B.S.W. Program
Policies and regulations
VCU School of Social Work students must abide by all university and school policies. The following list includes some university policies. Refer to the VCU Insider/Resource Guide and the university bulletins for a complete listing and descriptions.
- Affirmative action
- AIDS policy
- Alcohol consumption/distribution
- Class attendance
- Conduct rules and procedures
- Drug free schools and workplace policy
- Ethics on computing
- Prohibition of sexual harassment
- Grade review
- Non-discrimination policy
- Privacy rights
- VCU Honor System
B.S.W. Program policies and regulations
- Announcements
- Change of address
- Class attendance
- Commencement policy
- Communication and program resolution
- Continuance in the program
- Due Process Policies and Procedures
- Exceptions to policies
- Graduation applications
- Notification of instructors when students become ill
- Student folders
- Student professional conduct policy
- Termination from the program
Announcements
Important information is e-mailed to students periodically, is distributed to faculty for classroom announcement and is posted on bulletin boards in the Raleigh Building. Students are responsible for checking their VCU e-mail regularly.
Change of address
Students are requested to report changes in name, address and phone number to the B.S.W. Program Office, Room 107 in the Raleigh Building, and the Office of Records and Registration at 827 W. Franklin St., Room 104.
Class attendance
Students pursuing professional education are expected to attend all classes. The classroom teacher should be notified when a student expects to miss a class. The student′s adviser should be notified when several classes are to be missed. Students are responsible for knowing the attendance policy of individual instructors.
Commencement policy
Students must have applied for May graduation and successfully completed requirements for the B.S.W. degree to be eligible to participate in university commencement exercises in May.
Students may participate in the school′s May graduation celebration events if they are within six credit hours of meeting degree requirements and they will complete these requirements in the summer semester. This option is available to students who applied for May graduation but did not complete all requirements as well as for students whose academic plan requires their applying for August graduation.
Communication and program resolution
Students who experience problems or identify concerns related to the B.S.W. Program have several avenues for communicating these. For each of the following areas, the persons whom the student should contact are listed in order of priority.
Student contact points:
- Problems/concerns related to students′ academic progress or completing the B.S.W. program as outlined in the full-time or part-time program plans.
- Academic adviser
- B.S.W. program director or associate dean
- Problems/concerns/suggestions related to field practicum.
- Field instructor
- Liaison
- Director/assistant director of field instruction
- Problems/concerns/suggestions related to a specific course and/or instructor.
- Course instructor
- B.S.W. program director or associate dean
- Problems/concerns/suggestions related to B.S.W. curriculum design (content area gaps or duplication, etc.)
- B.S.W. program director
- Problems/concerns/suggestions related to student affairs policies and procedures (orientation, registration, advising, course scheduling)
- Associate dean
- B.S.W. program director
- Director of student services
Additionally, the student associations provide a forum for identifying issues and offering suggestions. The officers of the student associations meet with the school′s administration on a regular basis throughout the academic year.
Continuance in the program
To continue in the junior-level professional preparation program students must meet the program admission standards. Students must earn a C or better in attempted 300-level social work courses before entering 400-level courses. They must have a C or better in all required 300- and 400-level social work courses before graduation. Undergraduate students are subject to university regulations regarding academic warning, probation and suspension.
Due Process Policies and Procedures
Undergraduate and graduate students of VCU have a right to appeal course grades they consider to have been arbitrarily or capriciously assigned, or assigned without regard for the criteria, requirements and procedures of the course as stated in the syllabus or guidelines for assignments.
» Review the entire Due Process Policies and Procedures
Exceptions to policies
Exceptions to school or university policies may be granted for extenuating circumstances. The B.S.W. program director can provide information regarding requests for exceptions.
Graduation applications
An application for graduation must be submitted by the student to the faculty adviser no later than the dates specified by the Office of Student Services. Generally, this is in mid-January for the university commencement held in May.
The university confers degrees in December, May and August and holds commencement exercises in May and December of each year.
The student must submit an application for graduation to the university in order to graduate. Applications are available online at www.enrollment.vcu.edu/rar/graduation_instructions.html.
Notification of instructors when students become ill
If a student is unable to attend classes or field instruction for a length of time due to illness, his or her adviser should be notified. A note will be sent by the adviser to each of the student’s instructors.
If the student will be out of class for a long period of time, which may jeopardize his or her academic standing, the associate dean or program director will discuss the appropriate withdrawal alternatives with the student and relatives when applicable. If the student who is ill lives in a residence hall, he or she may notify the Office of Residential Life and Housing. The office will then notify the associate dean of the school and instructors.
Student folders
A folder for each student admitted to the School of Social Work is maintained in the B.S.W. Program Office. The folder contains admission materials, academic histories, copies of correspondence addressed to the student, copies of field practicum evaluation forms and other materials pertinent to educational planning. Information is maintained for use by the student′s faculty adviser.
The student folder is governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act found in the university bulletins. Students wishing to review material contained in the folder may do so by contacting the associate dean or B.S.W. program director.
Student professional conduct policy
The university has adopted rules and procedures that define rights, privileges, prohibited conduct and procedures to be followed whenever a member of the university community is charged with willful violation of certain standards.
The School of Social Work, as an integral part of the university, is bound by these university rules. Action in relation to misconduct (by student or faculty member) that is covered by university policy is spelled out in the VCU Insider/Resource Guide.
In a professional school, an incident may occur that appears to be a serious breach of professional ethics, although it is not covered within university standards. These behaviors include unethical, unprofessional or other behavior not consonant with the standards of the profession′s Code of Ethics.
Termination from the program
Students will be terminated from the B.S.W. Program if they earn a D or F on the second attempt of any 300- or 400-level social work course.
A student may be terminated from the program for unsatisfactory academic performance or for violation of University Rules and Procedures, the University Honor System (see the VCU Insider/Resource Guide), or the Professional Code of Ethics. The Academic Standards Committee, appointed by the dean, reviews students for possible termination from the program for:
- Failure to fulfill probationary requirements (a) from an admission decision or (b) from a previous review.
- Lack of acceptance by three or more field agencies if, in the judgment of faculty and field staff, the placements can provide appropriate field experiences without undue inconvenience to the student.
- Lack of adherence to professional expectations and standards.
- Inability to perform the functions of a social worker, despite reasonable accommodations.
- Failure to meet academic standards outlined in the Undergraduate Bulletin and student handbooks.
Students requesting readmission after termination from the program also are reviewed by the Academic Standards Committee (see Appendix for Academic Standards Committee and Review for Termination from the Program for Non-grade Related Reasons).