Social Work (Bachelor of Social Work)
Domestic applications
Fall 2025: Applications are closed
Fall 2026: Applications open October 1, 2025 at 9:00 am
Overview
The Bachelor of Social Work degree gives you the training to advocate for social justice and help people from diverse age groups and populations resolve problems in their everyday lives for better quality of life.
In your third-and-fourth years, you’ll take two supervised practicums that’ll prepare you for your social work career after graduation.
Job opportunities
Once you graduate, you’ll be prepared to take on roles in health care programs, non-profit community organizations, child welfare agencies and more to work with community groups, families, children and individuals.
Social Workers are in demand in British Columbia, with over 3,050 Social Worker jobs projected for the next nine years.
Take your prerequisites at Douglas
Our Bachelor of Social Work program takes four years to complete; all you need is 30 university-transferable credits to be admitted. With our degree, the prerequisites are built into the first year of the program, so even if you have taken general university-transferable courses, you’ll still be eligible to apply.
A B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education-approved program
The Douglas College Bachelor of Social Work program was approved by the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education in the Spring of 2016 following a highly consultative development process managed via the province's Degree Quality Assessment Board.
Next steps after graduation
Students completing their Bachelor of Social Work at Douglas College can apply for registration to become Registered Social Workers as soon as they have finished their education. Once the application is complete and approved by the BC College of Social Workers, students can take the necessary exam. Requirements for registration may be found on the BCCSW website.
Registered Social Workers who have been registered in B.C. are able to apply for registration in other provinces/jurisdictions. However, registrants from B.C. wishing to register in another province/jurisdiction are strongly advised to inquire with the regulatory body in that province/jurisdiction beforehand regarding specific registration criteria as these may vary.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants must meet the admissions requirements listed below:
- Completion of a minimum of 30.00 university transferable (UT) credits including the following:
- PSYC 1130 - Lifespan Human Development or equivalent (note 1)
- Any 3.00 credit ENGL university-transferable course
- 24.00 credits of university-transferable courses (non-social work courses)
- The following are required to determine suitability for the program:
- 50 hours of voluntary or paid work in the field of Human Services
- Two (2) letters of reference, one of which must be from a former supervisor in the Human Services field.
- A current resume.
- A letter of intent describing why the student wishes to enter the program and field of Social Work.
- A Criminal Record Check (information will be provided by Enrolment Services following an offer of admission into the program).
Admission to the Bachelor of Social Work program is contingent upon:
- Availability of seats
- Applicant ranking
- Interview – required to ensure that students are suitable for Social Work practice and working within practicum placements where they will be working with vulnerable people.
Notes:
- CFCS 1130 (Change and Development Lifespan) can be used to satisfy the PSYC 1130 Lifespan requirement. However, if CFCS 1130 was completed prior to September 2018, an additional 3 university transferable (UT) credits would be required to satisfy the 30 UT credits for admission into the program.
- Students who have completed a Community Social Service Work diploma or other credential, may be eligible to transfer into the Bachelor of Social Work program.
Cost
Calculate your tuition and see the approximate cost of taking your program at Douglas College with the tuition & fee estimator. See costs broken down into categories including tuition fees, textbooks, student activity fees, U-Pass and more.
For more information, refer to the tuition fee charts.
Program Requirements
Graduation Requirements:
- Successful completion of 120.00 credits, including the Year I requirements completed as a part of the program admission:
- 30.00 University Transferable credits including a 3.00-credit course in Lifespan Human Development. (A university transferable course is a course that transfers to one of the Research Universities - SFU, UBC, (UBCV and UBCO), UNBC or UVIC in the BC Transfer Guide.)
- 40% (48.00 credits) of all coursework must be completed at Douglas College
- A program GPA of 2.00 is required
- In good academic standing
- Time limit to complete the program graduation requirements: 10 years. Any courses completed outside of that time limit will not be usable. Students may seek the permission of the Department/Program to complete a credential outside the approved time limits.
- Up to 50% (60.00 credits) of coursework used towards a previously received credential can be used to meet graduation requirements (see the Credentials Awarded Policy).
Course Requirements (see note 1):
|
Course Number |
Course Title |
Credits |
|
Year II (see note 1) |
||
|
Introduction to Social Work Practice |
3.00 |
|
|
Introduction to Social Welfare |
3.00 |
|
|
Counselling: Theory and Practice I |
3.00 |
|
|
Family Systems Social Work |
3.00 |
|
|
Substance Misuse |
3.00 |
|
|
Social Work with Seniors |
3.00 |
|
|
Social Work Pratice: Mental Health |
3.00 |
|
|
Metropolitan Social Work Practice |
3.00 |
|
|
Social Work Practice with Groups and Communities |
3.00 |
|
|
ENGL elective |
ENGL 1130 or any UT ENGL course not previously taken |
3.00 |
|
Year III (see note 1) |
||
|
Social Work Theories and Perspectives |
3.00 |
|
|
Counselling: Theory and Practice II |
3.00 |
|
|
SOWK 3140 (see note 2) |
Practicum I |
4.50 |
|
Child Welfare Social Work |
3.00 |
|
|
Social Work with Indigenous People |
3.00 |
|
|
SOWK 3240 (see note 2) |
Practicum II |
4.50 |
|
UT Elective |
3000 or 4000 level UT elective from outside of Social Work |
3.00 |
|
UT Elective |
3000 or 4000 level UT elective from outside of Social Work |
3.00 |
|
UT Elective |
3000 or 4000 level UT elective from outside of Social Work |
3.00 |
|
Year IV (see note 1) |
||
|
Social Work Between Systems |
3.00 |
|
|
Research Methods in Social Work |
3.00 |
|
|
SOWK 4140 (see note 2) |
Practicum III |
4.50 |
|
Global Perspectives in Social Work |
3.00 |
|
|
Risk Assessment, Mitigation and Prevention |
3.00 |
|
|
Promoting Family and System Capacity |
3.00 |
|
|
SOWK 4240 (see note 2) |
Practicum IV |
4.50 |
|
UT Elective |
3000 or 4000 level UT elective from outside of Social Work |
3.00 |
|
UT Elective |
3000 or 4000 level UT elective from outside of Social Work |
3.00 |
|
|
Total Credits |
90.00 |
Notes:
1. The courses are listed in the year that they should be taken. If a student fails a course, then the student should communicate with the program coordinator about when to retake that course and how to progress in the following year.
