• Minimum admission range: high 70s.
• Competitive admission range based on last year’s admitted students: mid 80s.
• English at 60%.

Graduates from accredited Canadian college Social Service Work (SSW) and Child and Youth Care (CYC) diploma programs can apply as transfer students to Laurier’s Bachelor of Social Work program.

Learn more about our college transfer agreement.

Note: Transfer student applicants from programs outside the SSW and CYC diploma programs will be considered on a case-by-case basis and admitted to first year of the BSW program. Transfer credits may still be awarded. A minimum overall average of 80% in previous postsecondary studies is required.

Learn More. On-Demand. 

Watch our Bachelor of Social Work interview-style presentation. Hear from faculty, staff and current students who are eager to share their experiences. This session will be geared towards students with a completed Social Service Worker or Child and Youth Care diploma from a Canadian college.

This course introduces the value orientations and ethics prevalent in the profession and in Canadian society and examines selected current practice issues, controversies or dilemmas of professional social work practice in Canada.

Concepts from critical social theory such as intersectionality, power and resistance, discourse ideology and critical self-reflection will be introduced and related to social work practice. Students will examine the processes and effects of various structures of oppression as well as individual and collective practices that challenge and transform such structures.

This course introduces the student to social work practice in pressing contemporary issues that may differ from year-to-year. Topics may include but are not limited to Addictions, Aging / Gerontology, Disability, Trauma and Resiliency, Child Welfare and Mental Health.

This course provides knowledge for understanding the nature of First Nations historical/structural problems; the role and operation of social services in Indigenous contexts; alternative (culture based and healing focused) methods of intervention; and present-day Indigenous concerns and issues including concepts of Indigenous title.

An examination of the gendered nature of societies and cultures as seen in Canadian law, culture, work, family, violence, health, and sexuality.

This course examines individual and community arts as expressions of the realities of social living. Issues such as marginalization will be explored for self-expression, public education and social commentary opportunities.

This course promotes a broad understanding of child maltreatment and contemporary child welfare intervention in the socially and culturally diverse Canadian context. Students critically examine and apply theory, policy, practice and legal frameworks supporting assessment and intervention competencies for child welfare practice.

Based on intersectional feminist principles, this course will integrate theory and practice, and incorporate analyses of policy and interdisciplinary responses to family violence, with an emphasis on woman abuse, children exposed to domestic violence, and perpetration of violence.

This course provides students with an opportunity to explore the field of international social work with an emphasis on identifying major social problems, understanding the social forces that bear on those problems, and considering appropriate social work approaches to aid in their solution.

This course will critically examine the context of the Canadian immigration system and its impact on the experiences of newcomers. Topics will include theories and discourses of migration, critical analysis of the Canadian immigration policy, leading settlement and adaptation services, and structural issues related to the wellbeing of immigrants, refugees, and diaspora.

You are assigned to a placement for an interview based on the requirements of your BSW program and of the agency. Your interests in particular types of work or agencies are also taken into consideration when matching you with an agency for an interview; however, this is not guaranteed because placements are competitive. The Field Education office also considers new placement opportunities that you propose within the appropriate time frame.

The timelines for field education courses are structured and sequenced to reflect course requirements and program progression. The following timelines also ensure that you attend the required seminars and workshops that are part of the field education course, and that you complete your program requirements in a timely manner.

Field education course timelines:

• Type of placement: fall, winter and spring term, four days a week.
• Days: Tuesday to Friday.
• Months: January to April or April to July or September to December.
• Time in placement: 360 hours of placement; 30 hours per week.

Professional and qualified instructors teach you in the field. Field education instructors typically hold a minimum of a BSW degree and are recognized as “our faculty in the field.” Instructors have a minimum of two-years post-degree experience as well as formal training.

Field education courses are covered under student fees. There are no extra charges through the university. However, while on placement, you are usually expected to pay for expenses such as police checks, mileage and parking. Students and instructors are not paid.

Placement agencies may cover your mileage costs while on agency business; however, this varies with agencies.