Evening program for part-time and full-time students
Adelphi’s New Social Welfare Education Routes (ANSWER) is an evening program for part-time and full-time students leading to the Bachelor of Social Work degree. This program is available at Adelphi’s Manhattan and Hauppauge Centers. The program represents a model of undergraduate social work education pioneered by Adelphi’s School of Social Work as a way to create opportunities for upward professional mobility for paraprofessionals in the human services field. This program’s flexible model also accommodates students who are changing fields and pursuing a career in social work. The requirements for admission to the ANSWER program are generally the same as for those applying to the Social Welfare Program on the main campus.
Course of Study
ANSWER students must complete the same sequence of social work courses and field instruction required of all students in the traditional program. The General Education requirement is waived for ANSWER students who generally begin to take social work courses with an associate’s degree in liberal arts or its equivalent. ANSWER students who need additional liberal arts credits to meet requirements for graduation may take them concurrently with social work courses or during the summer. Typically, full-time ANSWER students take their 45 social welfare credits in four consecutive semesters, attending classes two or three evenings a week.
Field Instruction
Field instruction provides ANSWER students with the opportunity to work directly with people in a social agency under professional M.S.W. supervision. Some ANSWER students apply for work/study internships within their human service employment settings. Students who are not employed in social service agencies or cannot meet the School’s work/study criteria are assigned to one of the School’s affiliated field agencies. Students are assigned to different field instruction settings in their junior and senior years. ANSWER students complete a minimum of 300 hours (10 hours a week) in each of their junior and senior years, for a total of 600 hours of field instruction for the B.S.W. degree. Please read the Bulletin section on Field Instruction or go to socialwork.adelphi.edu/field/ for more information.
Credit for Prior Learning Experience
ANSWER students may be eligible to apply for up to a maximum of 10 prior learning credits which can be applied to electives. Credits so awarded cannot be used to waive any of the required social work or liberal arts courses. Students requesting such credit must apply to the director of the social work undergraduate program and prepare a series of written essays. These essays are graded by faculty according to prescribed criteria. The grade and the number of essays submitted determine how many credits are awarded.
Students must submit a full description of activities and required documentation as needed including a résumé, agency job description, letters from employers, personal references, certificates of completed courses, C.E.U.s (Continuing Education Units), and others as determined by the social work undergraduate committee.
Additional Information for Undergraduate Students in the School of Social Work
Independent Study
Students may take up to nine credits of independent study with the permission of the director of the social work undergraduate program. Students must consult with a sponsoring faculty member before registering for each course.