Becoming an Agent for Social Change

Visit our cities and you’ll find people living on the street, huddled against storefronts, begging for change. Go to our small towns and you’ll find people with uncertain futures, unemployed and directionless. Pick up a newspaper and you’ll find stories about child abuse, battered women and drug addicts. These challenges face the social work practitioner: to attend to the needs of people in distress and to identify and remedy the social ills that rob people of their
dignity and prevent them from achieving their potential.

Social work is an exciting, demanding and immensely rewarding profession. It requires uncommon dedication and a commitment to strive for social reform. Social workers help couples resolve their marital problems, attend to the needs of an abused child, set up community associations or draft social policy legislation that could affect the lives of tens of thousands of people in need.

Our Focus

Understanding the roots of Canada’s social problems is the principal focus of the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) programme at St. Thomas. We believe that inequality and injustice are part of the existing social and economic order and that the structure of our society, rather than the failings of a particular individual or group, is largely accountable for Canada’s social ills. The St. Thomas social work programme not only teaches its students to address their clients’ immediate needs, it also challenges future social workers to see themselves as agents for social change. While the programme prepares graduates for social work practice anywhere in Canada, whenever possible it reflects the concerns and issues particular to New Brunswick.

Note: Beginning in September of 2005, there is no entry to the Bachelor of Social Work directly from high school. The Social Work department will be commencing a new Bachelor of Social Work programme. Senate has approved the phasing out of the four year BSW programme and the establishment of a new programme format. This revised Post-Degree programme will run from September until December of the following year. The last intake of the Post-Degree programme in its current format will take place in June 2006, while the last intake for the professional years of the four year programme will take place in September 2006. The phasing in of the new Post-Degree programme will be complete by September 2008.

The BSW

The Bachelor of Social Work degree is recognized by the Canadian Association of Social Workers as the first professional degree for social work practice and is now required for most entry-level positions in the field. In New Brunswick, the BSW degree is the minimum qualification required to practice social work.

St. Thomas University has long been known for educational leadership in issues of social justice. Nationally recognized for excellence, our BSW programmes are the only English language, professional social work programmes in New Brunswick. The Four-year BSW The Admission process for the 4-year Bachelor of Social Work programme is currently under review.It has been decided, however, that there will no longer be entry to Social Work directly from high school. High school students who have questions regarding admission to the Social Work progamme should contact the Admissions Office.

The Post-Degree BSW

One of only a few such programmes in Canada, the postdegree BSW programme is designed for university graduates whose undergraduate programmes include a substantial liberal-arts component, and who are committed to a career in social work. Limited in enrolment, the post-degree BSW is an intensive, 60 credit hour, 13-month programme. It builds on an undergraduate degree and leads to a professional BSW credential.

Course work for the post-degree BSW takes place over four consecutive semesters (summer, fall, winter, spring). Classes begin in June. Included among the post-degree BSW requirements
is one field practicum of 700 hours. This practicum will occur during the winter semester in a block of five days a week.

Post-degree BSW students will normally be required to do their field practicum outside the City of Fredericton.

Making the Grade

The post-degree BSW is limited in enrolment to 20 students. Admission is highly competitive and having the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Candidates are assessed on the basis of academic preparation and professional suitability.

1. All applicants must satisfy the following minimum academic requirements:

1. For admission in June 2005, you must either hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university or be a candidate for the degree by May 15, 2005. Candidates may be given provisional acceptance pending completion of degree requirements by the May 15 deadline;
2. Your first degree programme must include a minimum of 60 credit hours in liberal arts;
3. Your cumulative grade point average (CGPA) calculated on either your undergraduate program or your most recent 60 credit hours must be no less than 3.0 (B)*;
4. Your undergraduate programme must include an empirical research methods course which provides familiarity with a broad range of qualitative and quantitative research methods as well as research ethics. Three credit hours for this course will be transferred to the BSW.

Note: Applicants who do not satisfy these minimum academic requirements are not considered further in the selection process.

* An applicant who does not meet this criterion and whose degree was earned five years ago or earlier, may be considered for admission if he/she provides evidence of having earned a GPA of at least 3.0 within the previous five years on three or more courses (at least 9 credit hours).

2. Eligible applicants are also assessed for professional suitability:

1. You must demonstrate a critical awareness of the interaction among the individual and the social, political and economic aspects of society and a recognition that for structural social workers, the main focus for change is the structure of society rather than the individual;
2. You must also provide evidence of familiarity with and commitment to the profession of social work, and the capacity to learn from experience.

