The Program

The Department of Sociology offers a Certificate in Social Work and Social Welfare to introduce students to some of the broad topics and social issues that social workers and social welfare advocates might encounter. It is geared toward students interested in preparing for entry-level employment in social welfare programs or social work agencies upon graduation, or those pursuing graduate work in social work or social policy.

Completing the Social Work & Social Welfare Certificate does not lead to accredited licensure in social work. This certificate allows students to obtain a focus or concentration in a specific area of sociology.

To declare, students fill out a Completion Form upon enrollment in their final course for the certificate. The form may be submitted by email or mail to:

Social Work & Social Welfare Certificate Program
Sociology Department
1010 Thompson Hall
200 Hicks Way
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003-9277

Note: To receive the Certificate in Social Work and Social Welfare, a minimum 2.0 GPA must be maintained across the courses applied to the certificate requirements.

Requirements

Minimum of 15 credits.

Core Courses (choose 1)

328 Introduction to Social Work, or
341 Social Welfare

Elective Courses (12 cr.)

Choose from the list below:

222 The Family
224 Social Class and Inequality
244 Sociology of Immigration
245 Race & Society
281 Society and the Individual
283 Gender & Society
287 Sexuality & Society
320 Sociology of Eating Disorders
322 Sociology of Education
328 Introduction to Social Work
334 Sociology of International Crises and Disasters
337 Sociology of Aspirations
341 Social Welfare
353 Sociology of Medicine
356 Social Forces, Health & Lifecourse
364 Sociology of Mental Health
374 Gender, Crime & Family
382 Sociology of Childhood
385 Gender and the Family
395K Domestic Violence
397AM Asylums, Madness, and Mental Illness (online)
420 Getting a Job: The Social Forces Behind Careers in Our Modern Economy
424 Sex Work in Global Perspective

Course Substitutions

Two courses may be substituted from the following list:

Anthropology Courses

209 Approaching Death: Culture, Science, and Experience

Political Science Courses

380 Social Welfare Policy
395S History of U.S. Social Policy: Politics of Gender, Race, and Class

Psychology Courses

PSYCH 297G Special Topics: Eating Disorders
305 Educational Psychology
350 Developmental Psychology
355 Adolescent Psychology
360 Social Psychology
365 Psychology of Aging
370 Personality
380 Abnormal Psychology
383 Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy
391AD The Psychology of Adoption
391DR Seminar on International Disability Rights
391G Seminar on Child, Family, and Community
391PT Seminar on Psychology of Trauma
391SS Prejudice and Intergroup Relations
391ZZ Psychology of the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Experience
480 Intellectual Disability: Concepts and Controversies
491D Impact of Disability on Families

Public Health Courses

490L The Epidemic of Loneliness: On Connection, Belonging, and Public Health
498M The Opiod Epidemic

Social Work Based Internship or Practicum

Students are strongly encouraged to pursue a Social Work-based internship or practicum in order to apply the skills they will develop in their coursework. Practica credits do not count toward total certificate credits/requirements.

Please contact the Director of Undergraduate Advising, Kat Fabel, with questions regarding course substitutions and internship/practica (kfabel@umass.edu), 1008 Thompson Hall.