High School Students

Can I prepare now to major in social work?

Yes.  The courses you take in high school now can help prepare you for the social work major here at Ball State University.  Here's what you can do:

• Take as many courses as you can in english, math, the social sciences, and science as you can.  These courses will build the basic foundation skills in math, writing, and critical thinking on which social work skills are built.

• Take foreign language courses especially those offered in Spanish at your high school.  Becoming fluent in Spanish will give you many opportunities as a social worker once you earn your Bachelor of Social Work degree.

• Find opportunities to volunteer in settings where you can work with people.  Working as a volunteer assisting others will prepare you to develop helping skills.  Look for these volunteer experiences in your high school, your church, synagogue or mosque, and in your community.

• If you are working part time, look for jobs where you can interact with people.  Babysitting and working as a camp counselor help you learn to interact with children, and working with the public in retail teaches you how to interact with all kinds of people.

What would I study in college as a social work major?

Freshmen and Sophomore Years

Social work majors can take beginning social work classes the first two years of college (Introduction to Social Work and Social Work Practice I) while they are also fulfilling Ball State's general education or Core liberal arts requirements (psychology, sociology, math, English, biology).  You will also participate in a volunteer experience in one of your social work classes where you begin to get a taste of what it is like to be a professional helper.

In your sophomore year you would apply for formal admission to the major while you are completing your general education courses and taking social work classes in human behavior and social policy.

Junior and Senior Years

In your junior and senior years you will be focusing mostly upon social work classes developing the knowledge and skills you will need as a beginning professional.  You will learn how to work in a community and how to work with individuals, families, and groups of people.  In your senior year a faculty member will help you choose a social service agency in which you will complete a full time internship your last semester.  Many seniors choose an internship site in the community in which they hope to live and work some day.  This internship provides you will your first professional social work experience for your resume.

We hope you consider Ball State University and the Bachelor of Social Work degree.  Plan a visit to Ball State where you can tour our beautiful campus and meet with a social work faculty member.  You can even sit in on a social work class.