Affirmative Action Policy

The BSW programme at St. Thomas has an affirmative action policy which may be applied to candidates who meet the minimum entrance requirements and are members of groups which have been traditionally disadvantaged with respect to access to many of our social institutions. The specific groups include: black persons, aboriginal people, persons with disabilities, and those who have had to rely on the services of social agencies for the basic necessities of
life.

Effective for the 2006-7 intake, the following policy will apply: *An applicant with a bachelor’s degree who does not meet this GPA requirement may be considered for admission two years after graduation if s/he has earned a GPA of at least 3.0 based on course work completed after graduation (a minimum of 15 credit hours). Normally, these courses will be taken at the second year level or higher. Such applicants must meet all other requirements.

The Selection Process

There are more qualified candidates than openings in this limited-enrolment programme, therefore many good candidates cannot be accepted. The selection is made by the Admissions Committee of the Department of Social Work and is based on the following:

Points for experience and for the personal statement are assigned and agreed upon by two members of the selection committee who scrutinize your references, resume and personal statement to assess your understanding of social work, your personal suitability and professional/learning goals.

Putting Together Your Application

• FIRST STAGE •

The application deadline for the post-degree BSW is January 31. Your application is made to the Admissions Office and all application material, including supporting documents, must be received by the Admissions Office on or before the January 31 deadline. These include:

You will need the free program 'Adobe Acrobat' to view and print the following PDF documents.

1. a completed general application form for admission to St. Thomas University;
2. a completed supplementary application form for the post-degree BSW;
3. a non-refundable application fee of $35.00;
4. the completed personal statement form on which you discuss your interest in becoming a social worker; experiences (personal, volunteer, professional, employment) that have influenced both your understanding of social work and your decision to apply; insights, knowledge, and skills that you have gained from these experiences and that have relevance to social work; and your professional/learning goals as well as any relevant vocational plans.
5. a personal resume;
6. three reference letters (one personal, one academic and one professional) which assess your suitability for the social work profession. If you are currently employed in the field of social work, include your supervisor among your referees. Reference forms for distribution
   to your referees are included in the programme’s applicant kit. Kindly advise your referees of the application deadline;
7. a course description and detailed course outline of the compulsory, empirical research methods course that is to be transferred to the BSW;
8. official transcripts of marks from all post-secondary institutions you have attended. If you are currently enroled in university courses, please ensure that official transcripts of final grades for the first semester of 2004-2005, together with a list of second-semester
   courses, if applicable, are submitted to the Admissions Office by the January 31 deadline; and that you make arrangements to have your final transcript or official confirmation that you have satisfied the requirements of your undergraduate degree programme submitted to
   the Admissions Office on or before May 15.

• SECOND STAGE •

1. As part of the application process, all eligible candidates will be required to participate in a group interview conducted by representatives of the social work department. These interviews will be conducted either in person on campus or via telephone conference calls. In these interviews, which are scheduled for February, participants will be evaluated on self-awareness, ability to relate to others, problemsolving ability, and social/political awareness. The eligible candidates in February.
2. In conjunction with the interview process, applicants will complete a brief test involving an analysis of a social problem. This test will be written in Fredericton at the time of the group interview. Applicants participating in telephone interviews will be asked to arrange to have the test written and monitored at a local educational institution. Applicants will be presented with a current or enduring social problem and will be asked why it is seen to be a social problem, what the causes of the problem might be, what the impact or consequences of the problem are on people and on society, and how they think the problem might be resolved or reduced.

Applicant Notification

Candidates for admission to the post-degree BSW will receive written notice of their admission status by April 15. The notice will be forwarded to your permanent mailing address as identified on your supplementary application form.

Thinking About Costs

Annual fees are announced in May. Tuition for the postdegree BSW reflects the programme’s intensive 60 credit hour curriculum. In keeping with our tradition of strong financial management, the fees compare favourably to costs of other specialized post-baccalaureate programs offered elsewhere in the region. Tuition for the 2004-2005 academic year was $6,700.

Find Out More About St. Thomas

If you have questions that aren’t answered by this monograph, write or call the Admissions Office. We’ll do our best to provide you with the information you need to make an informed choice.

Note: Starting in September 2007, the Social Work department will be commencing a new BSW programme. The last intake of the post-degree BSW programme in its current format will take place in June 2006.

Admissions Office
St. Thomas University
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
E3B 5G3
Tel: (506) 452-0532
Fax: (506) 452-0617

Email: Admissions Office

Request for information and/or application to be sent by mail.

To find out more please use the following link:

Social Work Department