Social Work
BSW
Why study Social Work?
Social work promotes human well-being by advocating for individuals, families, groups, and communities and providing avenues to improve financial and social status and interpersonal relationships.
Social workers practice in a wide range of service areas providing a variety of services, as the following description illustrates. They work with families in economic distress, offering help with basic needs such as food and housing. They work with persons with physical and mental disabilities and with older adults, providing care management connecting these clients to resources in the community that promote their ability to live independently. They investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect and provide counseling to families to correct these problems. They work with children in foster care, helping them adjust to new families and schools. They work with people with substance use problems, helping them find ways to recover from addiction and to become productive members of their communities. In all of these settings, social workers use the knowledge and skills acquired in undergraduate education for social work.
State Authorization
Federal regulations require the University of Cincinnati to publicly disclose whether completion of certain programs that lead or may lead to professional licensure or certification would meet a given state’s educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification required for employment in an occupation (regardless of whether the program is on-ground, online, or hybrid). To learn whether a University program meets a given state’s educational requirements, please visit the University of Cincinnati State Authorization webpage.
Admission Requirements
Our Admissions Office is happy to work with you to answer any questions you may have and help determine your eligibility. Contact us today!
Prerequisites
- You have a minimum of 60 completed credit hours from a regionally accredited institution
- You have a GPA of at least 2.75 across all college coursework
- You must obtain the equivalent of at least 11 of UC’s General Education Requirements listed below
- ECON 1001 or 1002
- ENGL 1001
- ENGL 2089
- HIST 1001 or 1002
- POL 1010
- PSYC 1001
- SOC 1001
- 3 Credit Hours in Human & Life Sciences
- 3 Credit Hours in Statistics
- 3 Credit Hours in Fine Arts
- 3 Credit Hours in Humanities
- 5 Credit Hours in Any Topic (Free Elective)
- 10 Credit Hours in Foreign Language Study and/or Cultural Competency Study
- SW 2050 or SOC 2075
- SW 2055 or SOC 20243
- To approximate which of your existing college credits will transfer, please visit: transferology.com
Transcript
You must request official transcripts from all colleges/universities that you have attended and have them sent directly from prior school to UC in one of the following ways;
Electronically: Prior institutions can send transcripts to admissions@uc.edu.
Physically: Requested transcripts should be sent directly to the following address.
University of Cincinnati Office of Admissions
PO Box 210091
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0091
Transcripts must bear the original signature of the authorized official with the seal of each institution.
Application
Complete the online UC application and pay a $50 fee.
Successful social workers are problem-solvers who like working with people and who are flexible, resourceful and tenacious. The helping process is rarely linear. Social workers must be willing to change their ideas to accommodate clients' experiences, aspirations, and goals. They need to understand the community where they are employed in order to make the best use of available resources.
The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program at UC’s online prepares students for entry-level generalist social work practice that is grounded in the values and knowledge base of the profession and promotes individual, family, group, community and organizational well-being.
The benefits of a career in social work
Social workers are driven by altruism — creating space for others to heal, for social justice to take place and for families to come together. Social workers strive for the betterment of their communities and our society as a whole.
High rates of job satisfaction are one of the greatest benefits of working as a social worker. Beyond that, jobs in this field often have many opportunities for advancement. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities in social work are expected to grow 13% over the next decade, far faster than the national average. The BLS reports that the median pay for social workers is $51,760.
Social workers find meaningful employment in a variety of settings, including mental health clinics, schools, child welfare and human service agencies, hospitals, settlement houses, community development corporations and private practices.
With high job satisfaction and great career stability, many social work positions appear on the U.S. News & World Report 100 Best Jobs. Social work is an excellent career choice for those driven by a desire to do good and make a positive impact.
Becoming a Social Worker [Licensure Information]
Graduates of our online bachelor’s degree in social work program are qualified to sit for the bachelor’s examination offered by the Association of Social Work Boards and to apply for licensing in states that offer social work licenses to BSW graduates. Licensing requirements are state specific and applicants should check with their state licensing board for specific requirements.
