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Social Work, Associate in Arts

Overview

Narrative

Do you care about people, the world around us and enjoy helping others? Are you interested in making a difference in individual lives and the local and global community? If you are looking for a career with meaning that focuses on social justice, equality, personal well-being and creating change, social work is an excellent choice.

Social work requires strong skills in communication, problem solving, observation, and critical thinking. Starting your social work career at NCC provides you with the foundation courses needed to become a social worker. Courses involve looking at the human condition from a variety of disciplines such as sociology, psychology, history, political science, English, and biology. Social work looks at the person and their environment holistically. The core liberal arts curriculum at NCC provides you with the first 2 years toward a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW). 

At NCC, you will start to build the knowledge, values, and skills needed to become a professional social worker. The NCC social work program offers a variety of ways to get involved. Take advantage of service-learning opportunities, the Social Work Club, field trips, international trips and more. You may begin your studies by registering for Introduction to Social Work and continue to follow the program map for completion. 

Northampton's Social Work program is an affordable beginning to your baccalaureate degree in social work. After graduation from a bachelor’s in social work program (BSW), you may seek professional employment in one of the many social and community agencies locally and beyond or choose to enter a graduate program in social work (MSW). 

 

Features

Transfer to BSW: The NCC Social Work Program is well respected and prepares students to be ready for transfer to a 4-year school. Students seamlessly transfer to BSW programs such as Cedar Crest College, East Stroudsburg University, Kutztown University, Marywood University, and Millersville University. You can transfer to any BSW program in the country as well. Consult with your academic advisor or the social work program coordinator for transfer questions.


Career Potential: You will find Social Workers in many fields of practice such as Administration and Management, Advocacy and Community Organization, Aging and Gerontology, Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs, Child Welfare and Family, Developmental Disabilities, Health Care Social Work, Justice and Corrections, International Social Work, Veteran’s and Military, Mental Health and Clinical Social Work, Occupational and EAP Social Work, Policy and Planning, Politics, Advocacy, Public Welfare, Research, School Social Work and more. Social Work is a growing profession and job opportunities are expected to continue to grow over the next several years.
 

Outcomes

Graduates of the program will:

  • Explain the knowledge, values, skills and core competencies of the social work profession at the introductory level.
  • Demonstrate knowledge and values of culturally competent social work promoting the strengths and well-being of a diverse society. 
  • Demonstrate the ability to think critically using a liberal arts foundation to articulate problems and solutions orally and in written communication.
  • Demonstrate comprehension of the structure and complexities of societal systems and how they affect the person in his or her environment.

Courses

First Semester

BIOS105Contemporary Biology

4 credits

COLS101College Success

1 credits

ENGL101English I

3 credits

SCWK101Introduction to Social Work

3 credits

SOCA103Principles of Sociology

3 credits

Total Credit Hours:14

Second Semester

BIOS130Basics of Human Anatomy and Physiology

4 credits

CISC101Introduction to Information Technology

3 credits

ENGL151LEnglish II

3 credits

PSYC103Introduction to Psychology

3 credits

SOCA102Cultural Anthropology

3 credits

Total Credit Hours:16

Third Semester

COMM101Introduction to Communication

3 credits

ENGL2__G
Literature Elective

3 credits

MATH150Introductory Statistics

3 credits

POLS110American National Government

3 credits

SOCA125Sociology of Families

3 credits

Total Credit Hours:15

Fourth Semester

HIST163American History II

3 credits

PHIL202GEthics & Moral Problems

3 credits

PSYC255Psychopathology

3 credits

SOCA105American Ethnicity

3 credits

SCWK280Human Behavior and the Social Environment

3 credits

Total Credit Hours:15

Total Credit Hours: 60

  • PHIL202G  should be taken as Writing-Intensive (noted with a G).
  • The Literature Elective will satisfy one Writing Intensive (WI) requirement.