by Chris Hilburn-Trenkle
The field of social work is facing a growing workforce shortage across the country. By 2030, it’s predicted that at least 30 states, including North Carolina, will experience a shortfall of more than 195,000 social workers.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work is committed to addressing these workforce disparities and training future generations of social workers. On Thursday, the School of Social Work took a step in that direction by voting in favor of proceeding with a bachelor’s in social work degree program implementation plan.
In establishing a bachelor’s in social work program, the School seeks to increase its impact and expand its enrollment while aligning with the goals of both the UNC System and the School’s strategic plans. The creation of a BSW program will allow the School to serve more students than ever before, while welcoming more students from underserved and under-resourced communities.
The faculty-only vote to approve the BSW program occurred at the Nov. 21 monthly Faculty Senate meeting. Of the 60 faculty participants, 47 voted in favor of proceeding with the plan.
Thursday’s passage of the BSW implementation plan was the culmination of a two-year process undertaken by the BSW Feasibility Task Force, led by Chair Amy Levine. Following the establishment of the task force in 2022, the School community convened for a set of six “listening sessions” to discuss the degree, gather questions and concerns, and explain the feasibility study process.
The task force commissioned Gray Associates to present its comprehensive analysis of the BSW program landscape, including student and market demand and curriculum analysis. The data was shared with the School community in the spring of 2024. The research findings indicated not only strong interest from potential students, but an urgent need for more social workers across the state.
The establishment of an undergraduate program, which will include 150 students at full maturity, ties into the School’s mission of increasing enrollment to 1,000 students by the fall of 2029 while strengthening the pipeline to a master of social work degree. Thanks to increased demand and the establishment of an online MSW program in January 2024, the School has experienced a 55% increase in enrollment since 2022.
Before the School can welcome undergraduate students in the fall of 2026, it must receive approvals from both UNC-Chapel Hill and the UNC System, as well as an approval for accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education.
Meanwhile, the building of a BSW curriculum is already underway, which will integrate UNC-CH IDEAS in Action undergraduate requirements. The IDEAS curriculum applies to all first-year students and transfer students who matriculate as degree-seeking undergraduate students as part of their general education requirements.
Two “Intro to Social Work” courses are being established for undergraduate students. The intro courses are designed to introduce undergraduate students to the social work field, explore core values and ethics of the profession and examine how social work interventions can be applied to societal challenges. In addition to an evidence-driven curriculum which will prepare undergraduates for social work practice and a range of graduate study options, the anticipated degree will include innovative practicum education experiences. For the past year, an ad-hoc committee has been working diligently to apply AI technology and other new strategies to identify new practicum education opportunities statewide, some of which will be learning sites not traditionally considered social work practice areas. Taken together, these efforts will help UNC be more responsive to North Carolina workforce needs, especially by providing services in the public sector and to the state’s most underserved counties.
As the School looks to remain at the forefront of serving communities across the state, Dean Ramona Denby-Brinson explained the importance of the BSW implementation following Thursday’s vote.
“This is another important step in our mission of advancing equity, transforming systems, and improving lives,” she said.
