Higher standards in College of Social Work program aim to retain students, internships
The College of Social Work has proposed to limit access to the undergraduate major to retain students and place them in a limited number of quality internships.
The proposal, to be phased in next fall, imposes a minimum 2.5 GPA.
It will also require 60 completed credit hours, prerequisites and an application.
Program standards have been raised over the past several years to reduce its size, but numbers continued to increase.
Approximately 250 students will gain access, ensuring they are admitted to a limited number of internships with Master’s level supervisors.
There are currently 321 undergraduate students majoring in social work.
The FSU Board of Trustees passed the proposal Nov. 1, but now it needs to be approved by the Board of Governors.
Director of the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program, Pamela Graham, hopes the board will accept the proposal.
“I think it’s just about being clear up front with what the expectations are going to be for them to be able to graduate with a degree,” said Graham.
Currently, students need a 2.0 overall GPA to take the prerequisite social work courses, while a 3.0 in social work courses is required to participate in the internship program needed to graduate and gain experience.
A few students each semester are counseled out of the major because they do not have the required grades in their social work classes.
“They were coming their second-to-last semester and being told, your grades aren’t good enough to finish this degree program,” said Graham. “I personally, and I think the faculty here, felt that was an unfair thing to do to students.”
Lisa Burgos, BSW program advisor, said it is especially hard on students with Bright Futures or those coming to the 50-hour social work major from other majors.
“It’s a waste of their time and money when, at that point, they could have gotten a degree in something else,” said Burgos
While few courses transfer, Burgos said popular majors for those who cannot complete social work are sociology or criminology. Many students can declare a new minor in Social Welfare.
FSU has a popular Master’s of Social Work program that requires a 3.0 GPA and can be completed within one year with a bachelor’s of social work.
“It was kind of really setting them up to not be able to progress in the profession,” said Graham. “And obviously, at the graduate level, there is a lot more job opportunity than there is at the undergraduate level.”
FSU has the highest ranked BSW program in Florida.
USF, FIU and UCF all limit access to BSW with GPA requirements ranging from 2.5 to 2.75.
Burgos said over half of social work undergraduates come in as transfer students.
Each semester the college meets with Tallahassee Community College to communicate requirements and prerequisites.