Social Work | Academic Advising Handbook

Academic Advising

Social Work is housed in the Social Work and Public Health Department. The department offers the following majors and minors:

Students interested in majoring in Social Work must apply to the major. This is done after successfully completing the Principles of Social Work course (SOCWK 201). Transfer students can apply for the major in their first year at Pacific. Application materials are available on the Social Work program webpages. Students can declare the major after acceptance into the Social Work program.

Students should be aware that the Social Work Program includes substantial time in field placements in various courses and a 440-hour practicum senior year.

We do not offer a minor in Social Work.

Content

Course Schedule

4 year

2 year

Major Requirements

 

Suggested Course Schedule

Sample 4-year schedule

Students pursuing a social work major over four years have some flexibility in scheduling. The following outline is intended as a guide and lists only courses for the major in social work. Students must, of course, take courses to fulfill all College and core requirements. Coursework in the major must have a grade of "C-" or better and students must maintain a 2.75 average in the major. 

Freshman Year

Course Credits

SOC 110, 120,130, OR 150

 4
PSY 150 - Intro to Psychology 4

Sophomore Year

Course Credits
SOCWK 201 - Principles of Social Work 4

SOCWK 320 - Human Behavior in the Social Environment

 4
Social Work Elective 4
Social Work Elective 4

Junior Year

Course Credits
SOCWK 310 4
SOC 301 OR PSY 350 OR MATH 207 OR SOC 302 4
SOCWK 300 4
SOCWK 301 4
SOCWK 351 4

SOCWK 325 

 4
SOCWK 480 1

Senior Year

Course Credits
SOCWK 481 12
 

Sample 2-year schedule

The courses that transfer students need to take in order to complete the social work major in 2 years will depend upon each student’s previous coursework. Typically, transfer
students will transfer in some lower division course work.

Junior Year

Course Credits
SOCWK 201 4
SOCWK 320 4
SOCWK 310 4
SOCWK 325 4
SOCWK 300 4
SOCWK 301 4
SOCWK 351 4
SOCWK 480 1

Senior Year

Course Credits
Social Work Elective 4
Social Work Elective 4
SOCWK 481 12

Major Requirements

The Social Work major must complete the following core courses with a grade of “C-” or better and maintain a 2.75 average in the major.

Course Number Course Title Credits
PSY 150 Introduction to Psychology 4
SOC 110
   OR
SOC 120
   OR
SOC 130
   OR
SOC 150		 Understanding the Apocalypse
   OR
Image, Society, and Identity
   OR
Stump the Sociologist
   OR
Special Topics		 4
SOCWK 201 Principles of Social Work 4
SOCWK 310 Social Work Research Methods 4
SOC 301
   OR
MATH 207
   OR
SOC 302		 Social Statistics
   OR
General Elementary Statistics
   OR
Survey Research		 4
SOCWK 300 Micro Social Work Practice 4
SOCWK 301 Macro Social Work Practice 4
SOCWK 320 Human Behavior in the Social Environment 4
SOCWK 325 Counseling and Interviewing Techniques 4
SOCWK 351 Social Policy and Social Justice 4
SOCWK 480 Pre-Practicum Seminar 1
SOCWK 481 Social Work Practicum 12

Students must complete two elective courses from the following list. Additional elective courses will be considered with approval from the Social Work Program Director

Course Number Course Title
SOCWK 355 Special Topics
ANTH 101 Introduction to Anthropology
ANTH 311 Medicine, Body, and Culture*
CJLS 200 Criminal Justice*
DS 204 Working with People with Disabilities
GSS 200 Introduction to Queer Studies*
GSS 201 Introduction to Gender & Sexuality*
GSS 217 Gender & Sexuality*
HUM 325 Hispanics in the United States*
MT 190 Introduction to Music Therapy*
PH 330 Promoting Community Health*
POLS 321 Protest, Dissent, and Social Change*
PSY 202 Health Psychology*
PSY 208 Addictions & Society*
PSY 211 Abnormal Psychology
PSY 240 Child Development*
PSY 358 Psychology of Ethnic Diversity in the U.S.*
PSY 361 Psychology of Gender*
PSY 445 Children & Violence*
SOC 304 Criminology
SOC 305 Racism & Ethnicity in Hawaii*
SOC 309 Families
SOC 312 Social Interaction*
SOC 315 Gender and Sexuality*
SOC 318 Racism & Ethnicity in Hawaii Travel*
SOC 319 Sociology of Medicine
SOC 321 Sociology of the City
SOC 333 Drugs & Society*
SOC 347 Global Cap Neo-Colonial Inequalities
SOC 360 Critical Race Theory*
SOC 366 Deviance
SOCWK 215 Conflict Resolution*
SOCWK 216 Basic Mediation*

Total: 61 Credits

Social Work students are strongly encouraged to take Human Biology (BIOL 110) or Human Anatomy and Physiology (HBIO 230) since many MSW programs require a course in Human Biology as a pre-requisite.

The Social Work Program does not give academic credit for life or previous work experience.

REV 2020