Social Work, A.A.

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Program Code: S.SOW.AA

Graduation requirement: 60 credit hours

The profession of social work is devoted to helping people function optimally in their environment by providing direct and indirect services to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities and by working to improve social conditions.

Bachelor’s degree programs in social work prepare students for careers in public and private agencies such as child welfare, mental health, corrections, shelters, and many other workplaces. Students interested in completing bachelor’s degrees in social work are strongly encouraged to complete an Associate in Arts degree prior to transfer.

To transfer into an accredited bachelor’s degree program in social work as juniors, students need to complete a minimum of 60 semester credits (up to a maximum of 64 semester credits) from the below list. Students should contact their advisor about the particular social work baccalaureate program for specific entry requirements, including language requirements. Since admission is competitive, completion of these courses alone does not guarantee admission.

Program Notes

Recommended courses are designed to facilitate completion of the A.A. degree and transfer into a four-year college or university with junior standing in a chosen academic path.

Recommended General Education Courses

The following courses are recommended to fulfill General Education requirements for this degree:

Humanities
One of the following:
PHI 100 - Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking 3 credit hours
PHI 103 - Introduction to Philosophy 3 credit hours
PHI 105 - Introduction to Ethics 3 credit hours
Social/Behavioral Sciences
One of the following:
ANT 103 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology 3 credit hours
ECO 101 - Principles of Macroeconomics 3 credit hours
POS 122 - American National Government 3 credit hours
PSY 101 - Introduction to Psychology 4 credit hours
SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology 3 credit hours
SOC 203 - Diversity and Society 3 credit hours
Mathematics
MAT 108 - Introduction to Applied Statistics 3 credit hours
Life Sciences
One of the following:
BIO 101 - General Biology 4 credit hours
BIO 104 - Environmental Biology and Sustainability 4 credit hours
BIO 105 - Human Biology 4 credit hours
BIO 107 - Introduction to Evolution 4 credit hours
Physical Sciences
AST 101 - The Solar System 4 credit hours
OR AST 102 - Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe 4 credit hours

Recommended Elective Courses

The following courses are recommended as options to fulfill general electives for this degree:

SOC 220 - Introduction to Social Work 3 credit hours
Three of the following:
PSY 107 - Human Sexuality 3 credit hours
PSY 203 - Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach 3 credit hours
PSY 205 - Introduction to Social Psychology 3 credit hours
SOC 102 - Social Problems 3 credit hours

Graduation Requirements for the Associate in Arts Degree

General Education Core Curriculum: 38 credit hours

Note: One course taken in Humanities, Fine Arts, or Social/Behavioral Sciences must be a Non-Western culture course.

Communications: 3 courses (9 credit hours)

Take all three:

COM 103 - Introduction to Public Speaking (IAI C2 900)
ENG 101 - Composition I (IAI C1 900) - Grade of C or higher required
ENG 102 - Composition II (IAI C1 901R) - Grade of C or higher required

Social/Behavioral Sciences: 3 courses (9 credit hours)

Take courses from at least two different subjects.
Choose from the
Social/Behavioral Sciences GECC course list

Humanities and Fine Arts: 3 courses (9 credit hours)

Take at least one course from Humanities and at least one course from Fine Arts.
Choose from the
Humanities and Fine Arts GECC course list

Mathematics: 1 course (3 credit hours)

Choose from the
Mathematics GECC course list

Physical and Life Sciences: 2 courses (8 credit hours)

Take one course from Physical Sciences and one course from Life Sciences. Or, take both of the Interdisciplinary Physical/Life Sciences courses.
Choose from the
Physical and Life Sciences GECC course list

Liberal Arts and Sciences: 3 credit hours

Take one:

LAS 188 - Diverse U.S. Cultural Expression 3 credit hours
OR LAS 189 - Introduction to Liberal Arts and Sciences 3 credit hours

General Elective Courses: 19 credit hours

Choose general elective courses to meet the 60 credit hour graduation requirement. If LAS 188 was chosen above, 22 hours of general elective courses will be needed to reach 60 total credit hours.

General electives include any transfer-focused courses (courses with an even middle number such as MGT 101 or ART 121).

Students should work with their advisor to choose electives that match their interests and transfer plans. Some four-year universities prefer transfer students to complete specific coursework. Contact the Academic Advising office for assistance with course planning.

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