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B.S.S.W. Program Application, Admission, & Progression

Application and Admission

A description of admission requirements and applications for undergraduate admission to the University can be obtained from:
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
320 Student Services Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-0230
(865) 974-2184 or
(800) 221-8657 (Tennessee only)

You may also access that information (as well as an online application) at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions web site at http://admissions.utk.edu/undergraduate/.

Progression into the B.S.S.W Program

To monitor a student's progress in the B.S.S.W. program, the College requires an initial and full progression procedure. Initial progression occurs prior to a student's junior year, and full progression occurs prior to the senior year. Full progression is based on the recognition that social work has an intensive field component in which students demonstrate aptitude and ability to work with other people. While review is ongoing, full progression provides an additional opportunity to consider a student's potential for entry-level practice. The following identifies progression criteria for social work students:

Initial Progression*

  1. Successful completion of SW 200 and SW 250 with a grade of C or better.
  2. Cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above.
  3. Successful completion of a minimum of sixty (60) semester hours. Initial progression must be completed prior to enrollment in any 300-level social work courses.
  4. Completion of fifty (50) clock hours in community service at one public/private social service agency. The community service is to take place after enrollment in a higher education institution and in the twenty-four month period prior to application for initial progression.
  5. Favorable review of the student's application for entry into the junior level social work courses by full-time faculty primarily assigned to the B.S.S.W. program. The application requires an essay discussing the student's interest in and preliminary understanding of the profession.

Full Progression

  1. Successful completion of junior level social work courses with a grade of C or better.
  2. Cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above.
  3. Successful completion of a minimum of ninety (90) semester hours. Full progression must be completed prior to enrollment in 400-level social work courses.
  4. Favorable approval by the full-time faculty primarily assigned to the B.S.S.W. program. This process includes a close review of the student's performance in junior field practice.

*Initial progression is also determined by the number of available field practice slots in social service agencies and classroom space. If the number of students who fulfill the above criteria exceeds the number of students that can be accommodated, students will be selected on the basis of:

  • cumulative GPA for courses completed
  • grades received in SW 200 and SW 250
  • evaluation of community service
  • writing skills demonstrated in the application essay

Historically, students with less than a 2.60 cumulative GPA have not been admitted into initial progression.


For complete information regarding the B.S.S.W. program, please refer the the College of Social Work Bulletin.