Students with the associate degree are usually considered to have fulfilled most of SIUE’s general education requirements. However, the social work program has specific skills and general education requirements that must be fulfilled, even if the University’s general education requirements are met. Social work courses are only accepted for transfer from programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Because community colleges are not eligible to be accredited by CSWE social work courses taken at community colleges are not transferable to the social work major at SIUE.
Social Work’s skills and general requirements are listed below. SIUE course numbers are shown in parentheses. See your community college advisor for the equivalent course numbers at your community college.
Introduction to Economics (ECON 111 – Principles of Macroeconomics)
Introduction to Biology (BIOL 111 Contemporary Biology)
U.S. World History (HIST 201 United States History and Constitution: 1877-Present)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 111 Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Anthropology (ANTH 111 Introduction to Anthropology)
Introduction to Statistics (STAT 107 Concepts of Statistics)
Logic or Critical Thinking (PHIL 106 Critical Thinking)
One additional course in Philosophy (Any PHIL except 106)
Speech (SPC 103 Interpersonal Communication)
Please note no other speech course will be accepted for the social work major.
Political Science (POLS 112 American National Government and Politics)
Social Psychology (PSYC 206 Social Psychology)
For students who want to go beyond minimum requirements and get the best preparation possible for upper-level courses and a career in social work, the following suggestions are made:
Achieve basic conversational fluency in Spanish. There are many areas of the country where this accomplishment will greatly enhance employability now, and we expect this trend to continue.
Other languages may be helpful working in programs with recent immigrants, such as Russian, Vietnamese, Chinese, etc. These services tend to be located in “port of entry” metropolitan areas. However, there are large Spanish-speaking communities in many areas and a chronic shortage of professionals who speak Spanish and are familiar with Hispanic culture.
Any courses that deal with human behavior, human diversity, and how people interact with their environments, such as psychology, human sexuality, health & nutrition, human ecology, inter-racial communication and minority cultures are also encouraged.
Computer literacy. Most social agencies will have computerized record keeping and information retrieval systems for social workers within the next decade. Also, social work programs require computer usage in research and social policy courses. This trend is expected to continue.
Transferring In - The First Semester
You should be prepared to supply a syllabus, papers, exams, assignments, etc. for any courses you wish to have considered as transfer for the social work major requirements.
Even though students are not assigned to a faculty advisor in their major until they have declared, students can get “informal advising” about social work planning before that if they have questions. Call Shirley Rakers (650-5976) or the Department of Social Work (650-5758). Or, you can sign up for an appointment with Ms. Rakers. You may call the department office to schedule an appointment. A handout on procedures for declaring a major in social work is available in the department office, room 1306, Peck Hall.