Social Work Major

Improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree at Carlow University is designed to provide you with an understanding of human nature and cultural diversity. As a student in the program, you will participate in a fall and spring senior year, agency-based field placement, a corresponding classroom seminar, and at least 50 hours of volunteer service. This will equip you with the hands-on experience you need to work through upper-level coursework and graduate with real-world experience. 

The program is concentrated in social work theory and practice with a foundation of liberal arts studies. Throughout the curriculum, you will develop entry-level social work skills that can be translated into practice with individuals, families, organizations, and communities.

Quick facts

• Accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
• Experienced professors who continue to practice social work in their areas of expertise
• Concentration in Healthcare Social Work, Crisis and Trauma, Forensic Social Work, or Restorative Justice
• Minors for non-social work majors are offered in Healthcare Social Work, Behavioral Health, and Crisis and Trauma

Social work curriculum 

BSW majors are required to take 18 credits of restricted electives as part of the 120 credits to graduate from Carlow with a BSW degree. The 18 credits of restricted electives must be chosen from a specific set of disciplines, for example, Criminology, Psychology, Social Work, and a few other disciplines. The BSW Program strongly encourages social work majors to pursue one of the concentrations rather than taking a random selection of credits. Concentration can provide a competitive edge for internships and/or the job market and provide the opportunity for a career path.

Healthcare Social Work

The Healthcare Social Work concentration provides the student with a conceptual, ethical, and practice framework for social work practice in health care. Emphasis is on an overview of the United States health care system, the unique knowledge and skill base of social work in health care, the biopsychosocial/spiritual impact of illness on patients and their family members and/or support system, and the special psychosocial needs of populations most often served in health-related social work. The introduction to biomedical ethics is provided as well as the fundamental medical terminology necessary for social work practice in health care. 11 required credits (4 courses) plus, already required prerequisites for the BSW major.

Courses in Concentration

SW298 Social Work Pathways in Healthcare – 3 credits
SW309 Social Work Practice in Healthcare – 3 credits
SW404 Grief and Loss Across the Lifespan – 3 credits
HIM102 Medical Terminology – 2 credits

Forensic Social Work

Nationwide, there is an interest in training social workers who can work within criminal justice systems in a wide array of forensic practices. Likewise, BSW programs offer credentialing at the undergraduate level that makes graduates more marketable, especially if they are interested in working on the non-law-enforcement side of criminal justice practice. This concentration provides social work students with a greater understanding of issues related to the justice system and the rehabilitation and prevention needs of the next decade. BSW graduates with this concentration will be able to promote themselves as early career professionals in the growing field of forensic social work. 18 credits (6 CRM courses) that complete the 18 credits of restricted electives that all BSW majors must complete.

Courses in Concentration

CRM100 Introduction to Criminology – 3 credits
CRM101 Introduction to Criminal Justice – 3 credits
CRM300 Crime and Mental Health – 3 credits
CRM250 Criminal Law – 3 credits
CRM412 Forensic Informed Treatment and Practice – 3 credits
CRM413 Testimony and Attorney Collaboration – 3 credits

New courses in development with Criminology Department: CRM 250-Fall 2025, 412-Spring 2026, 413-Fall 2026 
*Students who wish to take a course(s) and are not a Forensic Social Work Concentration, may request to enroll in the course with permission from the CRM department chair/program director approval. 
** Forensic Social Work Concentration Courses must be taken at Carlow University. 

Crisis and Trauma

Studies in Crisis and Trauma provide a foundational focus ranging from immediate crisis assessment, intervention, and management through more specific issues such as child abuse prevention and treatment and partner violence, as well as investigating the impact of trauma for individuals and families. Concentration in Crisis and Trauma provides students with a solid foundation in theory and research pertaining to crisis, abuse and trauma. * Students are required to satisfy the requirements for the major and take the courses listed below. A minimum of six credits in Crisis and Trauma must be taken at Carlow University. 15 credits (5 courses) plus pre-requisite of 3 credits (1 course) which all BSW students must take for the major.

Courses in Concentration

Choose one of the following:
PY285 Introduction to Counseling – 3 credits
SW204 Theories and Methods of Direct Practice – 3 credits

Required:
PY/SW420 Impact of Trauma – 3 credits
PY/SW430 Crisis Intervention – 3 credits
PY/SW440 Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment – 3 credits

Choose one of the following:
PY/SW488 Intimate Partner Violence – 3 credits
PY/SW404 Grief and Loss Across the Lifespan – 3 credits

*Students who wish to take a course(s) and are not a Crisis and Trauma Concentration, may request to enroll in the course with permission from the department chair/program director approval.
** Minimum of six credits in Crisis and Trauma must be taken at Carlow University.

Restorative Justice

Studies in Restorative Justice provide a foundational focus in addressing community-based issues pertaining to inequities in the justice system as well as alternate methods for addressing crime-related issues beyond the typical incarceration models most often employed by the United States. Students are encouraged to consider how race and class affect interactions with the police and court systems. The concentration provides a solid foundation of theory, policy, and research to help students become active change agents as they enter the workforce. A minimum of 6 credits of these selected courses must be taken for a Restorative Justice concentration. These courses must be completed prior to the remainder of the concentration coursework. 12 credits (4 classes) plus 2 prerequisites (6 credits), a criminology pre-requisite, and a social work prerequisite which all BSW majors must take. 

Courses in Concentration

Required:
SW216 Communities, Organizations in Praxis – 3 credits
CRM375 Race, Class and Justice – 3 credits

Choose one of the following:
CRM285 Violence and Victims of Crime – 3 credits
CRM300 Crime and Mental Health – 3 credits
CRM303 Prisons and Society – 3 credits
CRM315 Juvenile Delinquency – 3 credits

Students who wish to take a course(s) and are not a Crisis and Trauma Concentration, may request to enroll in the course with permission from the department chair/program director approval.
** Minimum of six credits in Crisis and Trauma must be taken at Carlow University.

Upon completion of selected courses, social work majors must proceed with an application process into the upper-level social work requirements. This process must be completed prior to registering for field placement. Every social work major is required to participate in a 450-hour agency-based field placement, as well as a corresponding classroom seminar.

Additional information is available in the University’s course catalog.

Advanced Standing Track

Graduates that earn the BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited program qualify for application for advanced standing in a CSWE-accredited program such as Carlow’s MSW Program. The Advanced Standing track allows for full-time students to complete the MSW degree at Carlow in as few as 18 months (39 credits). 

Students who have earned an undergraduate social work degree from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited program within the past 7 years qualify for advanced standing status.  Advanced standing students can earn their MSW at Carlow by taking a minimum of 39- credits (an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above is required for advanced standing status).

Accreditation

The Bachelor of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). CSWE’s Commission on Accreditation is responsible for developing accreditation standards that define competent preparation and ensuring that social work programs meet them. CSWE administers a multistep accreditation process that involves program self-studies, site visits, and reviews. Carlow University’s next accreditation visit will be in 2028.

Resources

• View or download the Bachelor of Social Work field manual [pdf]. It contains information and documents specific to the field placement component of the program  
• View or download theBachelor of Social Work program handbook [pdf]. It contains policies, procedures and information about the program
• View or download theAssessment of Student Learning Outcomes [pdf]. 

Admission requirements and application process

Social Work faculty

Kathryn Bonach, PhD, LSW, LPC BSW Program Director, Associate Professor

Jessica Friedrichs, MSW, MPA Assistant Professor, Social Work and Director, BSW Field Education

Elizabeth Zimmerman-Clayton Assistant Professor, Social Work