Social Work, B.S.W.

Academic Performance Policy

Declaring the Major

Students may declare Social Work as a major as incoming freshmen or thereafter during their careers at Xavier as long as they are in good academic standing in the university and have a gpa of 2.5 or higher).

• The first step is to meet with the chair of the department.
• After that, the official change of major through the registrar’s office will be initiated by the department administrative assistant.
• Students will then be assigned an Academic Advisor within the Social Work Department, and are required to meet with their Academic Advisor each semester to ensure completion of the required curriculum.
• All students declaring social work as a major enter the major at provisional status.
• In the junior year, social work majors must have achieved a 2.5 GPA to be eligible to complete the Field Placement Petition process in spring in order to enter field placement in fall of the senior year.  
  • Social work majors should begin their junior year with a minimum 2.5 GPA in the major as determined by the registrar (for a minimum of 3 SOCW courses taken at Xavier University). 
  • Those who have achieved a minimum August 2.5 GPA will be granted full acceptance into the major during fall semester of the junior year. 
  • Those who either have not yet achieved a minimum August 2.5 GPA or who have not yet completed 3 SOCW courses at Xavier University will be placed on provisional status as a major and have one semester, the fall semester of junior year, to meet this December GPA requirement.

Admission & Academic Performance Policy

1. Students must be in good academic standing at the university and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher to be accepted as a social work major.
2. Social work course credit is not granted for life experiences or previous work experience.
3. A minimum GPA of 2.5 in the major is required to graduate with a BSW degree.
   1. This GPA is based on the 53 required social work credit hours plus the 9 credits of electives.
   2. It does not include the 12 CR of coursework required outside the department: intro to sociology, intro to psychology, human biology, and statistics.
4. All students declaring social work as a major enter the major at provisional status.
5. In the junior year, social work majors must have achieved a 2.5 GPA to be eligible to complete the Field Placement Petition process in spring in order to enter field placement in fall of the senior year.  
   1. Social work majors should begin their junior year with a minimum 2.5 GPA in the major as determined by the registrar (for a minimum of 3 SOCW courses taken at Xavier University). 
   2. Those who have achieved a minimum August 2.5 GPA will be granted full acceptance into the major during fall semester of the junior year. 
   3. Those who either have not yet achieved a minimum August 2.5 GPA or who have not yet completed 3 SOCW courses at Xavier University will be placed on provisional status as a major and have one semester, the fall semester of junior year, to meet this GPA requirement.
   4. A student may appeal the 2.5 GPA policy by submitting the request in writing to the department.  The department has the right to deny or grant any such request.
6. The social work department has a “C or better” grade policy for all courses required by the major.  If a student receives a letter grade below a “C” , meaning a “C-” or below, in a course required by the social work major, the student must repeat the course. 
   1. This policy applies to all SOCW courses and those required courses taught outside the department. (listed in italics in the social work handbook/advising checklist)
   2. This policy DOES NOT apply to courses fulfilling the required 9 CR of social work electives.
   3. A student may appeal the “C or better” grade policy by submitting the request in writing to the department.  The department has the right to deny or grant any such request. 
7. Students fully accepted as a major with a minimum 2.5 GPA whose GPA in the major drops below 2.5 have one semester of probationary status and one semester only to return to a minimum 2.5.  Students unable to do so will no longer be able to declare social work as a major.

Termination from Social Work Major

The Social Work Department at Xavier University is interested in promoting professionalism in social work.  The termination process of the Department is designed to ensure that individuals who do not meet the expectations for entry level social work do not graduate with a social work degree.

• Prior to termination, the student will be provided with verbal and written notification of an impending action. 
• An interview with the Chairperson and/or Director for Field Education will be scheduled with the student to discuss alternate options to termination. 
• If an option other than termination is viable, a contract will be negotiated between the Chairperson and the student specifying steps to be taken toward resolution with a time limit for the accomplishment of the plan. 
• A final interview with the Chairperson will be scheduled to determine if the steps in the contract have been successfully accomplished. 
• The Chairperson may re-negotiate the contract as needed. 
• Students who are terminated from the major are notified in writing of the decision. 

Students may be terminated from the social work major for both academic and/or professional performance issues.  Students may be terminated from the major any time after declaration of the major.  To terminate a student from the major is a serious decision that is made collectively by the social work faculty.  These reasons may include, but are not limited to:

Reasons for Termination:

1. Failure to meet or maintain academic grade point requirements as established by the University.
2. Academic plagiarism in any social work course.
3. Failure to meet academic requirements of the program.
4. Violation of the NASW Code of Ethics.

Requirements for the Social Work Major

TOTAL Minimum Hours Required for Degree: 120 Semester Hours

B.S.W. Social Work

 This block serves as a guideline for progress toward a degree. See your academic advisor.

Scheduling Notes:

• Consult the “Undergraduate Core Curriculum ” requirements of the Catalog.
• + Several courses offered by the social work department fulfill the fourth societal focus course in the Core Curriculum’s Ethics/Religion and Society (E/RS) Focus:
  SOCW 315 Values, Human Rights, Advocacy
   ;
  SOCW 404 Rel/Ethics & Profession Pract
   ; and SOCW 206 - Intro to Gender and Diversity Studies