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History of Alabama A&M University Undergraduate Social Work Program

The Undergraduate Social Work Program at Alabama A&M University is housed in the School of Arts and Sciences. The Program was initiated during FY 1973-74 a result of a proposal written by the Chair of the Sociology Department (Mary Francis Douthard). Social Work classes had been offered previously through the Sociology Department. It is supported by the University.

In 1973, the Social Work Program began with a director, two full-time faculty, a secretary and ten students. Currently, the Program has a Program Coordinator, three full-time faculty members, a secretary and one hundred (100) majors.

The Social Work Program had its first graduating class in December 1974. There were four graduates. During the 1974-75 fiscal year the Social Work Program became an affiliated member of the Council on Social Work Education. The Social Work Program was initially accredited by the Council on Social Work Education in April, 1980. In June, 1986, the Program's accreditation was reaffirmed by the Council for a seven-year period (1986-1993). In June 1993, the Program’s accreditation was reaffirmed for an eight-year cycle (1993-2001). The most recent program’s accreditation was reaffirmed for an eight year cycle 2002-2010.

Since its inception, additional elective courses have been added to the curriculum. The period of field instruction has changed from two semesters to one semester. In 1999, the Alabama Standards and Curriculum Committee approved Block Field Placement. The Program’s instruction/learning experiences reflect a generalist model which prepares students with competencies appropriate for use in diverse practice settings. This model enables graduates of the Social Work Program to provide effective responses to immediate needs as well to conditions in the community/society which cause problems or hinder their resolution. The Social Work Curriculum builds upon a liberal arts foundation encompassing content in the social sciences, biology, physical sciences, math, and humanities for use as a knowledge base in developing professional skills. Content related to cultural, social, racial and ethnic diversity is integrated throughout the curriculum.

The Social Work Program maintains its commitment to preparing students for beginning practice as generalist social workers. Graduates from the Program are employed in a variety of human service organizations. Many of the program’s graduates enroll in graduate schools of Social Work.

There are four basic components of the undergraduate Program that prepare the student for practice as a generalist social worker. These are:

  1. Required liberal arts courses
  2. Required support courses
  3. Required social work courses
  4. Supervised social work field instruction
  5. Co-curricular activities (field trips, leadership roles in the Social Work organization, committees, professional conferences, guest speakers, volunteer experiences, etc.)
Page last changed: November 09 2009 11:21:33
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