Program Overview

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Social Welfare, BA

The Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work core mission is to enhance human well-being and promote human rights and social and economic justice for people who are disadvantaged to achieve an equitable, healthy, and productive society. Cultural humility, anti-oppressive practice, and social justice are values central to the profession of social work and our school. Social work seeks to actively confront racism.

Program Description

Undergraduates in the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work receive a liberal arts education in the social and behavioral sciences and their application to human problems that prepares them to be informed citizens involved in human services or social welfare problems and policies. Students majoring in Social Welfare leverage their understanding of the historical context of social work and the systems and policies that underlie our society and learn strategies to address social, racial, economic, and environmental justice and political contexts. Students take courses in a variety of social sciences to enable them to view social welfare in its broad social, economic, and political contexts. The Social Welfare major offers an overview of current social problems and prepares students for further academic study or for employment in selected human service arenas.

Requirements for the Major

Complete a minimum of 32 credits, to be attained via the requirements detailed below.

Social Welfare Policy & Services

• Complete both:
  • SOC WORK 205: Introduction to the Field of Social Work (4 credits)
  • SOC WORK 206: Introduction to Social Policy (4 credits)

Social Science Concentration

Complete two Intermediate or Advanced level courses from one of the following social science concentration areas available from ten departments:

• African American Studies
• American Indian and Indigenous Studies
• Anthropology
• Asian American Studies
• Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies
• Economics
• Gender and Women's Studies
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology

Human Behavior & the Social Environment

• Complete both:
  • SOC WORK 457: Human Behavior and the Environment (3 credits)
  • SOC WORK 640: Diversity, Oppression and Social Justice in Social Work (3 credits)

Statistics & Research

• Statistics: Complete one course from:
  • STAT 301: Introduction to Statistical Methods (recommended)
  • STAT 371: Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences
  • PSYCH 210: Basic Statistics for Psychology
  • SOC/C&E SOC 360: Statistics for Sociologists I
• Research: Complete one course from:
  • SOC WORK 650: Methods of Social Work Research
  • PSYCH 225: Research Methods
  • SOC/C&E SOC 357: Methods of Sociological Inquiry

Electives in Social Welfare

Complete two Intermediate or Advanced level SOC WORK courses and at least 6 total credits of Social Work electives.

Residence and Quality of Work

• 2.000 GPA in all SOC WORK and all major courses
• 2.000 GPA on 15 upper-level major credits taken in residence
• 15 credits in SOC WORK, taken on the UWMadison campus

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify the historical foundations of the US social welfare system and the social work profession
2. Recognize human differences and how social welfare systems interact with these differences to shape opportunities and outcomes for individuals, groups, and communities.
3. Demonstrate an ability to critically evaluate research with respect to its relevance, quality, and utility for addressing social welfare issues.
4. Synthesize and communicate knowledge relevant to social welfare issues.
5. Practice self-awareness of ones values, beliefs, and biases regarding the causes and consequences of social welfare issues.
6. Connect awareness of self, systems and social welfare knowledge to promote human dignity and justice.

Four-Year Plan

This Four-Year Plan is only one way a student may complete an L&S degree with this major. Many factors can affect student degree planning, including placement scores, credit for transferred courses, credits earned by examination, and individual scholarly interests.

Advising and Careers

Students interested in either the Social Welfare major or Bachelor of Social Work meet with the Social Work advisors to discuss degree requirements; explore career paths; declare the major; and confer on student issues and concerns. Advisors are an excellent resource for information about campus and community services. Students should see an advisor at least once each semester to review academic progress.