2. Eligible students completing an International Field Placement may substitute AIST 3040 and AIST 3030 for SOWK 3140/3240 Practicum or SOWK 4140/4240 Practicum.
3) Students might be interestested in pursuing the following credentials along with their Bachelor of Social Work degree at Douglas College. Before entering the Bachelor of Social Work you might be interested in pursuing the Academic Foundation (Indigenous Studies). The Minor in Applied Psychology lets you explore different avenues of interest while completing your BSW at Douglas College. During your studies as a BSW student you might be interested in working towards the Global Competency Certificate (GCC). For more details about how to take advantage of these programs, please talk with a Student Success Advisor, the BSW program coordinator, and for the GCC program, the GCC Program Developer.
Program Guidelines
Program Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this program and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the program, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
FAQs
The following criteria should guide your choice of where to complete your volunteer/work hours for applying to the Bachelor of Social Work degree:
- Working directly with vulnerable people in the field of Social Services
- 50 contact hours required accrued within a year from when applicant’s admissions application is received
- Ideally with Adults or perhaps Youth, not children
- A Supervisor who can provide you with feedback and act as a reference
- Duties must be more than clerical or office work
Examples of acceptable volunteer hours in the human services field can be:
- Addictions treatment centres
- Aboriginal agencies
- Immigration services
- Adoption services
- Victim services
- Residential programs
- Health care settings
- Adult day settings
- Mental health centres
- Family services agencies
- Senior centres
- Early intervention programs
- Correction centres
- Hospice
- Schools
Please refer to the link below for the Volunteer/Work Hours form for the BSW Application:
If you have any problems submitting the Volunteer/Work Hours form on the system please email the department at bsowk@douglascollege.ca
Volunteer and past work experience in the field of human services will help you determine if social work is the right fit for you.
3 years in addition to completion of 30 credits of foundation coursework required for admission.
See our tuition fee page for more information.
Apply online to Douglas College. You must also submit a letter of intent, current resumé Volunteer/Work Hours Form and two Reference Forms. You will also need to meet with us for an interview. For details, email bsowk@douglascollege.ca.
General Arts and Humanities courses and a Lifespan Human Development class (PSYCH1130 or CFCS 1130). A Statistics course (GEOG 2251, PSYC 2300, BUSN 2429 or MATH 1160) is also highly recommended and a requirement for the SOWK 4160 Research Methods course.
Admission and transfer credits are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Students applying with a Community Social Service Work diploma from Douglas will receive 18 transfer credits toward the second year of the degree but will need an additional 12 university transfer credits, for 30 credits in total. For more details email bsowk@douglascollege.ca.
The BSW program is only offered full time. As the program develops, we may include a part-time component. Some of the non-social-work courses required in years two and three are offered online. None of the social work courses are offered online.
The Douglas College Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) was approved in Spring 2016 by the Degree Quality Assessment Board (DQAB). DQAB ensures that all new degree programs in BC meet consistent and high quality criteria.
Yes. At this time the Douglas College BSW has received provisional approval from the BC College of Social Workers for our students to sit the licensing exam to apply to become a Registered Social Worker in BC. For more information please visit http://www.bccollegeofsocialworkers.ca/douglas-college.
Being a licensed social worker in BC does not transfer automatically to other jurisdictions in Canada. All registered social workers, regardless of where they completed their education, may be required to completed additional requirements to become registered in another province.
Potential employers will vary in terms of job requirements. The ability to find work depends on many factors such as geography, retirements, desirability, etc. The more flexible the graduate in terms of their employment needs increases the likelihood of getting a social work position.
At present, the BSW degree is not accredited by CASWE.
Career Pathways
Career opportunities include:
- 2SLGBTQIA+ Youth Worker
- Addiction Social Worker
- Case Management Consultant - Social Work
- Case Manager/Intake Worker
- Case Work Consultant - Social Work
- Child Welfare/Foster Care Social Worker
- Clinical Social Worker
- Community Facilitator
- Crisis Intervention Worker
- Geriatric Social Worker
- Immigration Services
- Indigenous Agencies
- Mental Health Worker
- Substance Misuse Worker