Admission to the Social Work Program
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- Formal declaration of the social work major with the EMU Registrar.
- Current enrollment in or completion of SOWK 101 and SOWK 220.
- A letter grade of C or higher (equivalent of at least 2.0 quality points) in all social work and sociology courses required for the social work major.
- A cumulative EMU GPA of 2.5
- A completed application form (social work program application form)
- A completed autobiographical essay (to be reviewed by the program director using the autobiographical essay rubric)
- Three completed references (Reference for EMU Social Work Program applicant form): one each from a college/university instructor of your choice, a former employer or supervisor and another person of your choice (not a family member).
- A formal admission interview with the program director. The interview's purpose is to reflect on the student's aspirations, goals and potential for social work; to discuss the student's strengths and limitations in considering a social work career, and, if perceived necessary, to agree to a corrective plan of action that reflects the student's commitment to an area of growth. The interview also provides an opportunity for students to plan, clarify options, ask questions and voice concerns.
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Other non-local Practicum Placement
EMU social work program aims to ensure that all students have quality placements and that social work program personnel can be available to assist organizations working with our students, and be available to assist our students should issues arise in the course of placement. This is much more difficult if the placement is unknown to us and in another geographic location. Therefore, it is out of the ordinary practice of the EMU Social Work program to have students complete non-locally based or non-WCSC (EMU's Washington Community Scholars' Center) practicum placements.
Therefore, in order for any student to complete a placement other than EMU local placements or WCSC placements, we require that a student submit a formal proposal regarding the placement up to a year before the placement occurs that can be reviewed to determine approval or not of the proposal. The proposal should be a formal written document, and the social work faculty will review the proposal in conjunction with administrative expectations at EMU and provide the student with a decision on whether the proposal will be accepted.
Any student considering such a practicum should be aware that in addition to the tuition that is paid for the semester in practicum, a non-local alternative placement may incur extra costs to cover the required faculty contact visit(s) (transportation and lodging etc) to the site during the placement. There may also be necessary extra costs to cover appropriately qualified social work field instruction costs in a particular placement that are not incurred in regular local or WCSC placements.
All students in practicum must participate in the weekly seminar class with their practicum cohort. The schedule of this class and any additional EMU class in which the student is enrolled should be discussed with the placement organization.
The Non – Local Practicum Proposal should be completed by the student and submitted to the Coordinator of Field Placement. The proposal will then be reviewed in conjunction with the Social Work Program Director and other social work faculty who may be impacted to provide support to the placement.
Topic areas to cover in Non-local placement proposal:
The written proposal should:
- Explanation of reasons for seeking a non-local placement.
- Provide name & address of organization.
- Provide names(s) and contact information of executive director or chief executive officer for organization.
- Provide name, contact information, and qualifications of the social worker on-site who would accept the responsibility of being field instructor.
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At the end of the corrective action period, the full social work faculty will discuss the violation and to evaluate the student's work during the corrective action period. The full faculty will determine whether to revoke the student's admission into the program, place her/him on additional corrective action, or reinstate the student to good-standing status. The student will be formally notified of the faculty decision. Should the student wish to appeal the faculty decision, s/he will be given the opportunity to provide additional information and to request a meeting with the department faculty accompanied by a support person or persons. Should the issues remain unresolved, the student may utilize the grievance procedure outlined in the University undergraduate student handbook. All termination decisions and action must be documented and copies maintained in the student's file.
The social work program follows all University policies outlined in the Undergraduate the undergraduate student handbook.