College-level Requirements

Please see the appropriate college listing for college-level academic requirements.

Program Requirements

General requirements for a major in social work consist of a minimum of 59 hours of social work courses, plus at least 45 quarter hours of liberal arts foundation courses.

Additional Requirements

In addition to these foundation courses, 27 hours are taken in the social sciences, including at least one course in each of the following areas:

anthropology
economics
political science
sociology

The choice of courses in these disciplines is left to you, with the approval of your advisor and the permission of the instructor. You may use social work elective courses to substitute for up to a maximum of four hours of this social sciences requirement.

Admission to the Professional Major

Admission to the program is divided into two stages: preprofessional and professional. Freshmen are admitted as preprofessional majors (major code ND6603) to work on freshman- and sophomore-level requirements. To be admitted to the professional program, you are required (regardless of whether you are an Ohio University student or a transfer student) to submit an application and admissions essay to the department’s screening committee. Applications are accepted during the second full week of each quarter; forms and guidelines are available from the department. To be considered, you must have completed a minimum of 48 quarter hours (12 quarter hours at OU for transfer students), with a minimum overall GPA of 2.5. In addition, you must have completed:

1. both SW 101 and SW 290 with a minimum grade of C in each course;
2. BIOS 103, PSY 221, PSY 273, as well as one course in any two of these areas: anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology;
3. Tier I composition (ENG 151, 152) and quantitative skills (MATH 113 recommended) requirements;
4. at least one quarter of the foreign language requirement other than high school;
5. a paid or volunteer social work experience.

Meeting minimal requirements does not ensure admission to the major. To maintain compliance with the Council on Social Work Education student/faculty ratio standards, no more than 40 students are admitted annually.

To enroll in the senior-level practice sequence (SW 396, 397, 398; SW 491A–C; SW 492A–C), you must have been admitted to the major. In addition, you are expected to have:

1. maintained an overall GPA of 2.5;
2. completed one year of the foreign language requirement; and
3. completed all prerequisites for the sequence.