Human Service Experience Requirement

Social Work is an exciting and rapidly growing career option. People from diverse backgrounds and experience find their way to Social Work and enjoy a rich career of working with individuals, families, neighborhoods, and communities. It's important that students considering the Social Work major spend time in a human services organization to discover if a service profession is a good fit, to engage with different populations, and to gain valuable experiences that can enrich classroom discussion and learning.

Before students enter the professional sequence in their junior year, students must complete 60 hours of documented human service experience through the completion of a volunteer or paid position (i.e.: volunteer, community service, service-learning, or employment). Human service-related experience might include a combination of current or past paid and/or unpaid jobs, service corps, internships, or volunteer work in various settings within your community. The completion of SWRK 170(opens in new window) includes 10 hours of service-learning or volunteer experience that can count toward the 60 hours. 

As a guide for students, we have provided some descriptions of what would count towards their human service experience, a list of volunteer opportunities, and instructions on how to submit documentation of your hours. 

Please reach out to the BSW Director, Michele Eggers, with any questions: meggers@csuchico.edu