Social Work
Engage in personal and community change
Our Mission
Laurentian University's School of Social Work aims to educate social workers who can apply critical analyses to respond to those in need in order to promote social change, problem-solving in the context of social justice and respect for human rights, and to improve the general well-being of individuals, groups, communities, and society.
Academic Advisor
Dr. Tanya Shute, BSW - Coordinator
Email: tg_shute@laurentian.ca
Solidarity Statements
- Declaration Denouncing Anti-Black Racism and Encouraging Solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement
- Wet’suwet’en Solidarity Statement
Interesting facts:
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Excellent student life;
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Personalized teaching and small class size;
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Knowledgeable and accessible faculty in the classroom and through distance education;
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Unique experience to study and practice in a variety of settings;
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Wide variety of placement opportunities;
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High postgraduate employment rate;
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The 4-year program leads to a Bachelor of Social Work degree (BSW);
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Because of its geographic location, the School offers an exceptional experience to students who are interested in studying or working in northern Ontario’s multicultural communities;
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Graduates acquire practical work experience with 700 hours in professional settings.
Program Highlights:
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Four-year program leads to an Honours Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
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The School is accredited with the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE-ACFTS)
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Students gain valuable field experience with 700 hours of training in approved practice settings in Sudbury and beyond.
Additional Information:
Second degree and transfer students:
Programs for second degree students are planned by the Director of the School. According to university regulations, a student must obtain a minimum of 60 credits for a second degree, but more credits may be needed to meet the requirements of the Bachelor of Social Work. A second degree student may be granted permission to take some 2nd year courses at the same time as 3rd year courses, but must carry out the 3rd year placement during the spring session or the following academic year.
Challenges
Some students in the program are individuals with many years of experience in social services and related fields. For students with a minimum of three years of full-time experience in social services, the program offers challenge examinations which, if passed, constitute credit for SWRK 3605.
Ontario High School Applicants
Program Prerequisites:
- 1 grade 12 English U/M course; 5 other grade 12 U/M courses
- A minimum overall average of 70% in the 6 best grade 12 U/M courses
Additional information for applicants who have completed Advanced Placement courses.
Additional information for applicants who have completed the International Baccalaureate.
Applicants from outside an Ontario High School
Canadian High School Applicants from outside Ontario
Applicants from other Universities
One-Year Honours Bachelor of Social Work (Second Degree program)
- 4-year honours undergraduate degree in a related discipline such as psychology, sociology, women’s studies, gerontology, and child and youth care, with high standing (minimum of 80% average in final year)
- A minimum of 2 years of social work work-related experience (could include volunteer and part-time professional hours)
To be submitted by the applicant to socialwork@laurentian.ca:
- A resume or CV
- 3 academic and/or professional reference letters (submitted by the Referee as an email attachment, in PDF form to socialwork@laurentian.ca).
- Note that references cannot come directly from the student.
Canadian Applicants
If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you must complete your application through the Ontario Universities Application Center (OUAC).
For detailed instructions on the application process, see the How to Apply: Canadian Undergraduate Applicants page.
Apply Now as a Domestic Applicant
International Applicants
If you’re an international applicant, you must fill out the International Application Form.
For detailed instructions on the application process, see the How to Apply: International Students page.
Apply Now as an International Applicant
The degree options listed below are for the upcoming academic year, not the current academic year. If you are a current student looking for which courses to take in order to complete your degree options from a previous academic year's curriculum, please consult with an academic advisor.
Honours Bachelor of Social Work - 120 credits
Students must follow these regulations in order to meet graduation requirements.
First Year
SWLF 1006E Introduction to Social Welfare*
SWLF 1007E Introduction to Social Work*
PSYC 1105E Introduction to Psychology**
SOCI 1015E Understanding Society**
12 elective credits
Students need to meet the following : BESO 1005 or SWLF 1006/1007 with a minimum grade of B (70%), Introduction to Sociology and Introduction to Psychology with a minimum grade of C (60%), and 12 credits in Arts and/or Science.
