Program Overview

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Program Overview & Highlights

• Honours 4-Year Program
• B.S.W.

Make a difference in your community and become a positive influence in people's lives. Our social work grads are in high demand and you'll find the work meaningful and rewarding. You will make friends for life in this tight-knit program based in a modern, landmark building just steps from the waterfront. You'll have lots of opportunities for hands-on learning including placements in year 4, joining clubs, and volunteering in the community.

Hands-on experiential learning opportunities to prepare you for a successful career

Gain 700 hours of real experience working in local schools, hospitals, and non-profits in our 4th year practicum course

Join a tight-knit community of like-minded peers in the Social Work Student Association and participate in workshops, galas, and more

Learn More About Our Program

• 700 hours of hands-on experience in 4th year practicum course
• 1 over 400 potential placements, including local schools and hospitals
• 95% of our graduates are employed within 2 years
• 139K hours of service contributed by FAHSS students in the community
• 200+ undergraduate students have published or presented original research in FAHSS

Faculty & Staff

Student Recruitment Officer

• Selena Randhawa
• Recruiter - Business, FAHSS, Law, Education

Recruitment & Outreach Coordinator

• Sheri Lowrie
• FAHSS Recruitment and Outreach Coordinator

Admission Requirements

High School Student from Canada

• Course Requirements: English/ENG4U (min. avg. 60%)
• Minimum Average: 70%
• Mean Average: 80%

High School Student from Outside Canada and the United States (International)

• Course Requirements: English/ENG4U
• Minimum Average: 70%
• Mean Average: 80%

Career Tracks

• Child welfare worker
• Community support worker
• Mental health counsellor
• Parole officer
• Human rights advocate
• Social worker
• Addictions counsellor
• Advocate
• Bereavement specialist
• Business advisor
• Case worker
• Child and youth worker
• Community developer
• Community support worker
• Consultant
• Counsellor
• Family service worker
• Health and safety manager
• Health educator
• Human resources manager
• Human rights officer
• Law enforcement officer
• Lawyer
• Legal consultant
• Mental health counsellor
• Policy analyst
• Settlement worker

Related Programs

• Social Work and Disability Studies
• Family and Social Relations
• Social Work and Women's Studies

Plan Your Program

Term: Fall 2025

Important Notes

1. ENGL-1010 is required for all FAHSS Majors. Students with 80% or higher in Grade 12 ENG4U (or equivalent) are exempt from this course requirement and will substitute it with an additional course from any area of study.
2. All FAHSS programs require students to take one course with Indigenous content, perspectives, or materials. This can be done at any time during the student's undergraduate education. See this link for course options: Not all Indigenous content courses are offered every term.
3. Students studying within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences are encouraged to review the FAHSS Overview page.

Required Course Notes

Major Courses

• SWRK 1170: Meeting Human Needs Through Social Welfare

Required Courses

• ENGL 1010

Recommended Other Courses:

• GART 1210 (see note 2)
• Electives from one of the following disciplines: Communication, Media & Film; Disability Studies; Family and Social Relations; History; Political Science; Psychology; Sociology; Women's and Gender Studies. (Students need 6 electives from any ONE of these disciplines to proceed with 3rd year of the social work program)

Recommended Other Courses

• Science: See list of science courses for non-science majors
• Any area of study

Required Courses

ENGL 1010: Academic Writing

An introduction to the fundamentals of effective writing in academic contexts. Topics may include language, essay writing conventions, critical thinking, research, editing and revising, and academic integrity. (1.5 lecture, 1.5 laboratory hours per week.) (Arts elective only; does not count for credit in the major or minor course requirements of any English or English and Creative Writing degree programs.) (Credit cannot be obtained for both ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1001 or GART 1510.)

SWRK 1170: Meeting Human Needs through Social Welfare

This course examines the historical, philosophical and political aspects of the development and delivery of the Canadian Social Welfare System. Special attention will be focussed on ways to identify and assess the needs of, and services to, vulnerable populations within the context of social and cultural diversity.

Recommended Courses

GART 1210: An Introduction into Indigenous Topics

This course introduces students to Indigenous histories, perspectives, and modern realities through an Indigenous lens. The role of colonization is introduced as Indigenous relationships on Turtle Island changed as a result of contact and colonization. This survey course provides a learning opportunity for students to engage in Indigenous pedagogy and worldview as they learn how history impacts the contemporary lives of Indigenous people. Through exploring relationships, this course engages critical reading, writing and thinking skills through course lectures and seminar activities. The history of relations assists in understanding how colonization's policies and statutory documents thereafter affected Indigenous peoples, such as the Royal Proclamation, Treaties, the Indian Act, the British North America Act (1867), and the Constitution Act (1982). Today, these colonial-state governance documents are a significant part of Indigenous-Crown and Indigenous-settler relations. (2 lecture hours and 1 tutorial hour per week.) (Also offered as SOSC-1210.)

SOSC 1210: An Introduction into Indigenous Topics

This course introduces students to Indigenous histories, perspectives, and modern realities through an Indigenous lens. The role of colonization is introduced as Indigenous relationships on Turtle Island changed as a result of contact and colonization. This survey course provides a learning opportunity for students to engage in Indigenous pedagogy and worldview as they learn how history impacts the contemporary lives of Indigenous people. Through exploring relationships, this course engages critical reading, writing and thinking skills through course lectures and seminar activities. The history of relations assists in understanding how colonization's policies and statutory documents thereafter affected Indigenous peoples, such as the Royal Proclamation, Treaties, the Indian Act, the British North America Act (1867), and the Constitution Act (1982). Today, these colonial-state governance documents are a significant part of Indigenous-Crown and Indigenous-settler relations. (2 lecture hours and 1 tutorial hour per week.) (Also offered as GART-1210.)