BSW Online Program

 

BSW Online Program Overview

Portland State University School of Social Work is pleased to offer the first BSW Online option in the Pacific Northwest. The program is uniquely designed for those who have traditionally lacked access to a degree. It supports a family, work, and school life balance. Students receive individualized attention from instructors, peer support from one another, and professional support from field instructors. It’s a great way to earn your BSW degree and enter the social work field. BSW graduates are also eligible to apply for MSW Advanced Standing. 

In our Online BSW, students typically earn their degree in two years, just as students in our Portland
campus option. The entire 2 years of coursework is taken online. Most course work will be delivered asynchronously, but during senior year there will be a few synchronous courses. Additionally, they complete a 500-hour field placement in a social service agency or organization in their community.

For info about what to take before stating the program, check out our video link below.


BSW Online Technology and Technological Skills Needed

This is an important question, especially for the Online BSW Program. Below you will find details about what you’ll need.

As of 2022 Portland State University has transitioned away from using the learning management system D2L and will instead be using Canvas as the foundation for course delivery moving forward. Canvas is the platform where all courses are accessed. The Office of Academic Innovation has added resources to their website and we encourage you to explore those. A link to the mentioned page can be found below.

OAI Resources for Canvas »

 

BSW Online Courses Utilities

  • Google Hangouts and/or Zoom – We use these for meetings and group work. As an Online student you will still get to meet with instructors "face to face," we just use technology to make that happen. 
  • The Internet
  • YouTube – Part of our rigorous curriculum may involve creating videos for presentations or to demonstrate skills, so knowing how to access, create, and upload videos to YouTube will be important.

Google Hangouts System Check »

BSW Online Courses Required Technology

  • Computer/Laptop running Windows 7 or Mac OS X 10.6 – 2GH dual core processor or greater (a phone or tablet is not sufficient to access the courses)
  • Web cam (this can be built into your computer or be external)
  • Headset with microphone (iPhone earbuds with the built in microphone work fine)
  • Broadband internet connection (dial up connection is not strong enough, minimum 1mbps outbound from your computer, 2mbps inbound to your computer)
  • Video camera (some type of video recording device, flip camera, or built into your computer)

BSW Online Courses Required Software

  • Web Browser
    • Firefox - Preferred for Blackboard Collaborate (Mac or PC)
    • Safari (Mac)
  • Adobe Reader
  • Windows Media Player (PC) or Quick Time (Mac)

Download Firefox »

Download Adobe Reader »

BSW Online Courses Required Web Skillset

  • Web searches
  • Library database searches
  • Email communication including attaching files
  • Creating documents in Word
  • Creating documents using PowerPoint or other presentation software
  • Uploading video to YouTube and Canvas (PSU's learning management system)

Tech Tutorials » 


BSW Contacts

Kate Constable
SSW Undergraduate Advising
(503) 725-5925

KD Utschig
SSW Academic Advisor
(503) 725-8961

Mollie Janssen
BSW Hybrid Coordinator and Advisor
(503) 725-5016