Social Work
Program Details
Social workers help people with complex interpersonal and social challenges. They not only respond to people's individual needs, but are committed to making society more just by using available resources and challenging the development of needed resources. As a student in the undergraduate social work major at Xavier, you’ll develop practice-based skills in solving problems and strengthening individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities and society.
You’ll also benefit from the curriculum’s distinctive focus on a holistic approach to social work. Courses in the curriculum adopt a social work lens that is centered on the overall health and wellness of individuals and their communities.
Xavier University, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, is nationally recognized as a top university by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Forbes. 99 percent of our students, including those in the social work major, are working, volunteering or in graduate school within six months of graduation (Class of 2022).
Degree Awarded
Bachelor of Social Work
Curriculum
The sample course sequence below illustrates class offerings for the Social Work major. Consult the official Xavier University course catalog for detailed registration and advising information.
Fall
- SOCIAL WORK 167 Survey of Society in SW............ 3cr.
- ENGLISH 100/115 Composition/Rhetoric............ 3cr.
- Second Language I............ 3cr.
- PHILOSOPHY 100 Intro to Philosophy............ 3cr.
- CORE 100 First-Year Seminar............ 3cr.
- CORE 101 Goa: First-Year Co-Curriculum Program I............ 0cr.
Spring
- PSYC 101 General Psychology ............ 3cr.
- Historical Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Second Language II............ 3cr.
- THEO 111 Theological Foundations ............ 3cr.
- Creative Perspectives............ 3cr.
- CORE 102 Goa: First-Year Co-Curriculum Program II............ 3cr.
Fall
- SOCIAL WORK 299 Child Welfare & Development............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 206 Intro Gender & Diversity Studies............ 3cr.
- PHILOSOPHY 200 Philosophical Perspective............ 3cr.
- Scientific Perspectives............ 3cr.
- ENGLISH 205 Literature & Moral Imagination............ 3cr.
Spring
- SOCIAL WORK 300 Adolescence-Older Adulthood............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 208 Economics of Society............ 3cr.
- BIOLOGY 102 Life: Human Biology............ 2cr.
- BIOLOGY 132 Life: Human Biology Lab............ 1cr.
- Humanities Elective............ 3cr.
- Oral Communications Elective............ 3cr.
Fall
- SOCIOLOGY 101 Intro to Sociology............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 392 Practice I: Individuals............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 315 Values, Poverty & Society............ 3cr.
- Social Work Elective............ 3cr.
- MATH 116 or 156 Statistics ............ 3cr.
Spring
- Social Work Elective ............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 316 Social Policy ............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 320 Communications Skills Seminar ............ 1cr.
- SOCIAL WORK Upper Level Diversity Course ............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 393 Practice II; Groups & Families ............ 3cr.
- Quantitative Elective ............ 3cr.
Fall
- SOCIAL WORK 352 Research Methodology ............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 394 Practice III: Communication & Org. ............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 417 Social Work Field Instruction ............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 419 Social Work Seminar ............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 404 Religion, Ethics, & Professional Practice ............ 3cr.
Spring
- SOCIAL WORK 424 Research Paper ............ 1cr.
- Social Work Elective ............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 418 Social Work Field Instruction ............ 3cr.
- SOCIAL WORK 420 Social WorK Seminar ............ 3cr.
- General Elective ............ 3cr.
- General Elective ............ 3cr.
Sample Courses
Xavier is known for providing an education that's both challenging and personal. Here are some courses that are part of the social work major at Xavier:
Survey of Society Social Work (SOCW 167) - This course offers an introduction to the profession of social work as well as social welfare. Students learn about social work's history, practice settings, and career paths. Today's social issues are examined using an advocacy framework with a focus on economic and social justice, a supportive environment, human needs and rights, and political access.
Intro to Gender & Diversity (SOCW 206) - This course is designed to help students develop a critical framework for analyzing and exploring the nature of social diversity, including privilege and oppression, with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, age, religion, and mental/physical abilities. It provides tools for ethical analysis of questions relating to the individual and collective experience of disenfranchisement as well as resiliency in society. Students will be introduced to interdisciplinary scholarship that examines oppression and privilege through the lens of society's social institutions.
Child Welfare and Development (SOCW 299) - This course provides the student knowledge of human development in the social environment from conception, fetal development, birth, infancy, early childhood, and middle childhood. Foundational theories and concepts are presented. Students will learn about child maltreatment and the child welfare system. This course is appropriate for many disciplines, especially in health related disciplines.
Values, Poverty and Society (SOCW 315) - This course is designed to offer students basic knowledge and understanding of the overall concept of social welfare as it relates to the collective well-being of all in our society. The social institution of social welfare, and how its services and systems are implemented in various nations, is examined and analyzed. Theories of power, privilege, and poverty are examined as they relate to the evolution of social welfare policies and programs.
Career Outcomes
99% of Xavier students, including those in the social work major, are employed, attending grad school or working in service or volunteer positions within six months of graduating (Class of 2022).
Top Fields: adult and children's protective services, services for housing and homelessness, client advocacy, older adult living communities, medical or forensic social work, case management, women's crisis centers and victim advocacy, foster care services, coalitions for social problems, services for those with developmental delays and disabilities, social services for families and for seniors, mental health and addiction services
Top Companies: Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services, Talbert House, Lighthouse Youth Services, Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services, Cincinnati Public Schools, American Red Cross
Student Clubs
Alternative Breaks Club
The 200+ students in Xavier's Alternative Breaks program work onsite with local, national and international organizations focused on social justice issues like immigration, urban sustainability and mountaintop removal. They travel to more than 15 places, including Catalina Island, California and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota during fall and spring breaks.
When we seek something more, we become something greater.
Find more information about how you can become a Musketeer.
Request InformationSocial Work Field Education Opportunities
Field work is a wonderful educational opportunity where students in the social work major enter into a social service organization and work directly with client systems under the supervision of a social worker.
Mentors for Social Work Majors
Students in the social work major are matched with a mentor, who works with the student for their four years at Xavier to provide professional guidance, networking support and career connections.
Cincinnati: No. 1 City for Recent College Grads
Cincinnati, Ohio is ranked the #1 Best City for College Graduates (smartasset.com) and the #15 Best Place to Start a Career (WalletHub). It’s home to some of the nation’s leading hospitals and healthcare networks, including Cincinnati Children's Hospital, the Christ Hospital and TriHealth.
Graduate With Honors
Are you looking for an academic challenge? The University Scholars Honors Program offers incoming students a more challenging curriculum and close support from professors while completing their undergraduate degree. Acceptance into the program is highly selective and includes a $2000 travel grant.
Social Work Major at Xavier University
Social Work at Xavier is a four-year undergraduate program grounded in the liberal arts which grants the student a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree and has been accredited continuously for over 35 years by the Council on Social Work Education. For those with a strong desire to promote social justice and improve the collective well-being of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, social work is a profession with both educational and licensure requirements. Social workers are licensed professionals helping both individual people and society with complex interpersonal and social problems.
Xavier University's College of Professional Sciences prepares undergraduate and graduate students intellectually, morally and spiritually for careers and professions of service. CPS challenges students to strive for academic excellence and life-long learning through promoting collaboration and community partnerships, and incorporating research, scholarship and innovation.
Xavier University is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition. Founded in 1831, the University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation. It has been ranked among the top 10 master's-level universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for the past two decades. The Princeton Review names it one of the "Best 385 Colleges in America."