Admission to the BSW Program

Throughout the program, you will have many unique learning opportunities through challenging core course work, a robust selection of social work elective courses, and diverse field practicum settings. In an effort to accommodate student schedules, many courses are offered in hybrid (reduced-seat time), online, and evening formats. The field practicum experience is a signature element of the overall BSW learning experience. The first step to pursuing a BSW degree is to declare social work as a major. 

Please explore the sections below to learn more about BSW program requirements, the suggested progression of courses, and formally applying to the BSW Program. 


Applying to the BSW Program

The BSW program operates under a selective admissions policy. All students who intend to major in social work start as pre-social work majors. Pre-social work majors enroll in general education courses and social work foundation courses. After completing all the general education courses that are prerequisites for social work courses, and the social work foundation courses, pre-majors who meet the social work admission criteria may apply to the social work major. To take any social work course beyond the foundation or pre-social work major courses, students must apply to and be accepted into the BSW program. Students apply to the program in their first Junior semester as a part of the SWK 3050 course.

 Admission to the BSW Program Requires:

That the student is admitted to The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

That the student has successfully has completed no less than 75% of their General Education and that all social work prerequisite courses are complete, including ENG 1050, ENG 1060, ENG 3700, PLS 1000 or 1010, SOC 1020 or SOC (AIS) 1050 or 2010, ECN 1000 or 2020 or 2030 or GGY 2060, PSY 1010, MAT 1050 or 1070 or 1080 or 1090 or 2150 or 2210, and BIO 1030, or BIO 2110

That the student has an overall GPA of 2.50 or above.

That the student has successfully completed all pre-social work courses each with a minimum grade of C:  SWK 2000 (Introduction to Social Work), SWK 2450 (Human Diversity and Populations-at-Risk), SWK 3450 (Human Behavior and the Social Environment), SWK 3050 (Success and Professionalism in Social Work), and SWK 3800 (Social Work Practice I).

Satisfactory score on admission essay. 

Two professional references. 

and 40 hours of volunteer experience 

Applications are to be submitted during the SWK 3050 courseApplications must be submitted by November 15th for Fall semester applicants or April 15th for Spring semester applicants.