<< Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Programs

What does it cost?

Check out our cost calculator or visit student financial services for information on estimated costs.

How long will it take?

A minimum of 120 credit hours must be completed. A full-time student may complete this program in four years.

Where will I take classes?
Atlanta Campus, Online

All required classes to earn a degree can be completed online.

Students will complete their field placement in their local community. Students in the online BSW program option may live outside of the state of Georgia while completing their BSW courses.

Application Deadlines

Fall admission applications are only accepted from January 1 through July 1.

View Admissions Requirements

Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Bachelor of Social Work

School of Social Work

Nasser Salmanzadeh
[email protected]
404-413-1394

Social workers fight for social justice, help children and families, improve connections in communities and improve lives. It’s a noble profession and it can lead to a rewarding career for you. Jobs are numerous, including roles in hospitals, community health centers, schools, homeless shelters, nursing homes and nonprofit organizations. Georgia State’s bachelor of social work will prepare you for entry-level work with these types of employers and also will make you ready to enter a master of social work program in the future.

Our curriculum is focused on nine competencies that are connected to our accreditation and licensure rules in Georgia.

You will have a foundation for understanding human behavior in a variety of different contexts and social settings.
You will practice methods for intervention with individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations, and systems.
The curriculum is designed to develop your skill in:
- critical thinking and ethics
- intervention approaches with diverse populations
- understanding of human functioning and the social environment
- practice evaluation and research.

Getting started: You can apply to the BSW program for admission after you completed your lower division classes, which typically takes two years. You can start at Georgia State as an “Exploratory Social Work” status student while you gather the necessary credits and then apply to be a BSW student the spring before your junior year.

Your success matters: You will work with the undergraduate advisement center throughout your time at Georgia State to make sure you are enrolling in the correct courses.

Georgia State Baccalaureate Social Work Program Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes.

Program Details

Students can choose between 2 options when applying for the BSW program.

1) Atlanta campus option – offers a combination of in-person, hybrid and online courses to choose from, at various times of day and evening. Course selection depends on scheduling and available seats, so you may have courses in any of these formats. This option may require attending some courses on the downtown Atlanta campus.

2) Online option – All of your BSW courses are fully online, and you would complete a field placement in your local community, whether inside or outside of the state of Georgia

Courses are filled on a first-come, first-serve registration basis, based on the program option you choose.

For a student to be considered for B.S.W. status, the student must:

Be in good standing at Georgia State with a minimum institutional GPA of 2.5.
File a formal application in the school for B.S.W. status.
Have grades of C or higher in English 1101 and 1102.
Have successfully completed Areas A through F (except SW 2000).
Have a minimum grade point average of 2.5 or better in the lower-division courses counted for completion of Areas A-F and a minimum grade of C or higher in SW 2000 if completed.

Entry into the B.S.W. program is a selective process on a space availability basis. A student meeting only the minimum GPA or other criteria is not guaranteed acceptance. Qualified students who are denied entry at one time will be placed on a competitive waiting list in the order of their denial to await possible access to the program at a subsequent time.

Preview the BSW Application before submitting.

Access the BSW Application.

Visit Bachelor’s Degree Admissions for information on applying to Georgia State.

Students admitted to the School of Social Work begin as Exploratory Social Work students and change their status only after the student has made formal application and formal admission has been granted. Exploratory Social Work status is assigned to students who have not completed all lower-division courses in CORE IMPACTS through Field of Study or have not met GPA eligibility requirements. Once students are admitted they will continue with their required program courses, which include mandatory practicum education.

The curriculum includes:

42 hours of core courses (CORE IMPACTS)
18 hours of courses related to the field of study
48 hours of major requirements
12 hours of electives
Total of 120 credit hours

View a detailed list of curriculum requirements.

There are nine Social Work Competencies. Each competency describes the knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes that comprise the competency at the generalist level of practice, followed by a set of behaviors that integrate these components. These behaviors represent observable components of the competencies, while the preceding statements represent the underlying content and processes that inform the behaviors.

BSW Competencies PDF Document

Georgia State BSW Assessment document

Download the School of Social Work Student Handbook

BSW Sample Course Plans (2023-2024)

Campus Supports & Contacts List

Careers in Social Work

Social workers are members of one of the faster growing professions. They are concerned with a wide variety of issues related to personal growth, the development of flexible and positive relationships, and the establishment of social justice.

Social work is a profession for those with a spark of idealism, a belief in social justice and a love of working with people. Social work offers the chance to work with a variety of populations, including those who are incarcerated, refugees and immigrants, older adults, children and people with disabilities. Social workers are employed in schools, hospitals, government agencies, nonprofit organizations and many other settings.