• Social Work Major

• General Social Work Minor

• Community Social Services Minor

• Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Minor

For a detailed look at the course requirements and descriptions for these degrees, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

Click graphic for printable document

Course Rotation

• Social Work 

Degree Checksheet

• Social Work Checksheet

Plans of Study

• Social Work

Are you interested in increasing your knowledge base in Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health? 

Micro-credentials are a form of certification for professionals to demonstrate their skills and expertise in specialized areas and can provide a pathway for continuing education and professional development.

Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Micro-Credential 

NWOSU has developed a micro-credential for social service professionals that includes a 3 credit hour course and 6 clock hours of approved training. Curriculum and trainings selected provide a solid foundation in the study of infant and early childhood mental health. The credential emphasizes the importance of supporting the developing parent-infant relationship and promoting secure attachments. Participants will be required to complete one three credit hour course and 6 clock hours of approved infant and early childhood mental health training to earn the credential. The course and trainings are taught by faculty in the highly respected social work program at Northwestern Oklahoma State University and leaders in the field of infant & early childhood mental health.

The Curriculum 

The program is designed to be completed in 1-2 semesters.

• SOCW 4123 Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health (3 credit hour course)
• 6 clocked hours of Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health training as approved by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) and/or NWOSU Department of Social Work

Scholarships 

A limited number of scholarships, funded through the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Workforce Micro-credentials and Rapid Re-employment Initiative grant program, are available to eligible students.

Get Started by Enrolling in SOCW4123 

1. Complete and save to your computer the interest form found at https://www.nwosu.edu/uploads//academics/social-work/infant-early-child-mental-health-micro.pdf  
2. You will attach this form under “Please provide any additional documentation” on your application below.
3. Complete the Northwestern application for admission at https://www.nwosu.edu/apply-online. You will be prompted to create an account as a first step.
4. On the application form, select “No Degree Plans” under “Immediate Educational Goal at Northwestern.”
5. You will be contacted by a Northwestern representative to complete the enrollment process. 

Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Training Hours

• Prior Approval Request Form - Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Training
• Verification of Attendance Form - Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Training

Information 

If you are interested in learning more, contact Dr. Kylene Rehder, Department of Social Work Chair at kdrehder@nwosu.edu or (580) 327-8135.

Use the Social Work Department Scholarship Application Form to apply for foundation/departmental scholarships by February 15. 

Departmental scholarships available in this area and more can be found at https://ournorthwestern.org/make-an-investment/scholarships, including numerous miscellaneous unspecified scholarships.

Current students have until March 15 for academic scholarships using the Continuing Student Scholarship Application.

All incoming freshmen or transfers are encouraged to fill out their respective scholarship forms: Freshman Scholarship or Transfer Scholarship, which should be submitted along with the Application for Admission to the University. The incoming freshman deadline is May 15, while the transfer student deadline is July 15.

Students also should complete the FAFSA form at www.studentaid.gov.

For more information, please visit Scholarships.

The Council on Social Work Education emphasizes field education as the “signature pedagogy” of social work education. Field education is a process of instruction and socialization that teaches future practitioners the fundamental dimensions of professional practice. It is systematically designed, supervised, coordinated, and evaluated based on criteria and measures of student acquisition and demonstration of the nine social work competencies. Field Education requires a minimum of 420 field experience hours.

Policies, procedures, and descriptions of Social Work Field Education at Northwestern Oklahoma State University are detailed in the Field Education Manual.

Field Education Manual    

For more information contact Codi Harding, Assistant Professor of Social Work and Director of Field Education, Room 110 Northwestern - Enid Campus, (580) 213-3148, clharding@nwosu.edu.

• Nationally accredited by the Council on Social Work Education - 1 of 5 BSW accredited programs in the state.
• Social work students can obtain licensure upon graduation to practice.
• Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health Minor & Micro-Credential.
• Senior Spring Field Practicum Experience.
• Over 95% of social work students are employed upon graduation.
• Graduates are eligible for Masters of Social Work (MSW) advanced standing programs.
• Distinguished faculty & recipient of the Regents Business Partnership Excellence Award.
• Home to NASW-OK Undergraduate Student of the Year recipients &  International scholars
• Virtual Reality Labs and Active Social Work Learning Environments
• CWPEP grant awards up to $24,300 annually to participating students
• SWAT (Social Workers Association of Tomorrow) is a vibrant student organization that hosts events such as the award-winning Primp for Prom

Resource Center and Interview Lab

The Department of Social Work houses a resource center and interviewing lab for students majoring in social work. The lab is located in Jesse Dunn 308 on the Alva campus and is equipped with technology and an in-house library of social work textbooks, selected journals and practice-skill videos. Click link for Resource Center Book Holdings.

