Social Work

Career potential

The field of social work ensures that people have equal access to resources, services and opportunities. Social workers encourage social change by striving to end discrimination, oppression, poverty and other forms of social injustice. As a social worker, you will help to improve the lives of individuals, families and communities that are vulnerable or oppressed. Social workers believe all people have dignity and worth and can achieve their full potential when provided adequate resources. Some positions where social workers are utilized include:

• child welfare, family service agencies and programs serving older adults by investigating reports of abuse or neglect
• group homes for abused or troubled children and teenagers
• grandparents raising grandchildren
• public schools helping students with emotional and behavioral problems
• community mental health or substance abuse treatment centers providing counseling across the lifespan
• hospitals linking patients with the resources they need to be discharged
• state mental hospital or psychiatric clinic providing services and counseling to people with developmental disabilities or psychological problems
• retirement centers and nursing homes with older people and their families
• criminal justice agencies helping juvenile delinquents or adult offenders
• state agencies that help people find jobs
• employee assistance programs at large businesses
• home health care agencies helping older adults or persons with disabilities get the resources they need to remain living in their homes
• nonprofit organizations serving people with specific needs such as those in poverty, older adults or persons with AIDS, Alzheimer's disease or cancer
• local community or state agencies developing policies or programs to meet large social needs
• working with legislators and state officials to impact the quality of life for Texas citizens

UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies and interview preparation.

Majoring in social work

UNT's Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions offers a bachelor of social work degree. The program is designed to give you a solid foundation in knowledge, skills and values. You will have opportunities to work with the community, practice skills, test knowledge, get involved in social work organizations and network from the beginning of your studies. The program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education [1725 Duke Street, Suite 500, Alexandria, Va., 22314-3457, (703) 683-8080].

The program will prepare you as a general social work professional working with diverse people in various social work settings and help prepare you to take the required state licensing exam.

Because the social work program is in the College of Public Affairs and Community Service alongside programs in rehabilitation, addictions, aging, criminal justice, emergency management and behavior analysis, you will have a chance to enhance your social work skills with training in special settings where you might decide to work.

If you want to major in social work at UNT, you must make a formal application for admission to the program in your sophomore year. Admission may be restricted based on the number of openings in the program. When applying, you must have a minimum 2.25 overall grade point average. Admission is based on performance in prerequisite classes, answers provided in written essays and a semester-by-semester plan for graduation. An interview with a faculty member may also be required.

Social work faculty members are researchers and practitioners working in such diverse areas and population groups as:

• program evaluation
• relationship violence
• social welfare policy
• teenage pregnancy
• aging
• spirituality
• lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues
• child welfare

Their research has been published in nationally recognized journals and presented regularly at national conferences. Social work faculty members are also outstanding teachers. Social work faculty members have won "Top Prof" teaching awards from Mortar Board, a senior honor society.

Getting hands-on experience

Social work majors will have service learning projects in the introduction and practice courses that provide opportunities to apply classroom learning to real life situations. Students seeking the bachelor's degree are required to take a one semester internship at a social work agency. Internships take place in various settings, such as working with women in a battered women's shelter, people with AIDS, children, older adults, people with mental illness, or people with chronic or acute illnesses. Faculty members in social work will help you choose an internship that meets your interests and learning needs.

Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through the UNT office of Cooperative Education and Internships. You may earn academic credit and money and gain valuable work experience. Co-op employers pay extremely well, and the jobs usually last several semesters, often until graduation.

More than 800 employers work with the office to provide excellent learning opportunities, many of which become permanent full-time positions upon graduation. The office also assists with placing students in internships which last for one full semester or summer.

Preparing for UNT

If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• English … 4 years
• Math … 4 years
• Social science — economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Science … 3 years
• Foreign language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.

As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

As a social work major, you will also take courses in social welfare policy, human behavior, ethnic and cultural diversity, research, practice methods and a field internship. These classes will help you gain skills in advocacy, interpersonal communication and the social work problem solving process. You will learn assessment and intervention techniques to employ with diverse populations across the lifespan.

Charting your path with academic advising

Academic advisors in the College of Public Affairs and Community Service and faculty members in the social work program will help you select courses necessary to earn your bachelor's degree and help you plan your schedule of classes each semester. Enrollment in some upper-level social work classes is restricted to majors only.

Faculty members will help you explore your career goals and prepare for social work practice upon graduation.

The department office is in Chilton Hall, Room 218. If you are interested in social work or are considering social work as a career option, it is strongly recommended that you meet with the social work advisor in the college's Office of Student Services in Chilton Hall, Room 289, as soon as possible. For more information, go to www.pacs.unt.edu/baas.

Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the current catalog.