Why Pursue a Bachelor of Social Work?
UTSA’s Bachelor of Social Work program prepares students to become social workers who specialize in culturally competent, transformative practice. The BSW promotes equity, social justice and well-being within a local-global context.
You’ll learn from dedicated program faculty who are committed to creating the next generation of change-makers. Program graduates will be career-ready and immediately able to step in to a variety of social service positions with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
Community-Engaged Learning
The BSW program offers a 450-hour practicum that aims to serve community agencies throughout San Antonio and beyond. Practicum students will:
- Integrate classroom learning with real-world practice
- Develop mastery over core social work skills
- Work with professional social workers and UTSA liaisons
- Network with local community agencies
Admission Requirements
When you apply to UTSA, you select the major you'd like to study. The choice of major will not impact if you get admitted to the University (all students must meet UTSA's general admission requirements); however, some majors will require additional admission requirements to be able to declare the major your freshman year.
| Social Work: There are no additional admission requirements to declare this major. You must meet UTSA’s general admission requirements. |
Practice Sequence Application
Once admitted to UTSA, you will be able to declare your major in Social Work. After completing requirements, usually by the third year, BSW majors must apply to the practice sequence.
BSW majors in the practice sequence take upper-level social work courses in their third and fourth years, and complete a supervised field placement during the last semester. Applications are open once per year, during the spring semester.
CSWE Accreditation Status
The UTSA Bachelor of Social Work Program is currently in pre-candidacy for accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA). Pre-candidacy for a baccalaureate or master’s social work program by the BOA indicates that it submitted an application to be reviewed for candidacy and received approval of its Benchmark 1 from CSWE accreditation staff to move forward for a candidacy review within 1-year. A program that has attained pre-candidacy status has not yet been reviewed by the BOA nor verified to be compliant with the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS).
Students that are admitted to pre-candidate programs in the fall (or later) of the academic year in which the program is granted candidacy status will be retroactively recognized as graduates from a CSWE-BOA accredited program as long as the program attains initial accreditation. Candidacy is typically a 3-year process and attaining pre-candidacy does not guarantee that a program will eventually attain candidacy and initial accreditation.
Pre-candidacy applies to all program options, which includes locations and delivery methods.
Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.
Review our program’s pre-candidacy status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation.
Practice Sequence Application Requirements
Students who have completed all the foundational courses may apply to the BSW Practice Sequence. Applications are open once per year, during the spring semester.
Minimum application requirements
- Complete at least 42 semester credit hours of coursework, including the majority of the Texas Core Curriculum
- Attend a BSW Program Information Session
- Submit a completed application for admission to the UTSA BSW program
- Have an overall cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher
- Complete SWK 1013 with a “C-“ or better
- Complete SWK 2013 with a “C-“ or better either prior to admission or during the student’s first semester in the BSW Program
- Complete STA 1053 Basic Statistics course or PSY 2073 Statistics for Psychology with a “C-” or better
- Submit two Professional or Academic References using the approved form
- Submit a Résumé
- Complete 4 short-answer admissions narrative statement responses (included in the virtual admissions application)
Before applying, all applicants must first attend a BSW Program Information Session. This is a specific session with the BSW Program Director to go over details on the BSW Program and the Practice Sequence Application Process. Students can schedule a virtual Info Session directly with the Program Director by using the following link: Book time with Derek Plantenga. If you are not able to find a time that works for you using this tool, please email derek.plantenga@utsa.edu in order to schedule another time.
Applications will be evaluated by the BSW Committee using a standard evaluation rubric to determine admission status. Students are notified of their admissions decision via email from the BSW Program Director or their designee. A social work major not accepted to the formal BSW Practice Sequence may apply a second time at the next available opportunity. If they are not accepted after the second attempt, they will be required to change their major.
Scholarships
Pro Tip: Even if you don't think you will qualify for financial aid, you should still submit the FAFSA! Information from the FAFSA could impact certain scholarships that are even merit-based.
