Social Work

Be an Advocate and Change Lives With Your Social Work Degree

Everyone deserves the opportunity to lead a happy and fulfilling life. However, difficult circumstances sometimes prevent families and communities from thriving. At-risk populations need a voice to advocate for them and push for equal opportunities for success.
With your social work degree from South Carolina State University, you can be the advocate who will make a tangible difference in someone’s life. You will lead the charge. You’ll learn and practice skills to effect change at the local, state, and national levels.
South Carolina State University graduates enhance the well-being of communities and empower vulnerable populations, including those who are oppressed or live in poverty. Work directly with individuals to help them solve problems and cope with the hazards of daily life and advocate for social and economic justice for all members of a community.

Get firsthand experience in your community

At SC State, every Social Work major will complete a one-year internship and no less than 30 community service hours to satisfy the social worker degree requirements and prepare for a career in social work. The internship gives students relevant experience in supporting and serving their communities and often leads directly to employment after graduation.

Method of Instruction

• Face-to-face

Social Work Degree Program Highlights

South Carolina State’s social work degree program will prepare you for a career in social work and provide you with many opportunities to learn and practice skills to effect change within your communities and the world.

Experiential learning

To satisfy the social work degree requirements, you will complete a two-semester supervised field experience in a social service agency. The primary intervention focus of the field experience is with individuals and small groups. In your second semester, you will engage in macro-level intervention (community, organization, and society).

Scholarship and financial aid opportunities

Students in their junior year of the program are eligible for the BSW Tuition Assistance Program, which provides financial tuition assistance to selected undergraduate-level Social Work majors who are committed to working with the children and families served by the South Carolina Department of Social Services for at least two years after graduation.

Networking and career-building opportunities for Social Service majors

South Carolina State University offers student life and networking opportunities specifically for Social Work majors. Interested students can join the Phi Alpha Honor Society or the Social Work Club to network with other students who share an interest in a career in social work.

Expert advising and faculty support

Learn one-on-one from experts with a career in social work who have participated in research and written publications. The faculty at South Carolina State University will support you through academic and career advising to ensure you satisfy the social worker degree requirements and are on track to graduate with a degree that aligns with your career choice.

What Can You Do With a Social Work Degree From SC State?

South Carolina State’s social work program will prepare you for many different types of social worker careers. Upon graduation, you’ll be a competent, ethical, and effective generalist practitioner for entry-level practice with individuals, families, small groups, communities, and organizations.
As you gain experience in the field, you’ll have the opportunity to use your skills in many different types of social worker careers, including mental health, substance abuse counseling, health care, family and children services, education, and government.
The role of social work is evolving and growing. The focus has shifted from treating problems to focusing on prevention and early intervention. Therefore, demand for skilled social workers has grown. The field is expected to continue growing faster than the average for all occupations over the next 10 years.

Social work careers

SC State social work graduates hold titles in many different types of social worker careers, such as:

• Case manager for a Department of Social Services
• Domestic violence counselor
• Forensic social worker
• Probation officer
• School social worker
• Substance abuse counselor

Social Worker Degree Requirements

A career in social work is rooted in a fundamental commitment to helping people and communities identify, prevent, and solve problems. The program curriculum is designed to provide you with the specific social work knowledge, skills, and appropriate values for working effectively with a diverse population of individuals, groups, organizations, and communities with various backgrounds and identities.
To achieve this objective, and to satisfy the social worker degree requirements, you will receive instruction in the areas of:

• Social welfare policy and services
• Social work methods of intervention
• Human behavior in the social environment
• Research
  You will implement learned knowledge and skill in laboratory classes and social service agencies through the field instruction program.

Supplement your coursework with electives to broaden your social work knowledge and skill

Because there are many different types of social worker jobs and work settings, students will choose at least two elective courses (six credit hours) from more than 30 options. Interested students may request approval for additional electives. Elective courses include:

• Cultural Anthropology
• Child Welfare
• Grief, Death, and Dying
• International Social Welfare Policy
• Personality, Culture, and Society
• Marriage and the Family