Students wishing to check out materials should contact the Department of Social Work at (580) 327-8134.  All materials are available to social work majors on the Alva, Enid, and Woodward campuses.

 

 

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Social Work Transfer Credit

Transfer students may apply credit hours gained elsewhere to the social work degree. The transfer of general education credits is governed by the policies of Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Credit hours applied directly to the requirements of the social work program must have been earned in a social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, or a program in candidacy for accreditation. Transfer courses for which social work credit is sought must be reviewed and approved by the social work faculty advisor as equivalent to the social work content in courses at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

The social work program at Northwestern Oklahoma State University does not grant academic or field practicum credit for life experience or previous work experience gained outside the context of higher educational institutions. 

The social work program goals reflect the purpose of undergraduate social work education and are derived from the program’s mission.  The social work program goals are as follows:

• Prepare social workers with the knowledge, values, and skills of the social work profession to practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.  
• Prepare social workers for ethical practice in a rapidly changing global environment and within the complexities of rural regions.
• Provide a learning environment which models respect for diversity and a commitment to ending discrimination and promoting social justice.
• Prepare social workers for the use of evidence based theories, practice methods, and evaluation processes for both client and agency outcomes.
• Educate lifelong learners who can think critically about the world around them.
• Develop social work leaders who are able to improve the social service delivery systems in Northwest Oklahoma.
• Prepare social workers with a commitment to professional growth and development. 

Click to see our Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes information.

The Social Work Program at Northwestern views assessment as an integral component of competency-based education. The student learning outcomes are identified through nine social work competencies and 20 behaviors. The competencies and behaviors are as follows: 

Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior

a. make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision making, ethical conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics within the profession as appropriate to the context;

b. demonstrate professional behavior; appearance; and oral, written, and electronic communication;

c. use technology ethically and appropriately to facilitate practice outcomes; and

d. use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior.

Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice

a. advocate for human rights at the individual, family, group, organizational, and community system levels;

b. engage in practices that advance human rights to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice

a. demonstrate anti-racist and anti-oppressive social work practice at the individual, family, group, organizational, community, research, and policy levels;

b. demonstrate cultural humility by applying critical reflection, self-awareness, and self-regulation to manage the influence of bias, power, privilege, and values in working with clients and constituencies, acknowledging them as experts of their own lived experiences.

Competency 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice

a. apply research findings to inform and improve practice, policy, and programs;

b. identify ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive strategies that address inherent biases for use in quantitative and qualitative research methods to advance the purposes of social work.

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice

a. use social justice, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to assess how social welfare policies affect the delivery of and access to social services;

b. apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

a. apply knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, to engage with clients and constituencies;

b. use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

a. apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing clients and constituencies; and

b. demonstrate respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon plan.

Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

a. engage with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals;

b. incorporate culturally responsive methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies.

Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

a. select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes;

b. critically analyze outcomes and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

The Social Work Program Advisory Board is comprised of social workers, practitioners, and leaders in our local communities that foster and support the continued development of social work education in the region. While members come from different communities, the committee is seen as one functional unit and focuses on the overall development of the program. The primary purpose of the board is to maintain active communication between the social work practice community and the program to ensure continued improvement. The Social Work Program Advisory Board addresses the following: student preparation to meet community and agency needs, expectations for students in field education, program assessment outcomes, input on educational policies, student recruitment and retention, job placement, research initiatives, and identifying agency needs that the social work program can address to contribute to community betterment. 

Northwestern’s Social Work Program Advisory Board Members

Kevin Evans, Executive Director, Western Plains Youth and Family Services

James Marks, MSW, LCSW- Executive Director, Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers

Kailie Martin, BSW, MSW- Community Resource Coordinator, Northwest Family Services

Raquel Razien, BSW, MSW- Woodward County Care Portal Community Coordinator

Amy Whitson, MSW- Child Welfare Deputy Director- Region I, Oklahoma Department of Human Services

Ashley Garner, BSW Student- SWAT Student Organization President, Northwestern Oklahoma State University

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Completion of Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s CSWE-accredited Bachelor of Social Work Program meets the educational requirements to apply for a bachelor’s level license in offering states. Licensing of social work practitioners is under the authority of a designated office in each individual state and requires that a social worker sitting for a licensing exam be a graduate of a CSWE-accredited program. Contact information for individual state licensing boards can be found on the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) website at www.aswb.org or through an internet search for a licensing board for a particular state. ASWB maintains information about social work regulations and licensure requirements as a service to the public. Basic information about social work licensing in U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions can be located directly at www.aswb.org/licensees/about-licensing-and-regulation/social-work-regulation/. 

Individualized state licensure information is located HERE and was last reviewed in January 2023.