2024-2025

Social Work, Minor

Department of Social Work

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

The social work profession is dedicated to enhancing human well-being and to help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. The minor in social work introduces students to practice with diverse populations and multi-level social systems.
 
The program is focused on practice with rural and Indigenous populations of the Southwest; addressing poverty, structural racism, and oppression; providing leadership in promoting human rights and social and economic justice; and service with vulnerable and underserved populations.

  • A minor is earned in conjunction with a bachelor's degree.

    To receive a minor (18 - 24 units) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject matter areas with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0. At least 12 units of the minor must be unique to that minor and not applied to any other minor.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Complete individual plan requirements.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

No more than fifty percent of the units used to satisfy minor requirements may be used to satisfy major requirements.

Minimum Units for Completion 18

Purpose Statement

With a minor in social work, you can expand your current major by applying knowledge on social policy, practice, and special topics in social work.  The Social Work minor provides students with the knowledge, values, and skills necessary to make a positive impact on an individual, community, and global level. The values of individual worth, human dignity, the elimination of oppression, and practice with diverse populations are the focus of the minor.

Student Learning Outcomes
  1. Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments.
  2. Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.
  3. Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals.
  4. Apply ecosystems and strengths perspectives in practice across client systems.
  5. Advance human rights and social and economic justice.
  6. Identify and articulate the evolution of social welfare as an institution and social work as a profession and their current structures and issues;
  7. Question and evaluate their own needs, values, strengths, and challenges, and how these affect their professional identity and use of self in practice; and,
  8. Advocate for social change to advance social and economic justice and access to services of social work for all people, with a focus on populations experiencing and vulnerable to discrimination and oppression, and,
  9. Participate in community service activities and processes.

Minor Requirements

  • Students enrolled in this minor may not enroll in or pursue the following due to the number of overlapping units:

Additional Information

  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.