COURSE CURRICULUM

The Bachelor’s in Social Welfare at the University at Albany is designed to build both a strong academic foundation and professional practice skills for students preparing to work in human services and social work-related fields. The program begins with a Social Welfare Elementary Base that introduces key disciplines needed to understand human behavior and social systems, including Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Sociology or Social Problems, American Politics, and Social Welfare in the U.S., along with a required Human Biology course such as General Biology, Nutrition, or Human Population Biology. This foundation helps students understand individuals within biological, psychological, and social contexts. The Social Welfare Advanced Base expands this knowledge with courses such as Abnormal Psychology, Social Psychology, Perspectives on Globalization or World Cities: Geographies of Globalization, and an Elementary Statistics course from approved options, along with an elective that allows students to explore a related area of interest. The core of the program focuses on professional social work preparation through sequential practice courses (Social Work Practice I–IV), which develop skills in assessment, intervention, and case management. Additional required coursework includes Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Introduction to Research Methods in Social Welfare, Organization and Community Theory, and Introduction to Social Policy Analysis, all of which prepare students to understand and evaluate social systems and policies. A major component of the program is Field Instruction in Social Welfare I and II, supported by an Integrative Field Seminar, where students gain supervised, hands-on experience in real social service agencies working with individuals, families, groups, and communities. Overall, the program equips students with the knowledge, ethical foundation, and practical experience needed for careers in social services, community organizations, healthcare settings, and public agencies, as well as for graduate study in social work and related fields.