UTSA Scholarship Hub
Through one general scholarship application, you can automatically be considered for dozens of scholarships at UTSA, including scholarships that are available for this major. In order to access all available scholarship applications on the UTSA Scholarship Hub, you must be an admitted student. If you are a student applying for admission, but have not yet been admitted, you may sign in and complete the Scholarship Hub’s General Application as long as you have authenticated your myUTSA ID and Passphrase. Once you are admitted to UTSA, please sign back in to the Scholarship Hub to see if there are any additional scholarship opportunities available for you to pursue.
UTSA Scholarship Hub Sociology Scholarship Opportunities
Distinguished Scholarship
UTSA offers an automatic merit-based scholarship to incoming new freshman and transfer students who display exceptional scholastic achievement in high school by the priority deadline. Non-resident and international students awarded a Distinguished Scholarship for a minimum of $1,000 for the academic year will be granted a waiver for non-resident tuition if scholarship eligibility is maintained. This means out-of-state and international students could pay in-state tuition! For fall admitted freshmen, this scholarship is valued up to $20,000 for up to four years. For fall or spring admitted transfer students, this scholarship is valued up to $6,000 for up to two years. Renewal eligibility must be maintained and funding must be available.
Distinguished ScholarshipsUTSA Bold Promise
Although not a scholarship, UTSA is committed to cover tuition and mandatory fees 100% for eligible students who come from low and middle-income Texas families.
UTSA Bold PromiseCareers, Salary & Skills
UTSA prepares you for future careers that are in demand. See possible careers below. This data is pulled by a third-party tool called Emsi, which pulls data from sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, online job postings, other government databases and more to give you regional and national career outlook related to this academic program. On top of the resources your college will provide, the University Career Center offers several resources to help students identify and develop the global skills necessary to successfully pursue and achieve lifelong career goals.
Minors & Certificates
After selecting a major area of study and enrolling at UTSA, degree-seeking students can choose from a variety of minors and certificates to supplement their education. Although not required, minors and certificates can help students customize their UTSA experience based on their passions and unique career goals.
Explore All Minors & CertificatesPathway to Graduate Studies
BSW students will be well prepared to apply to UTSA’s nationally recognized MSW Program.
Successful BSW graduates may even be eligible for an abbreviated 36-hour version of the MSW degree, potentially completing this graduate program in as little as one additional year.
The Honors Experience
Realize your full potential at The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Honors College. Rooted in experiential learning, our classes and programs are hands-on, project-based, and customizable to fit your individual goals. Students in any majors can get invited to our Honors College. Turn your passions into marketable skills for the future!
Why Join Honors?
Why UTSA?
The College for Health, Community and Policy (HCAP) is a diverse college that provides real world experiences and engages directly in our community. The college contains nine academic disciplines, and these important areas of study directly affect one another. For example, you can’t examine public policy without considering public health, criminology and criminal justice, psychology, nutrition, sociology and more. When you join HCAP, you will choose a degree program that complements your interests, conduct research and study with faculty who are experts in their field and engage with peers that will become lifetime friends.
Research is very important in the field of Health, Community and Policy. As early as your freshman year at UTSA, you will be involved in conducting research studies that will let you act upon your curiosity, learn experientially and make a difference in people’s lives. Some of the areas of research include vaccine access, preventing substance abuse, violence prevention, understanding demographic trends and health impacts, diabetes prevention and improving resources for underserved populations.
Ensuring our HCAP students are ready for the world of work is a top priority. HCAP has a dedicated internship director who coordinates with employers to provide internship opportunities and advice for students. There have been over 140,000 internships hours completed by HCAP students. Courses offer career-engaged learning experiences such as opportunities in undergraduate research, internships and field experiences. The HCAP Student Success Center provides additional outside classroom support in professional development and leadership.
Student Success
UTSA is all about your success. Our experiential learning initiative takes what you learn in the classroom and helps you apply it to real life. As a student in the College for Health, Community and Policy (HCAP), you will explore, engage and reflect on your experiences to launch your career in a global society. The HCAP Student Success Center is a one-stop resource to help you achieve your academic, personal and professional goals. Receive tutoring, find internships, connect with industry professionals for job opportunities, and enhance your professional development skills through the center’s comprehensive programming.