Professional social workers are often judged by others based upon the quality of their written work.  The devaluing of a social worker's efforts on behalf of a client can result in poor service to the client.  The BSW program prepares students to write professionally.  Students in the BSW program are expected to be writing at the college level.  Students are expected to seek assistance from the staff at the Learning or Writing Center should there be a need to improve writing skills. 

APA Format

Written assignments, unless otherwise stipulated by the instructor, are expected to be typed and edited and to follow the American Psychological Association (APA) citation format, which is used for all professional social work writing.  It is recommended that students whose prior education has exposed them to the MLA writing format consult a copy of the American Psychological Association's publication entitled Concise Rules of APA Style or consult the online tutorial on APA at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/apa/.  The basics of APA format are also covered in SOCWK 230, Human Behavior and the Social Environment I.

Writing Competency Examination

All students earning a degree at Ball State University are required to successfully complete the Writing Competency Examination as part of the University Core.  Students take the examination, which is designated as ENG 392, after completing 60 semester hours, ENG 103 and ENG 104. Students, who fail to pass the examination after two attempts, will be required to take ENG 393, the writing competency course which then satisfies the writing competency requirement. The credit hours in ENG 393 do not apply toward any graduation requirement.  Students can also elect to take ENG 393 in lieu of the Writing Competency Examination.

Students with baccalaureate degrees from accredited institutions who are pursuing a second degree are exempt from the Writing Competency Examination.

The BSW program expects students to complete the university's Writing Competency Examination requirement prior to receiving permission to register for senior level required social work courses (SOCWK 410).  Students must register in advance to take the Writing Competency Exam.  A schedule of exam dates are posted in the social work office and can also be found at http://www.bsu.edu/web/assessment/writingcomp.htm.