BSW Admission and Retention Policy

This admission policy will outline the process of admission and requirements for admission to the social work major. It will continue with a description of the make up, role and responsibilities of the "Admission Committee."   Lastly the policy will describe the standards for acceptance, and notification of students who apply. 

Admission Process

Students are admitted into the program after completing 60 credit hours of study (usually at the beginning of their junior year). Students should apply in their sophomore year for admission. 

Students need to have completed and/or presently be enrolled in all foundations courses and SOCW 0103 at the time of application. Any student who applies without having successfully completed all foundations courses and SOCW 0103 at the time of application may be conditionally accepted pending successful completion of those courses. 

Interested students will need to complete and submit all of the following to the Program Director by the second week of classes in the Fall for Fall decisions and by the last day of classes in the Fall semester for Spring decisions. 

1.) Application (available on this website) 

2.) Personal Statement (approximately 4-10 double-spaced typed pages) 
This statement should include but not necessarily be limited to: 

a. reason for interest in entering the field of social work; 
b. assessment of personal strengths and limitations; 
c. examination of life experiences and relationship of these experiences to career choice. Discuss here evidence of your commitment to aiding people who are oppressed and/or members of vulnerable populations (good examples are prior work, civic or volunteer experiences); and 
d. assessment of personal values and congruence of these beliefs with the profession's value system. 
The personal statement will be evaluated regarding the above material and also will be considered a writing sample to evaluate your ability to express your self in written form. 3.) Current unofficial WSC transcript (including all accepted transfer credits) 

4.) Instructor Review Form (available on this website) 
This form is to be completed by the instructor who taught the student in SOCW 103 or its equivalent from another school. Students may download the form and then email it to his/her instructor.

All admission decisions will be made by the "Social Work Admission Committee." This committee will be comprised of all Social Work faculty members.  The committee will be able to: accept a student, accept a student conditionally, or reject the student. 

Standards for Acceptance

For acceptance into the social work major students will have: 

1.) a minimum overall GPA of 2.0; 

2.) a minimum GPA of 2.3 in social work and foundation courses; and no grade below a "C-" in any foundation courses or any social work courses taken; 

3.) shown evidence of sound written, interpersonal, and verbal communication skills; 

4.) emotional and mental stability to practice social work (including being free of substance abuse or mental health problems that may impact clients); 

5.) a commitment to the profession and adherence to the primary values and ethics of the field as set forth in the NASW Code of Ethics; and 

6.) evidence of a commitment to aiding people who are in oppressed or vulnerable groups (though prior volunteer work is not mandatory it is recommended and considered clear evidence of this acceptance standard).

The college and the social work program maintain and promote a policy of nondiscrimination against any person on the basis of race, gender, age, creed, ethnic or national origin, disability, political orientation, veteran status, marital status, or sexual orientation.

Notification of Students

Students will be informed of the status of their application prior to the beginning of registration in both the Fall and Spring semesters. Each student who applied will be sent a letter stating whether they have been accepted, conditionally accepted, or rejected. The letter also will include information for the student regarding how they should respond or proceed. 

Description of Types of Notification

1.) Acceptance 
In the cases where students are accepted they will be notified of the acceptance and who their advisor is. They will also be directed to make an appointment with this advisor to plan for the next semester and for their entire social work program at WSC. 

2.) Conditional Acceptance 
A student who appears to be a promising social worker but does not meet fully the above admission criteria or has not completed all foundation courses and SOCW 0103 may be conditionally admitted to the program at the discretion of the Admission Committee. The student will be sent a letter informing her/him of the conditional acceptance, the reasons for conditional acceptance and his/her responsibilities regarding being admitted. These responsibilities include the development of a written contract that addresses how the admission criteria not met will be ameliorated. This contract will be developed between the student and the program director and approved by the admission committee. This student also will be assigned an advisor and directed to make an appointment for planning with that advisor. 

3.) Rejection of student's application 
In the case where a student does not meet the criteria listed above, the student may be rejected. The student will receive a letter detailing the reasons for rejection and whether the committee feels the reasons for rejection can be ameliorated if the student wishes to work on the defined issues and reapply at a future date. Any student who wishes to take further social work courses after being rejected with the intent to reapply will be strongly encouraged to meet with the Program Director to develop a plan that has the highest potential for admission at a second application. Students who cannot make changes that will result in later acceptance will be clearly informed of this in their letter. 

Students who feel they were unfairly treated during the admission process are urged to meet with the Program Director to discuss their treatment. Further, students who feel unfairly treated have the right to appeal any decision made through the academic appeals process. 

Appeals Process

Students who feel they were unfairly treated during the admission process are urged to meet with the program director to discuss their treatment. Further, students who feel unfairly treated have the right to appeal any decision made by the admission committee through the academic appeals process. For details on appeals see the section titled “Student Responsibilities, Rights, and Appeals” in the Program Manual.

Probation/Dismissal Policy

This probation/ dismissal policy will describe the reasons for probation or dismissal from the Social Work Program. It will include the procedures for being placed on probation or dismissed and students' rights during the process of ameliorating problems or dismissal. 

Reasons for Termination from the Major:

In certain rare instances it may be necessary to place a student of the program on probation or dismiss a student from the major. The reasons for dismissal include: 

1.) serious or repeated violation of the social work ethics as outlined in the NASW Social Work Code of Ethics; 

2.) breaking a law in an agency-related matter or conviction of a felony during course of study (the discovery of a serious conviction that the student did not make the program aware of will also be considered grounds for action); 

3.) evidence of chemical dependency or illegal use of drugs while enrolled in the program;

4.) a serious breach of a field agency's policy; 

5.) a hostile or resistant attitude toward learning or supervision;

6.)  inappropriate or disruptive behavior towards colleagues, faculty, and staff at school or at the field placement;

7.) an inability to carry out one's assignments in an agency setting.

8.) behavior that is emotionally or physically damaging to clients.

9.) failure to maintain a a minimum overall GPA of 2.0;

10.)  repeated failure to receive a minimum of a "C-" in all foundation courses and any social work courses taken (students will be allowed to retake classes in which they do not receive a "C-"); and

11.) failure to retain a minimum GPA of 2.3 in social work and foundation courses (students will be provided with opportunities to raise GPA to this standard if their GPA drops below).
 
 

It is the hope of the program that problems will not develop to the point of dismissal. If a problem occurs that jeopardizes the standing of a student in the program, the admission committee will be informed and will examine the situation. Based on the severity of the problem, the committee may require the student to develop a plan with the Program Director to resolve the problem (probation) or may dismiss the student from the program. In the case of probation, the student will be required to develop a time line for handling the problem that is acceptable to the committee. At the end of this time period the committee will review the student's status in the program.

If a student feels she/he was unfairly treated during the probation process or the dismissal process he/she has the right to have their situation reviewed through the academic appeals process. 

Appeals Process

Students who feel they were unfairly treated during the admission process are urged to meet with the program director to discuss their treatment. Further, students who feel unfairly treated have the right to appeal any decision made by the admission committee through the academic appeals process. For details on appeals see the section titled “Student Responsibilities, Rights, and Appeals” in the Program Manual.

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updated 9/1/09