Join a respected, regulated profession focused on eliminating inequality, inequity, and other conditions that disadvantage people within local and global contexts. The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is an accredited, direct-entry program – meaning you start your social work studies in the first year!
Offered exclusively at Laurier Brantford, social work students receive specialized training and education in the assessment, treatment and support of individuals, families and communities. As a social worker, you’ll respond to social issues like racism, poverty, displacement and violence while advocating for social justice, human rights, and fair access to health and social services.
Your future professors work hard to make sure your academic experience is current, complete and designed to open doors in your career. Here are a few things you can count on:
Here are just a few of our students’ favourite ways to apply their learning in the real world throughout their degree (check out the Experience Guide for even more!):
As part of the Social Work program, you will complete two field education placements which brings what you are learning in the classroom to the workplace and develops your professional identity as a social worker.
The field education placements are conceptualized as an educational course rather than a work term. That is, courses are graded (pass/fail) by an agency-based qualified field instructor assigned to teach each student, and a field advisor is assigned to support each student and instructor. The workload of field education is controlled to facilitate an emphasis on learning.
You will complete two field placements as part of SK399: Field 1 (360 hours in 12 weeks) and SK499: Field 2 (360 hours in 12 weeks) for a total of 720 hours of field work. You must pass both field experiences in order to graduate from the Social Work program.
BSW placement agencies or teaching centres consist of social agencies/organizations selected and approved by our Field Education office. These centres are mostly located in towns/cities within a 150-kilometre range of Brantford. Commuting to placement is expected and, as a result, flexibility regarding the geographical location of a placement is required. Many agencies require that you have access to a car while on placement.
You view a large list of available placement opportunities and rank your top ten in order of preference. You are able to meet 1:1 with a field team member to review your choices and ensure your goals and needs for placement are met. You are matched to one site based on multiple variables. The main goal for the field team is to ensure each student has the most beneficial learning experience possible, based on the available options, goals and needs of the student and of the site.
The timelines for field education courses are structured and sequenced to reflect course requirements and program progression. The following timelines also ensure that you attend the required seminars and workshops that are part of the field education course, and that you complete your program requirements in a timely manner.
Field education course timelines:
Professional and qualified instructors teach you in the field. Field education instructors typically hold a minimum of a BSW degree and are recognized as “our faculty in the field.” Instructors have a minimum of two-years post-degree experience as well as formal training.
Field education courses are covered under student fees. There are no extra charges through the university. However, while on placement, you are usually expected to pay for expenses such as police checks, mileage and parking. Students and instructors are not paid.
Placement agencies may cover your mileage costs while on agency business; however, this varies with agencies.
These are a few of the many popular academic opportunities which allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge:
Check out other options to enhance your degree.
This is a path to the Bachelor of Education program (BEd). Students applying for an honours degree with the Teaching Option will be considered for admission directly into the BEd program.
The following opportunities allow you to pursue additional, related qualifications from another postsecondary institution (either before or after your time at Laurier):
Students applying to this program from a Canadian province outside of Ontario are encouraged to review our course equivalents by province chart. This chart will show you what courses from your province are equivalent to the admission requirements listed under the Ontario High School Admission Requirements section.
Students applying to this program from an international curriculum must present the following:
Students applying to this program from an international curriculum are encouraged to review our curriculum-specific requirements. You will find which courses from your country's curriculum are equivalent to the admission requirements listed above. If your country or curriculum is not listed, please reach out to international@wlu.ca.
Laurier's language of instruction is English, and so we may require you to provide evidence of your English proficiency to help make sure you are successful in your academic courses.
Your three most recent years of full-time education must be in English without taking any ESL (English as a Second Language) courses. If you do not meet this requirement, you must provide evidence of your English proficiency.
We reserve the right to request an English-language test from any applicant.
If you do not meet Laurier's English proficiency requirement but are academically qualified for your program, you may be eligible for a conditional offer of admission.
The Academic Transition Pathway (ATP) program is offered through our affiliated institution, Wilfrid Laurier International College, and provides an option for meeting our English-proficiency requirement. If you have received an offer to Laurier with a condition to meet our English-proficiency requirement, you can meet that condition by successfully completing the ATP program.
The Bachelor of Social Work is considered competitive and requires outstanding academic achievement in college courses and the required high school courses to be admissible. Space for transfer students is subject to availability based on the number and calibre of applicants. Transfer students may be admitted to first-year regardless of transfer credits awarded.
Students applying to this program from another post-secondary institution are encouraged to review our transfer-specific requirements. This page will show you the admission requirements for your unique transfer situation and provide more details about transferring to Laurier.
College graduates applying to Laurier’s Social Work program may be eligible for admission with one of our block transfer agreements.
Note: If you're transferring from Social Service Worker or Child and Youth Care to Social Work diploma programs and wish to complete the Teaching Option, be aware that you'll need to take extra courses, which may lengthen the time needed to complete the BSW program.
Learn more about our college pathway opportunities.
Visit our admission requirements section to find specific requirements for transfer students, indigenous applicants, mature learners, homeschooled applicants, senior citizens, refugees, and more.
It’s not only about the journey; it’s about the destination. Let us help you get to where you’re going.
Here are just some examples of our graduates' destinations. What’s yours?
Note: Additional training and education may be required.
Alumni for life means that you have access to Career and Employment Support offered at Laurier for your entire career.
Getting a university education is an investment in your future.
At Laurier, we take financial health seriously by providing a wide variety of funding opportunities for you throughout your degree, such as scholarships and bursaries, and by equipping you with the skills to manage your finances effectively in the years to come.
Want to know what it’s really like to be in this program? U Community is our Discord server where future Golden Hawks like you can connect with current students to get their first-hand stories and tips on living and learning at Laurier.
Questions? Email chooselaurier@wlu.ca, call 548.889.8888 or see all contact information.
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