Through a partnership with CECH at the University of Cincinnati, students of our online social work program can gain additional credentials in Substance Abuse Counseling. By participating in this special course, students will fulfill the educational requirements for the Ohio Chemical Dependency Counseling Assistant Phase 1 (CDCA Phase 1) Exam or a similar exam in their home state. Students should check with their home state’s addictions counseling credentialing board for specific requirements.
Once licensed, becoming a social worker is a matter of pursuing opportunities in the fields that matter most to you. Our online Bachelor of Social Work graduates hold positions in many fields, including poverty reduction, homelessness, child or adult protective services, mental health, substance abuse and more.
The information provided is sourced from a third party, Lightcast. Their product, called Career Coach, combines extensive labor market data from Lightcast and the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics. It provides insights on industry, occupation, compensation, and projected growth for each profession. Economic and workforce information is available for various geographic regions. Some careers may require additional training or education.-
The University of Cincinnati has online enrollment services advisors (ESAs) available to help learners complete their application and get started in the Online Bachelor of Social Work program. If you have not already, please use the request information form above to be connected to an ESA today!
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Upon starting the program, a dedicated student success coordinator (SSC) will be assigned to all learners to help them achieve their academic goals. You will be introduced to your SSC as your first semester approaches, and they will be your primary liaison to the university all the way through graduation.
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The Online BSW program is ideal for students who have previous coursework in pre-social work or a similar major. Students can be admitted to the program during any semester (fall, spring, or summer).
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The Online BSW program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The UC BSW degree will be recognized by every master's in social work (MSW) graduate programs in the United States. Students can receive advanced standing credit toward the MSW degree in programs that offer this option.
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Graduates of the online BSW program are qualified to sit for the Bachelor’s examination offered by the Association of Social Work Boards and to apply for licensing in states which offer social work licenses to BSW graduates. Licensing requirements are state specific and applicants should check with their state licensing board for specific requirements.
Through a partnership with the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services at the University of Cincinnati, students in the Online BSW program can gain additional credentials in Substance Abuse Counseling. Through special electives, students will fulfill the educational requirements for the Ohio Chemical Dependency Counseling Assistant Phase 1 (CDCA Phase 1) Exam or a similar exam in their home state. Students should check with their home state’s addictions counseling credentialing board for specific requirements.
Certification for graduation requires an overall university GPA of 2.75 and a 2.75 GPA in all social work courses.
In order to apply to University of Cincinnati as a transfer student, learners must submit a transfer application form and have official transcripts sent directly to UC from all prior institutions they’ve attended.
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To request these transcripts, please contact your previous institution’s registrar and ask them to send the official transcript to the University of Cincinnati via an approved electronic method such as Parchment, eScrip-Safe, National Student Clearinghouse, or similar services. This is the preferred method. If electronic submission isn’t available, transcripts may be mailed to the Office of Admissions at:
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University of Cincinnati
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Office of Admissions
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PO Box 210091
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Cincinnati, OH 45221
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Learners who are currently enrolled at University of Cincinnati can apply to enter the online BSW program by following the major change instructions found on the Office of the Registrar’s website.
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Past UC students who have not attended any other institutions since their departure can apply to be readmitted to the university and enter the online BSW program by following the readmission instructions found on the Office of the Registrar’s website.
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Both of these applications are subject to the same admissions criteria listed above.
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Due to this program’s field work requirement, students are not eligible to complete the program while located outside of the United States.
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Applicants with college coursework completed outside the United States are required to provide a course-by-course foreign credential evaluation for each college or university you attended outside the United States. This evaluation must be obtained from a service listed on the NACES member website.
Explore unique opportunities, faculty, and resources available in School of Social Work
The BSW and MSW programs are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
Contact Information
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Program Code: 35BAC-SW-BSW-.SW-DL