UA School of Social Work Launches Honors Program

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s School of Social Work has launched an undergraduate honors program, and, with it, an internship experience that, until this semester, has only been available to its graduate students.

Undergraduates in UA’s Honors College who enroll in the 18-hour program will have the chance to complete work placements in Washington D.C.

The School of Social Work’s internship program in the nation’s capital, normally reserved for second-year master’s students, places students in full-time jobs with social service agencies. More than 500 UA students have completed internships at agencies such as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the Children’s National Medical Center.

Additionally, students get to meet with members of Congress and their staffs, interact with speakers from policy and advocacy agencies, and learn firsthand how policy is created. Students may receive financial aid for the trip through endowed scholarships at the school.

Typically, the Master of Social Work students travel to Washington D.C. in the spring, but the “pilot” internship program for the honors students will see five students work during the fall 2014 semester.

“Carroll Phelps (Washington D.C. program coordinator) came in and said ‘one of the hospitals in DC wants undergrads, but they have to be smart and ready to function on their own in D.C.,’” said Dr. Javonda Williams, Bachelor’s of Social Work program chair. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for them.”

The program is open to undergraduates in UA’s Honors College who are majoring in social work. Currently, the school has 23 students – mostly freshmen and sophomores – taking honors classes.

Williams said the school’s uptick in undergraduate enrollment made it feasible to launch the program this semester. Additionally, the growth of the faculty pool and support of Dr. Lucinda Roff, dean, over the last three years have made designing the course loads easier, she said. Each class is limited to 15 or fewer students.

“Having the resources there for us to have enough faculty to teach the other classes, and teach the honors classes, was critical to the program moving forward,” said Williams, who began crafting the social work honors program in 2011.

Creating the classes, which are separate from the traditional Bachelor’s of Social Work track, accounted for a significant portion of the planning, Williams said. The classes have deeper objectives, are more rigorous, and feature a research component.

“We’re really excited about providing a very structured environment for these students,” Williams said, “to accommodate this energy and show them how this can be used to further their social work education. The students are awesome.”