Bachelor of Social Work

Four year undergraduate Honours in Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) equips students to address social issues and problems at multiple levels using a variety of theoretical frameworks. It aims to mold socially committed and professionally competent social workers who can contribute towards the goal of social development of the society and to extend right based support systems to families,individuals and communities, especially to the most vulnerable and marginalized sections of our society. Through this program, students move between diverse fields of practice, applying critical skills in recognizing and incorporating best practices into their professional repertoire. The curricular framework of the BSW (Hons) offers three options for the students, suitable for their future plans and interests. The options are Three-Year BSW Degree, Four- Year BSW Honours Degree and Four-Year BSW Honours with Research Degree. The programme is built upon crucial thrust areas like disciplinary knowledge; field practicum and skill-based education; multi-disciplinary and value-added courses; language and communication abilities; and cutting- edge research. The BSW (Hons) programme is student- centric and it offers experiential learning methods based on critical pedagogy. The graduate students can also carve out their own customized pathways from the FYUGP architecture, incorporating courses from other higher education institutions.

Programme Specific Outcome

• Explain various concepts related to social work
• Illustrate the understanding of the professional roots, ethical foundations and theoretical frameworks of social work.
• Appraise social work as a profession in the Indian and global context.
• Develop sociological imagination and perspectives in social work practice.
• Develop critical thinking skills to analyze social issues and identify opportunities for pro-social action.
• Recognize and describe abnormal behavior and the underlying psychological disorders.

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for applying for Bachelor of Social Work are:

Candidates who have passed (Eligible for Higher Studies) the HSE of the Kerala State Board of Higher Secondary Examination or any other examination recognized as equivalent.

Course Design

The UG programme in Social Work is a four year academic curriculum with eight semesters upon which each semester comprises of 90 days with 75 hours on each paper. Each semester includes observation visits, field work, interactive lectures, e – learning, library works, internal test, assignments, presentations, classroom discussions, role play and case analysis.

What you’ll study

Four year undergraduate Honours in Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) equip students to address social issues and problems at multiple levels using a variety of theoretical frame works. The curriculum covers wide range of social work topics such as:

• Gender diversity and inclusion
• Human resource management and development
• Administration of service organizations
• Public health and medical social work
• Medical and psychiatric social work
• Disaster management
• Philosophical foundation of social work
• Human behavior and lifespan development
• Social work primary and auxiliary methods
• Social science perspective for social analysis
• Social analysis and strategies for social change

Specializations

At the third semester of the curriculum, the BSW (Hons) programme offer specializations pathway leading to unique career possibilities. Students can also opt not to choose any specialization pathways. The students can choose any one of the following specializations as their

Career Possibilities

Bachelor of Social Work is one of the most demanding courses in India. It is a professional course and a career oriented one which paves the way for higher positions in hospitals, community, or psychiatric settings. Trained social workers are an integrated part of governmental and non-governmental organizations. After completing the course; students can get diverse opportunities in reputed organizations as:

1. Medical social worker
2. Psychiatric social worker
3. Project coordinator
4. School counselor
5. Geriatric social worker
6. Care manager
7. Public policy advisor
8. Community social worker
9. Therapist
10. Social welfare officer
11. Occupational therapist
12. Field analyst
13. Probation officer
14. Public health analyst
15. Disaster response and recovery specialist