Change lives. Change the world.
At King University, we believe that Social Work is more than just a major—it’s a career with a calling.
If you are passionate about improving lives in your community, join King University’s Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program to gain the knowledge and skills you need to advocate for social justice and economic reform.
With online BSW learning options, King University’s BSW program provides rigorous coursework and hands-on experience to prepare you for various meaningful career paths such as case manager, child protection social worker, foster care and adoptions, and counselor. Graduates of the BSW program can also pursue graduate degrees to continue their education, particularly the MSW degree. No matter which path you plan to take, our social work program empowers you to make a positive impact on the world.
Why Study Social Work at King University?
Service Learning Experience
At King University, we provide ample opportunities for student social workers to participate in service-learning engagements. With a practicum (internship requirement and numerous service-learning opportunities, the BSW program encourages students to dive into hands-on experiences applying the knowledge they’re learning in class to serving the communities where they live and work. Students have opportunities to choose from more than 100 employment and field practicum partners at local, national, and international locations! Students are encouraged to seek out practicum and service-learning placements right in their own hometowns.
An Affordable Accelerated Program
King University’s BSW degree program is among the most cost-effective BSW programs available in the U.S. With most classes being five-weeks in length, the program allows students to complete their BSW degrees in as few as 16-months of full-time study at only $16,000 in total. In addition, the program is transfer-friendly. Students can easily transfer the credits they have previously earned to start in the BSW major at King.
Note: To start in the BSW major, students must have completed a minimum of 45-semester hours. If you are transferring fewer than 45-semester hours, you may be accepted as pre-SOWK while you complete general education courses.
Flexible Online Formats
At King University, we take pride in our diverse student body and we strive to make our BSW program accessible to students from various backgrounds. With our online BSW program, students can have the flexibility to learn from anywhere without needing to attend a class meeting.
Learn more about the ONLINE BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM.
Diversity and Inclusion
The BSW Program at King University is committed to fostering and celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion based on equal opportunity and respect. We strive to create an environment in which every student, faculty, and staff member recognizes and values all races, ethnicities, religions, genders, identity expression, sexual orientation, national origin, immigration status, age, disability, or veteran status. We embrace all aspects of who you are at your very essence!
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are an inherent part of the social justice mission of social work. “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty” (NASW, 2017, Preamble). This work is not simply an ideal toward which we aspire as a profession, but the very essence of who we are in the world. Social workers keep equity and justice at the heart of our practice. We cannot have true inclusion without equity.
King University’s BSW program boasts nearly five-decades of proven academic success through our continuously maintained accreditation with the COUNCIL ON SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION (CSWE). In addition to the CSWE, the BSW program is affiliated with many other social work associations such as the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW).
King University BSW Program Mission Statement
Through training in generalist social work practice with a Christ-centered focus, the mission of the King University Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is to prepare competent, trauma-informed, ethical social work professionals who are committed to altruism by advancing human well-being, human rights, social and economic justice, valuing the dignity and worth of all people, embracing the importance of human relationships, and serving and empowering those who are vulnerable, oppressed, and/or indigent domestically and/or globally. Through knowledge based on scientific inquiry and within the context of our Christian academic community and values of justice, respect, unconditional positive regard, integrity, and commitment to public service, the King University BSW program prepares student social workers through a rigorous course of study to intervening thoughtfully, resourcefully, and responsibly with all systems; individuals, families, groups, organizations, agencies, communities, and governments. This education and commitment to the values and ethics of the social work profession facilitates the development of interpersonal and leadership skills needed to carry out our professional mission at the bachelor level of social work with a passion for serving God, the Church, and the world.
The mission of the BSW Program is sustained through King University’s commitment to Christianity, as expressed in the Presbyterian tradition’s core emphasis of love for fellow man.
Through rigorous coursework, students in the BSW program will attain:
- Theoretical and practical skills required to work as professional social workers.
- A generalist knowledge-base that examines human behaviors and complex social interactions.
- An intensive supervised professional fieldpracticum experience in relevant social work settings.
- An understanding of the importance of addressing barriers that may be experienced by individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations.
BSW Degree Requirements
To earn the BSW degree, students must complete a minimum of 124-semester hours of targeted study, which includes 38-semester hours of general education, 52-semester hours of major requirements, and 34-semester hours of general electives. The content courses in the major requirements may be completed in three semesters (one calendar year), while the field practicum is completed in one semester.
BSW Major Courses
- SOWK 3000: BSW Orientation
- SOWK 3180: Social Work Research
- SOWK 3410: Social Work Foundations
- SOWK 3420: Human Diversity and Ethical Issues
- SOWK 3610: Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Person in Environment Perspective (HBSE – PIE)
- SOWK 3620: Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Life Course Perspective (HBSE – LCP)
- SOWK 3810: Generalist Practice
- SOWK 3820: Family and Group Practice
- SOWK 3830: Community and Organizations Practice
- SOWK 3840: Writing for Social Workers
- SOWK 4410: Social Welfare Policy
- SOWK 4700: Introduction to Field Education
- SOWK 4800: Integrative Practice
- SOWK 4990: Comprehensive Assessment
By taking the Integrative Practice course, students engagement in an intensive clinical field practicum experience consisting of 400-on-site hours in a social work setting.
Social Work Licensure
BSW Career Outlook
Social work is more than just a major and social work is more than just a job. It is about helping people and advocating for social and economic reform and justice.
In the year of 1931, a woman by the name of Jane Addams would change the face of social work, putting it on an international pedestal after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her effort in establishing settlement houses for immigrants in Chicago in the early 1900s.
Suffering and injustices over the years were acknowledged by those concerned leaders with the power to make a difference, and a number of the benefits we take for granted today are because of social workers of the past that spoke up and changed the world around them—one injustice at a time.
Graduates of the BSW degree program are well-prepared to follow the footsteps of these concerned leaders and serve individuals and communities in need in different settings, such as child, family, health, and mental health care, etc. In addition, THE DEMAND FOR SOCIAL WORKERS IS RISING in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Graduates with a BSW degree can find various meaningful career paths in the social work field. Common social work job titles include:
- School Social Worker
- Foster Care/Adoption Specialist
- Child Protection
- Policy Analyst
- Community Organizer
- Hospice Social Worker
- Family Service Worker
- Addictions Counselor
- Case Manager
Explore more CAREERS IN SOCIAL WORK.
Additional Resources for Social Work Students
Admission Requirements
The Bachelor of Social Work program has a separate application process. Interested applicants of the BSW program must first be accepted to King University or currently enrolled as a King student.
Prospective students may contact our Social Work Enrollment Counselors at [email protected]. Current King University students may apply to the BSW program via their student portal. Please contact your Student Success Specialist for more information.
Technology Requirement
A computer with Microsoft Office 365, wireless and webcam capability is required. Microsoft Office 365 is available to all King students to load on the PC or Mac and is accessible at Office.com using their King University credentials. Chromebooks are not recommended.
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow. ~ Isaiah 1:17
Learn More about the BSW Degree Program
King University’s BSW degree equips you with crucial knowledge and skills to work as a professional social worker helping people in need. Ready to start your impactful journey? CONTACT US to learn more about our BSW program or APPLY today!