Pro Tip
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Social Work is a degree category that consists of the following common degrees:
- Read more about Social Work
Students who pursue a degree in social work gain the knowledge and skills, as well as the ethics and values, to work as social workers and to advocate for social justice for individuals, families, organizations, and communities. The typical curriculum covers:
- Inequity and injustice through history to current day
- How social work practice, policy, and research can impact the building of a just society
- The political and ethical contexts of social work
- The theoretical foundations of social work policies, programs, and practices
- How to engage with service users in various kinds of practice
- How to use experiences in the profession to learn and improve (known as ‘critical reflection and analysis’)
These curriculum components are considered from the perspective of various social groups, social programs, and human experiences including the following:
- Child welfare
- Health, mental health, and disability
- Poverty
- Aging
- First Peoples
- Marginalized groups (immigrants and refugees, war affected populations, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people)
- Loss and bereavement
- Domestic violence