Social Work Careers

Many sociology majors want to enter the field of social work. The Department of Sociology offers a number of courses designed to help them reach their goal. The most important are the two sociology field work courses, SOC 331 and 332, listed in the bulletin as Field Placement and Independent Study.

These courses provide students with opportunities to test their career choices and develop their practice skills through supervised volunteer experience in social agency settings. SOC 331 is a seminar that permits students to explore the issues raised by their field placements under the guidance of a professor. SOC 332 is normally conducted on an independent study basis.

Students interested in the human services, especially those planning to seek admission to graduate schools of social work, are strongly advised to plan on two consecutive semesters of field work, if possible, preferably before their senior year. held placement always requires a major commitment of time and energy; students need to schedule either one full day or (preferably) two half days to be available for placement, leaving adequate time for transit.

In addition to the field placement courses, the Sociology Department offers a number of other courses that are of special interest to students seeking careers in social work. These include:

• SOC 231 Introduction to Social Work
• SOC 235 Community Organization and Action
• SOC 237 Introduction to Social Welfare
• SOC 239 Child Welfare

Many of the Department's basic courses are also very relevant to the practice of social work, including:

• SOC 201 Sociology of the Family
• SOC 217 Ethnic and Race Relations
• SOC 251 Interpersonal Behavior
• SOC 253 Deviant Behavior and Social Control
• SOC 257 Sex and Gender Roles
• SOC 301 Medical Sociology
• SOC 317 Social Inequality
• SOC 319 Criminology

For those students interested in pursuing a career in social work, the Department also offers:

• Pre-social work advisement
• Field placement
• Workshops on writing the essay for graduate admission
• Assistance with application for social work school

You can find out more about how to prepare for graduate study in Social Work by contacting the Sociology Advisors.