The Social Work Program is accredited at the baccalaureate level by the Council on Social Work Education and leads to the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree. The program is organized and implemented without discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, creed, ethnic or national origin, handicap, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.
The Program does not give academic credit for life or work experience; or allow such experience to be substituted for the field practicum or the required core courses. Students must receive a grade of “C” or better in all courses with an SWK prefix and maintain a Social Work program GPA of at least 3.0 in order to receive the BSW degree.
Social Work Program Mission
The Minot State University Social Work Program, through a person-in-environment perspective and a strengths-based approach; integrates the values, knowledge, and skills fundamental to competent generalist Social Work practice into an academic setting that empowers baccalaureate students to promote human and community well-being on both a global scale and in the rural practice community.
Throughout its three program options in North Dakota, Minot State University Social Work students learn the values of the Social Work Profession through a curriculum which prepares them to advocate for human rights and social justice, elevate the importance of human relationships, promote the elimination of poverty, ensure the dignity and worth of the person, respect diversity, and exhibit service, integrity, competence, and scientific inquiry.
Student Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes
| Student Learning Goals |
Student Learning Outcomes |
| SLG 1: Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior. |
• SLO 1: Make ethical decisions by applying standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision-making, ethical conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics as appropriate to context. |
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• SLO 2: Use reflection and self-regulation to manage personal values and maintain professionalism in practice situations. |
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• SLO 3: Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and oral, written, and electronic communication. |
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• SLO 4: Use technology ethically and appropriately to facilitate practice outcomes. |
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• SLO 5: Use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior. |
| SLG 2: Engage diversity and difference in practice. |
• SLO 1: Apply and communicate understanding of the importance of diversity and difference in shaping life experiences in practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. |
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• SLO 2: Presents themselves as learners and engage clients and constituencies as experts of their own experiences. |
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• SLO 3: Apply self-awareness and self-regulation to manage the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse clients and constituencies. |
| SLG 3: Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice. |
• SLO 1: Apply understanding of social, economic, and environmental justice to advocate for human rights at the individual and system levels. |
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• SLO 2: Engage in practices that advance social, economic, and environmental justice. |
| SLG 4: Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice. |
• SLO 1: Use practice experience and theory to inform scientific inquiry and research. |
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• SLO 2: Apply critical thinking to engage in analysis of quantitative and qualitative research methods and research findings. |
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• SLO 3: Use and translate research evidence to inform and improve practice, policy, and service delivery. |
| SLG 5: Engage in policy practice. |
• SLO 1: Identify social policy at the local, state, and federal level that impacts the well-being, service delivery of, and access to social services. |
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• SLO 2: Assess how social welfare and economic policies impact the delivery of and access to social services. |
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• SLO 3: Apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice. |
| SLG 6: Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. |
• SLO 1: Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks to engage with clients and constituencies. |
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• SLO 2: Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage diverse clients and constituencies. |
| SLG 7: Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. |
• SLO 1: Collect and organize data and apply critical thinking to interpret information from clients and constituencies. |
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• SLO 2: Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the analysis of assessment data from clients and constituencies. |
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• SLO 3: Develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives based on the critical assessment of strengths, needs, and challenges within clients and constituencies. |
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• SLO 4: Select appropriate intervention strategies based on the assessment, research, knowledge, values and preferences of clients and constituencies. |
| SLG 8: Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. |
• SLO 1: Critically choose and implement interventions to achieve practice goals and enhance capacities of clients and constituencies. |
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• SLO 2: Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in interventions with clients and constituencies. |
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• SLO 3: Use inter-professional collaboration as appropriate to achieve beneficial practice outcomes. |
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• SLO 4: Negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of diverse clients and constituencies. |
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• SLO 5: Facilitate effective transitions and endings that advance mutually agreed-on goals. |
| SLG 9: Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. |
• SLO 1: Select and use appropriate methods for evaluation of outcomes. |
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• SLO 2: Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the evaluation of outcomes. |
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• SLO 3: Critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate intervention and program processes and outcomes. |
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• SLO 4: Apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. |
Admission Requirements
Students are required to submit an application for admission to the Social Work program. Admission criteria includes:
- Successful completion of two Social Work courses or their equivalent: SWK 256 Development of Social Welfare and SWK 250 Interpersonal Skills. The combined GPA for these two courses must be 3.00 or higher for admission into the program.
- A cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
- Successful completion of the following prerequisite courses or their equivalent: ENGL 110 College Composition I, ENGL 120 College Composition II, COMM 110 Fundamentals of Public Speaking, SOC 110 Introduction to Sociology, PSY 111 Introduction to Psychology, POLS 115 American Government, PHIL 210 Ethics, and MATH 210 Elementary Statistics or PSY 241 Introduction to Statistics.
- Documentation of a 25-hour volunteer human service experience concurrent with SWK 250 Interpersonal Skills.
- Completion of at least 32 credits.
- Submission of the Non-Criminal Justice Request for Criminal History Record Information through BCI.
- Social Work students must agree to read and abide by the NASW Code of Ethics and the MiSU Student Code of Conduct.
- Personal statement.
- Unofficial transcripts from all Colleges/Universities attended.
- Application packet due to admissions committee during the SWK 250 course or prior to taking any SWK methods course.
Students may not take SWK 335 (Social Work Methods I), SWK 426 (Methods II), SWK 427 (Methods III), SWK 490 (Field Education), or SWK 491 (Senior Seminar) until they have been formally accepted into the Social Work program and have successfully completed SWK 250 and SWK 256.
Students must submit a Field Education Admissions application prior to enrollment in SWK 490 Field Education and the application must be approved by the Field Director. The Field Application requires a Castlebranch background check and a Child Abuse/Neglect screen. Arrests, charges, convictions, or other criminal offenses may limit field opportunities and the ability to achieve professional licensure.
Social Work majors must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 and a Social Work GPA of 3.0. Any Social Work course (SWK) graded below a C needs to be repeated for the BSW degree. Almost all Social Work program requirements need to be completed prior to enrollment in SWK 490 (Field Education) and any courses taken concurrently with SWK 490 other than SWK 491 Senior Seminar and SWK 492 Field Supervision, need to be approved by the Social Work Program Director.
The baccalaureate Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of this program are eligible to take the ASWB licensure exam and may be eligible for advanced standing status in MSW programs.
