Students enter the BSW program by declaring themselves as pre-social work majors and begin progress toward a degree by enrolling in General Education requirements, support, and pre-social work courses. These courses are typically completed in the freshman and sophomore years. Neither admission to the University nor enrollment in social work courses as a pre-social work major guarantees full admission to the social work program.
Pre-Social Work courses include the following:
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar | 1-2 |
| or YSU 1500S | Youngstown State University Success Seminar | |
| or HONR 1500 | Intro to Honors | |
| ENGL 1550 | Writing 1 | 3 or 4 |
| or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 with Support | |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| Any Gen Ed Math | 3-6 | |
| Natural Science with Lab | 4 | |
| Natural Science | 3 | |
| SOC 1500 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| PSYC 1560 | General Psychology | 3 |
| 2 Arts & Humanities (A&H) | 6 | |
| 2 Gen Ed Electives | 6 | |
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| SCWK 1510 | Introduction to Social Work | 3 |
| SCWK 2600 | Health Issues for Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SCWK 2622 | Social Work Processes | 3 |
| SCWK 2641 | American Social Welfare | 3 |
| SCWK 2642 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment for Social Workers 1 | 3 |
| SCWK 2644 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment for Social Workers 2 | 3 |
| Electives | 12-16 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 68-77 | |
Students also select General Education math, natural science, social and personal awareness courses as well as electives as they complete pre-social work requirements the freshman and sophomore years of the program.