The School of Social Work responds to the needs and aspirations of various at-risk populations in the San Francisco Bay Area and similar urban communities. The program aims to educate undergraduate students for generalist social work practice in a variety of social service settings, and teach students to serve as change agents with urban, oppressed populations while enabling members of these populations to act on their own behalf. Our graduates provide direct services to people in need and, as administrators and organizers of social service agencies, make services more accessible and responsive to the communities they serve.
The mission of the School of Social Work is to provide educational foundations that promote just and secure communities, societies and global networks. It serves to educate human service providers for versatile, creative, and culturally sensitive practice in multiple settings and involving diverse populations. The School of Social Work promotes leadership, scholarship, activism, and change to achieve equity and social justice.
Our teaching incorporates a comprehensive range of knowledge, values, skills and experiences for social work practice at all levels of intervention. The outcome is to provide learning experiences that will instill critical consciousness and inspire students to become advocates for economic and social justice. The BASW Program at San Francisco State University is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
The BASW curriculum emphasizes the integration of knowledge, values and skills. Commitment to professional values and ethics, to participate in constructive change, to support the right to self-determination, and to respect people’s capacity to learn and grow are integrated throughout the program. Students are expected to develop a spirit of inquiry and to achieve a critical posture toward the social situation, the functioning of the profession, and of social agencies and their own performance.
For additional information about the program, including the curriculum plan and learning outcomes, please visit the BASW Program’s Bulletin page.
Beginning Fall 2024, the BASW program will no longer be an impacted major.
Current SF State Students
- Applicants with a GPA of at least 2.0 are eligible to apply to the BASW program.
- Students can petition for a change of major online via their student center.
- On the left side drop down menu, select Change of Major.
- Select Health and Social Sciences (HSS) for the College field.
- Select Social Work (not Pre-Social Work) under department/concentration.
- Admitted First Year and Sophomore students should follow the BASW Curricular Road Map for lower division students.
- Admitted Junior students should follow the BASW Curricular Road Map for upper division students.
Transfer Students
- Submit an official Cal State application and indicate Social Work as your major.
Informational Session
We invite prospective students to join our information session to learn about BASW program, admission requirements, and application process.
Please click on the date you would like to attend to register.
Date: TBA