Programme description for Bachelor's Programme in Social Work (2023–2026)

Upon completion of the programme, students are expected to have acquired the following knowledge and skills as well as general competence:

Knowledge

After graduation, the candidates shall have:

• wide knowledge of social work history and place in society
• broad knowledge and understanding of user participation at various levels
• knowledge of people and about meetings between people
• wide knowledge of communication and collaboration across professional boundaries
• broad knowledge and understanding of how social processes create and maintain social problems
• knowledge of political, legal and economic contexts within which socio-economists are to function
• knowledge of key principles in the organization of welfare schemes
• knowledge and understanding of scientific theories, concepts, research, methods and tools relevant to social work

Skills

After graduation, the candidates should be able to:

• meet users of the aid system with respect and empathy and see equality as a basic prerequisite for social work professional practice
• exercise professional judgment, be able to handle basic case management, and be able to provide advice and guidance by applying different theoretical perspectives to social problems
• interact professionally across services, and coordinate interdisciplinary collaboration
• reflect critically on their own professional practice and utilize guidance in their own professional development

General competence

After graduation, the candidates should be able to:

• ethical reflection and having attitudes characterized by humility, benevolence and respect for users' values ​​and life choices
• to see the connection between research, theory and practical social work
• to be aware of the social mandate of the socio-economists and to see themselves as an actor in society and in the development of their own subject

The purpose of the social worker training is to qualify practice-oriented and reflected professional practitioners who can assist individuals, families or groups in preventing, reducing and mastering social problems. The social worker programme is a practice-oriented and academic education in social work, with profession-specific working methods based on research, experience and user knowledge, and own professional ethical standards. The work as a social worker is based on an understanding of the connection between individual problems and the societal context in which such problems arise.

Social work stems from an understanding that people can actively and relationally relate to their fellow human beings and the structures under which they live. The subject is aimed at working with people of all ages, and social workers work in the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Throughout the course, students will collaborate with various actors. This applies to users and user organizations, practitioners in various welfare services and voluntary organizations. Students can join the 'Nattergalen', an offer of mentors to schoolchildren aged 8-12 with a minority background: https://www.uia.no/om-uia/fakultet/fakultet-for-samfunnsvitenskap/nattergalen. UiA has a formalized and extensive collaboration with the field of practice through Praxis-Sør: https://www.uia.no/senter-og-nettverk/praxis-soer. Students receive guidance of former users of the assistive device, so-called experience consultants, during the study and when they are in practice.

The Bachelor's programme in social work is a 3-year integrated bachelor's programme. The curriculum is based on regulations on a common framework plan for health and social science education (https://lovdata.no/document/SF/forskrift/2017-09-06-1353) as well as regulations on national guidelines for social education (https://lovdata.no / document / SF / regulation / 2019-03-15-409).

The work methods vary between lectures, group work, skills training (we practice communication and interaction) and practice studies. Guidance is given individually or in groups. The first year of study includes 6 weeks of practice and the third year of study includes a one-semester duration. Attendance at the lectures is not normally mandatory, but attendance is required in parts of the courses, such as for example skills training, practice and teaching in collaboration with the field of practice.

The study program uses international curriculum literature, and it draws on global perspectives that are central to several subjects it is taught. In the mentor program Nattergalen, you can gain experience working with children from minority backgrounds.

The language of instruction is mainly Norwegian, but some courses will be given in English.

We recommend all our students to take the opportunity to go exchange. Exchange with one of our partners will provide unique experience and the opportunity to gain international perspectives that are useful for study and later professional pursuits. In the third semester, it is possible to apply for exchange to all educational institutions with which the study program cooperates. In the 5th semester, students can apply to practice abroad at various institutions. Exchange of practice should be to places with which we have a cooperation agreement, and these should primarily be linked to a university.

There are several good agreements on exchanges, including Erasmus +. For more information about which places students can go to exchange, see UiA's student exchange website: https://www.uia.no/student/exchange.

Upon completion of the programme, the social worker will be able to work with social and interpersonal problems at the individual, family, group and community levels, and create the basis for dialogue, participation and collaboration. The social worker will be able to work to promote social inclusion and dignified living and growing conditions in collaboration with people and by making visible and influencing framework conditions. This includes interprofessional cooperation, where the social worker often has a coordinating role.

The social work programme provides the basis for appointments including NAV, social and child welfare services, specialist health services, municipal drug-, health- and care-services, PP service, family office, work with refugees and migrants, criminal care, school, non-profit organizations, etc.

The program qualifies to apply for admission to, among other things, the master's program in sociology and social work at the University of Agder, as well as several other further education and master's studies.

• This study requires police certification. Information on police certificates can be found on the UiA website or here: http://www.uia.no/politiattest.
• Declaration of confidentiality is electronically signed in connection with semester registration on Studentweb.
• Requirements for continuous fitness assessment have been introduced for all students. You can read more about it on UiA's website, http://www.uia.no/soeknadsfrist-og-opptak/skikkethetsvurdering
• Some of the courses are taught together with students from other study programs.