Upper Years
SWLF 2107E Human Service Organizations*
SWRK 2315E Basic Intervention Skills in Social Work Practice*
SWRK 3405E Foundations of Practice*
SWRK 3505E Applied Research in Social Work*
SWRK 3605E Field Instruction I
SWRK 3727E Social Work with Groups*
SWRK 4267E First Nations Perspectives in Social Work
SWRK 4436E Social Work with Individuals and Families*
SWRK 4605E Field Instruction II
SWRK 4726E Contemporary Issues in Social Policy*
SWRK 4727E Strategies for Social Change*
SWRK 4915E Foundations of Practice II*
6 additional credits of SWLF or SWRK electives
STAT 2126E Introduction to Statistics or equivalent
PSYC 2127E Scientific Method and Analysis II
OR SOCI 2127E Research Methods and Data Analysis
OR GEOG 2027E Quantitative Methods in Geography
OR equivalent
6 upper year PSYC credits
6 upper year SOCI credits
12 elective credits
* minimum grade of 70% is required
** minimum grade of 60% is required
One-Year Honours Bachelor of Social Work - Second Degree
30 credits over 3-terms
SWRK 3405E Foundations of Practice*
SWRK 4726E Contemporary Issues in Social Policy*
SWRK 4436E Social Work with Individuals and Families*
SWRK 3727E Social Work with Groups*
SWRK 4727E Strategies for Social Change*
SWRK 4267E First Nations Perspectives in Social Work
SWRK 4605E Field placement (450 hours)
3 credits of SWRK 3000 or 4000 level professional elective*
* minimum grade of 70% is required
Program Regulations
(A) To be in good academic standing in the Bachelor of Social Work, the student must:
1. meet all conditions of admission;
2. achieve a minimum of 70% in all required Social Work concentration courses: 1006/1007; 2106/2107; 2315; 3405; 3505; 3727; 4915; 4726/4727; 4436;
3. obtain a “satisfactory” grade in both SWRK 3605 and 4605;
4. achieve a minimum grade of 60% in 6 credits of upper-year SWRK/SWLF electives;
5. have an overall average of 60% on all passed courses in the previous year or in the previous 30 consecutive credits with no failures in any course attempts.
Students who fail to attain academic standing in a given year may be allowed to continue in that program on probation by petition to APR with a positive recommendation from the school for no more than one year or 30 consecutive credits. If after one year, such students fail to attain academic standing, they must withdraw from the program.
Students must withdraw from the university if they have been required to withdraw from a professional program and have not been permitted to transfer to another program. The School of Social Work, through its faculty and appropriate committees, reserves the right to suspend a student who, not withstanding her/his academic performance, fails to adhere to ethical and professional standards incumbent upon members of a helping profession (see the Code of Ethics & Standards of Practice @ http://www.ocswssw.org/docs/codeofethicsstandardsofpractice.pdf).
Students who have not been registered in any courses for a period of more than two years must submit a request for readmission to the director of the School of Social Work. The director will convene an interview with the student and appropriate faculty members.
Field Instruction I (SWRK 3605) consists of a minimum of 300 hours and Field Instruction II (SWRK 4605) consists of a minimum of 400 hours of work in a practice setting approved by the School of Social Work. Considerable flexibility is permitted to students and their agency-based field instructors to determine appropriate work schedules. This may result in the field practicum being offered in a block (3, 4 or 5 days per week) or concurrently (2 or 2.5 days per week) throughout a session. Practicum settings must be approved by the field coordinator and learning contracts (including work schedules) are approved by the faculty consultant. Given the range of agency requirements and student priorities, learning contracts and work schedules may differ, but all are subject to the mutual consent of the parties concerned.
(B) To graduate with an Honours Bachelor of Social Work, a student must:
1. complete 120 credits which satisfy all stated requirements for the degree;
2. complete all Social Welfare and Social Work required courses with a minimum grade of 70% as well as grades of “satisfactory” in SWRK 3605 and 4605;
3. complete 6 credits of Social Welfare and Social Work elective courses with a minimum grade of 60% after no more than two attempts.
4. complete all courses presented for the degree with an overall average of 70%. Only courses completed at Laurentian University are included in the calculation of averages.
List of Faculty Members
Adjunct Professors:
Steven Kusan, MSW, PhD. Private Practitioner.
Suzanne Lemieux, PhD. Manager, Research, Evaluation, and Knowledge Exchange, SDHU.
Robert Louis, MSW, PhD. Sessional, Laurentian University
Regular Sessional Instructors:
Bauer, Jane. MSW.
Beaudreau, Francine, M.S.W.
Campeau, France Anik, M.S.S.
Graziani, Sylvie, M.S.W.
Jago, Mary, M.S.W.
Jones, Louise, M.S.W.
Julien, Brigitte, M.S.S.
Lacelle, Suzanne, M.S.S.
Lamontagne, Claudette, M.S.S.
Larouche-Robinson, Brenda, M.S.W.
Lepage, Suzanne, MSW, RSW.
Louis, Robert, PhD
Mallet, Renée, M.S.S.
Manitowabi, Marcia, M.S.W
Marcoci, Gabriela, PhD.
Michaud, Annie, M.S.S.
Parnell, Alison, M.S.W.
Prévost, Colette, M.S.W.
St-Denis, Karine, PhD.
Sullivan, Christopher, M.S.W.
Van Houtte, Elizabeth, PhD.