values and Social Work Practice--3 credits - Complete three SWK designated courses, excluding SWK F460, F461, F463 and F464--9 credits
- Minimum credits required--15 credits