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Counselling Services

Education and Career Planning

How to Become a Social Worker

by Julia McDonald, AU Counsellor

In This Section

Introduction

There are five levels of education that provide preparation for a career in social work:

  • Diploma - Diploma of Social Work
  • Undergraduate Degree - Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
  • Graduate Degrees - Master of Social Work (MSW)
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
  • Doctor of Social Work (DSW)

The level of education required for a career in social work varies with the type of work and work setting. In most provinces, the BSW is the minimum educational requirement for entry into the profession. In Alberta, the minimum requirement is a Diploma in Social Work.

Athabasca University does not offer any diploma or degree programs in Social Work. However, most universities require you to do either one or two years of pre-professional studies before applying to their Social Work program. You can take many of these courses at AU.

Some BSW programs will admit students who already have an approved Bachelor's degree. You can do a BSW as a second degree, which usually takes an extra two years.  A few programs require an undergraduate degree for admission and may take an additional one to two years to complete.  At AU, we have several bachelor degrees to choose from.

In general, entry into Social Work programs includes the following:

  • A grade point average ranging from 65-70 percent in your pre-professional studies or undergraduate degree.
  • Completed coursework in the areas of English, Social Sciences, Humanities and Introductory Social Work courses.
  • Written personal statements containing reasons why you wish to enter Social Work profession.
  • Letters of reference.
  • Volunteer or work experience in areas of social or human services that bear a direct relationship to Social Work.
  • Personal interviews with the selection committee.

NOTE: This information is general in nature. Admission requirements to Social Work programs vary from university to university. It is your responsibility to ensure that courses or degrees taken at AU will be accepted at the university you wish to attend.

Next Steps

1. Research career information on Social Work

The following links contain useful information on duties, working conditions, skills, education, salary, employment prospects and opportunities plus a whole lot more:

2. Contact the Social Work programs at various universities about entrance requirements and transferable credit information

For information about social work education

BSW Distance Education programs are offered at the following Canadian universities:

i) University of Calgary

Distance BSW: Virtual Learning Circles. This program is designed for students in rural, remote and/or indigenous communities across Canada. The program has a small on-site requirement; one week in early September each year.

Admission requirements for three different routes:

1) University Transfer Route requires completion of at least 18 (of the 20 required) university transferable half course equivalents (18 - 20 three credit courses at AU in Administrative Studies, Humanities, Sciences, and Social Sciences).

2) After Degree Route requires the completion of an acceptable undergraduate degree.

Additional admission requirements for both:

  • Grade Point Average (60%). The grade point average is calculated on the last ten half-course equivalents completed. Refer to the general admissions section for detailed information on the calculation of the GPA
  • Relevant work/volunteer experience (20%)
  • Admission essay (10%)
  • Three letters of reference, either academic or professional in nature (10%)

3) Post Diploma Route requires applicants to have a Social Work diploma from an approved college program; completion of 8 university transferable half-courses as part of the diploma is required; and a grade point average (GPA) of 2.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Additional admission requirements:

  • Grade Point Average (60%). The GPA will be calculated using the cumulative Social Work Diploma GPA.  If there are additional university transfer courses completed after the diploma, the GPA will include the additional courses and cumulative Social Work diploma GPA.  Refer to the general admissions section for detailed information on calculation of the GPA.
  • One letter of reference from the field instructor of record (5%)
  • Admission essay (10%)
  • A recommendation from the chair/director of the social work program that the student attended (15%)
  • Relevant volunteer/work experience (10%)

ii) Dalhousie University

Distance students register on a part-time basis for three years of study.

Admission requirements:

  • Completion of one full credit in each of the following: English, Introductory Sociology, Introductory Psychology, one credit from Introductory Political Science, Women's Studies, Economics, History, or other social science; and one more elective.
  • Academic average of at least B- (70%).
  • References
  • Personal statement
  • Personal suitability for social work as determined by aptitude and fitness for the profession of social work by the BSW Admissions Committee.

iii)University of Manitoba

This program is aimed at individuals who already work in the field of social work and would like to pursue a professional social work education.

Admission requirements:

  • A minimum of two years work experience in the social services within the last five years.
  • Residency outside of Winnipeg.
  • The university admission requirements for either a regular student or a mature student.
iv) University of Victoria

Admission requirements:

  • Completion of the first two years (20 courses or 60 credits) of an undergraduate program at the University of Victoria, or the equivalent credits and standing at another university or community college.
  • These first two years (60 credits) need to include courses like Psychology, English, History, Sociology, Political Science, Philosophy, Women's Studies, Criminology, First Nations, Anthropology, etc. To check which AU courses transfer to the University of Victoria visit their online transfer guide.
  • Social Work 200A and 200B need to be completed within those first 60 credits so you will need to contact the University of Victoria about completing those courses with them. You can apply without Social Work 200A and B but will need to take these over summer prior to September entry.  Another option is to take the equivalent courses SSWP200 and SWP212 at British Columbia Open University (BCOU). For more information, please see the Thomson Rivers University Social Service Worker Certificate page.
  • Academic average of a minimum of 70% on the last 12 units of courses including Social Work 200A and 200B.
  • Experience in the area of social/human services.
  • Personal statement.

Other useful sites for researching education:

3. Contact your provincial or national association of social workers for registration requirements

To become a practicing social worker in Canada, you usually need to be registered. The educational requirements for registration may vary from province to province.

For more information on registration requirements:

4. Contact an AU Counsellor for information on selecting the best pre-professional program for you

You can contact a counsellor by e-mail at counselling@athabascau.ca, book a telephone appointment by calling 1-800-788-9041 ext. 6723 or use the online appointment form.

5. Contact an AU student advisor

An advisor can help you select courses and develop a program plan for studies at Athabasca University. (For courses or programs at another institution, you must contact that institution directly for further assistance.) You can e-mail an advisor at advising@athabascau.ca , call 1-800-788-9041or visit their web site.

6. Become an AU Student

If you have further questions regarding this career path or wish to book a telephone appointment to speak with a counsellor, please contact us.

References

Alberta Learning Information Services (2004). Alberta Occupational Profiles: Social Worker. Retrieved January 13, 2005 from http://www.alis.gov.ab.ca/occinfo/Content/RequestAction.asp?format=html&aspAction=GetHomePage&Page=Home

Bachelor of Social Work: Admissions Information. (2004). Retrieved January 22, 2005 from Dalhousie University, School Social Work web site: http://socialwork.dal.ca/bswintro.html

Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work (CASSW) (n.d.).  Programmes. Retrieved January 13, 2005 from: http://www.cassw-acess.ca/xSCH/sc1x1.htm.

Faculty of Social Work: 3.5 Distance Delivery of the Bachelor of Social Work Program (n.d.) Retrieved from University of Manitoba 2004-2005 Calendar web site: http://webapps.cc.umanitoba.ca/calendar05/faculties/social_work/admissions/distance.asp

National Occupational Classification (2001). 4152 Social Worker. Retrieved January 13, 2005 from http://www23.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/2001/e/groups/4152.shtml

School of Social Work: BSW Admissions (n.d.) Retrieved January 22, 2005 from the University of Victoria, School of Social Work web site: http://socialwork.uvic.ca/programs/bsw/apply.htm

SAS for Learner Support Services - Last Updated October 12, 2012