Social Work Minor

The Social Work Minor equips students with foundational knowledge and skills to support individuals, families, communities, and organizations through the lens of social justice, empowerment, and compassionate action. Grounded in the values of the National Association of Social Workers code of ethics, the minor prepares students to understand identity, power, and systemic inequities while developing the tools to become change agents in diverse settings.

This program is ideal for students who want to strengthen their ability to engage in advocacy, advance equity, promote liberation, and create meaningful impact in their communities and future careers.

Students in the Social Work Minor develop:

Foundational understanding of the social work profession
Including its history, values, ethics, and generalist practice roles.

Critical insight into identity, power, and social justice
Exploring how systems shape experiences across individuals, families, and communities.

Skills to empower people and communities
Through relationship-building, anti-oppressive approaches, and strengths-based perspectives.

Practical skills for working with individuals and groups
Including communication, assessment, conflict resolution, and facilitation.

Tools to advocate for equitable and effective systems
Through policy awareness, community engagement, and the pursuit of social, economic, and environmental justice.

21 credits

SOWK 130 – Identity, Power, and Social Justice
SOWK 150 – Introduction to Social Work
SOWK 330 – Intersectionality and Identity
SOWK 340 – Generalist Practice with Individuals
SOWK 341 – Generalist Practice with Groups

Choose one:
SOWK 400 – Generalist Practice: Organizations and Communities
SOWK 410 – Social Welfare: Policy, Issues, and Advocacy

Choose one field of practice course:
SOWK 371A – Child Protection
SOWK 371B – Juvenile Justice
SOWK 371C – Criminal Justice
SOWK 371E – Social Gerontology
SOWK 371G – Training Canine Animal Assisted Interventions

Broaden your impact. Learn how to create positive change in systems that affect health, education, justice, aging, housing, and community wellbeing.

Enhance any major. The minor complements fields such as human development, psychology, sociology, education, health professions, political science, communications, criminal justice, and more.

Strengthen your career readiness. Build skills employers value: communication, advocacy, collaboration, cultural responsiveness, and ethical leadership.

Prepare for advanced study. The minor provides foundational learning that can support future pathways into social work degrees, counseling, public health, nonprofit leadership, and human-service careers.

Who should consider this minor?

Students who want to:

• Work with people and communities
• Understand and address systemic inequities
• Engage in advocacy or policy work
• Build skills for helping professions
• Strengthen their cultural competence
• Become compassionate, informed change agents

Career relevance

Skills gained through the Social Work Minor apply across a wide range of fields, including:

• Education
• Behavioral and mental health
• Nonprofit and community organizations
• Public health
• Criminal and juvenile justice systems
• Healthcare and human services
• Aging services and gerontology
• Policy, advocacy, and government roles