Bachelor of Social Work

General Office: Hazen Hall Faculty of Arts, UNB Saint John 
Mailing Address: 355 Campus Ring Road 
PO Box 5050 
Saint John, NB E2L 4L5 
Email:  bsw@unb.ca 
Website:  https://www.unb.ca/saintjohn/arts/undergrad/socialwork.html

Faculty 

Dean of Arts: Dr. Heidi MacDonald 

Chair of Social Science: Dr. June Madeley 

Director of Social Work: Dr. Ian Rice 

  • Bass, Natasha. MSW. Field Education Coordinator 
  • Pandian, Lydia. MSW. Professor Social Work 

General Information

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program provides students with the required knowledge and qualifications for educational advancement and employment opportunities in the social services sector. The BSW prepares students seeking to extend their education for admittance to graduate studies in Social Work, and it prepares students for a variety of careers, including achieving membership as professional Social Workers.

The Bachelor of Social Work program ensures students are qualified to carry out and promote the enhancement of social development services while critically evaluating the accessibility and equity of these services. The program also gives students the chance to immerse themselves in their education through extensive field training and experiential education at partnering locations. Through the program, students acquire written and verbal communication skills, intercultural communication skills, research and information literacy skills, as well as ecologically sustainable and anti-racist values. Combined, these skillsets provide a holistic understanding of historical and current cultural equity issues in the social work profession, inclding the effects of colonialism on Indigenous peoples, ongoing anti-Black racisim, oppressive and harmful actions towards 2SLGBTQ+ community members, and the structural inequality of Francophone cultures. These skills will promote the development of students' professional practice and identity. Furthermore, the field education component of the prgram allows students to engage with practicing social workers, individuals, families, and groups to encourage organizational and societal change through future policy development.

Planning

Before beginning the BSW program, interested students must complete 60ch of undergraduate studies, and it is recommended that students take the following courses or approved equivalents:

  • HUM 1021 Effective Writing I or 3 ch courses designated with an English writing component
  • POLS 1201 Introduction to Canadian Politics
  • PSYC 1003 Introduction to Pscyhology I and PSYC 1004 Introduction to Psychology II
  • SOCI 1001 Introduction to Sociology, and an additional 3ch of 1000- or 2000-level Sociology
  • SWRK 2001: Introduction to Social Work
  • One of :
    • INDG 1002 Introduction to Indigenous Studies
    • HIST 2514 Colonialism and Indigenous Peoples in America
    • HIST 2515 Indigenous Peoples in North America since 1800
    • SOCI 2008 Sociological Approaches for Understanding Indigenous Experiences

Students should refer to Section B for the full list of Admission Requirements.

Academic Program Requirements

Students accepted into the program will have already completed 60ch of undergraduate studies. These count towards the minimum 132ch required for the Bachelor of Social Work. The remaining 72ch involves 735 hours of Field Education* completed through 3 courses: SWRK 3505 Field Education I, SWRK 4005 Field Education II, and the SWRK 4607 Community Capstone Project.

*A criminal record check is not required to complete the Bachelor of Social Work at the University of New Brunswick, although one may be required for specific placements with the Field Education component.

To successfully obtain the BSW degree, students must complete the following courses with a grade of C or higher:

  • SWRK 3001 Issues in Social Work (3ch)
  • SWRK 3002 Intercultural Safety & Communications (3ch)
  • SWRK 3003 Social Work History and Ethics (3ch)
  • SWRK 3004 Community Social Work (3ch)
  • SWRK 3505 Field Education I (6ch)
  • SWRK 3704 Wellbeing for Care Providers (3ch)
  • SWRK 4003 Family and Child Welfare (3ch)
  • SWRK 4004 Social Work in Health (3ch) 
  • SWRK 4005 Field Education II (12ch)
  • SWRK 4505 Special Topics in Social Work (3ch)
  • SWRK 4607 Community Capstone Project (3ch)
  • SWRK 4706 Indigenous Policy and Legislation (3ch)
  • POLS 3231 Representation and Recognition in Canadian Politics (3ch)
  • POLS 4216 Politics of Sustainability (3ch)
  • PSYC 3362 Introduction to Guidance and Counselling (3ch) and/or SWRK 3062 Direct Practice (3ch)  
  • SOCI 3104 Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences (3ch) and/or SWRK 4014 Social Work Research (3ch) 
  • SOCI 4026 Social Policy in Canada (3ch)
  • 9ch of Recommended Electives.

List of Recommended Electives:

Additional Program Requirements  

  • Documents for practical study – Documents required can include, but are not limited to, criminal and vulnerable sector checks, immunization records, agency code of conduct review, agency confidentiality agreements, and other required information as requested. All students will receive annual advising on the specific critical document requirements for their upcoming year.  
  • Clinical Scheduling – Practical experiences can occur any day of the week. Depending on the availability of clinical facilities and/or instructors, supervisor availability, organizational requirements, these time frames may change. Students can expect practical experiences during days, evenings, nights, and weekends to meet requirements, and in accordance with the availability of placements and/or instructors. The field education coordinator will provide students with notice of scheduling as soon as it is feasible.  Efforts will be made to schedule placements during traditional hours of work, and while this may be typically feasible, it may not always be the case. 
  • Travel - Due to a variety of clinical settings, all students may be expected to travel out of town for some practical placements.   
  • Personal Costs - May include, Criminal Record and Vulnerable Sector checks, travel costs to and from clinical practice areas; and room and board for off-campus and off-site placements/course requirements should they arise. 

University Regulations 

Students are responsible to carefully read  Section B of this Calendar, Admission and University Regulations, and in particular the subsection headed Grading and Classification. 
Questions concerning the application of regulations must be made to the Registrar in writing. 
Any points not covered in the following regulations will be governed by the General University Regulations. 

Progression: University regulations state that a student whose assessment grade point average (GPA) falls below 2.0 will be placed on academic probation (UNB Calendar: Standing and Promotion Requirements). In addition to this regulation, a Social Work student whose assessment GPA falls below 1.7 may be required to withdraw from the program. 

1. The Social Work program has an approved departmental-grading scheme, and the following grades are required in the program: 
- at least a “C” grade in all required and elective classroom courses 
- a “credit” in all required practical courses. 
2. A student who fails SWRK 3505, SWRK 4005, or SWRK 4607 course may normally be allowed to repeat the course; a student who twice fails to achieve a passing grade in any practical course will be required to withdraw from the Bachelor of Social Work program. 
3. As outlined in the UNBSJ BSW Professional Suitability Policy, student actions that compromise client safety, demonstrate serious breaches of conduct, or violate the Canadian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics will result in a removal from clinical practice. In such circumstances the student’s standing in the program will be reviewed following the steps outlined in the professional suitability policy. 
4. Students who have serious breaches of conduct in class, or practical settings will be reviewed as per the UNBSJ BSW Professional Suitability Policy, and the student may be required to withdraw from the program. 
5. Students should normally complete the BSW program within 4 years of enrolment.  

Course Transfers 

Potential courses for transfer to the Bachelor of Social Work program will be assessed on an individual basis.   

NBCC Admission from the Community Social Services Worker Program 

Students with a New Brunswick Community College Social Service Community Worker Diploma will be granted a block transfer for 60 credits and will be expected to complete the same curriculum as students entering from the university stream.  This will total the 132ch required for the Bachelor of Social Work. The remaining 72ch involves 735 hours of Field Education completed through 3 courses: SWRK 3505 Field Education I, SWRK 4005 Field Education II, and the SWRK 4606 Community Capstone Project.