School of Social Work


About the School of Social Work| The ANSWER Program

Evening program for part-time and full-time students.
Adelphi’s New Social Welfare Education Routes (ANSWER) is an evening program for part-time and full-time students leading to the Bachelor of Social Work degree. This program is available at Adelphi’s Manhattan and Hauppauge Centers, respectively. The program represents a model of undergraduate social work education pioneered by Adelphi’s School of Social Work as a way to create opportunities for upward professional mobility for staff in the human services field. This program’s flexible model also accommodates students who are changing fields and pursuing a career in social work. The requirements for admission to the ANSWER program are generally the same as for those applying to the Social Welfare Program on the main campus.

Course of Study
ANSWER Students must complete the same sequence of social work courses and field instruction required of all students in the traditional program. The General Education requirement is waived for ANSWER students who generally begin to take social work courses with an associate’s degree in liberal arts or its equivalent. ANSWER students who need additional liberal arts credits to meet requirements for graduation may take them concurrently with social work courses or during the summer. Typically, full-time ANSWER students take their 45 social welfare credits in four consecutive semesters, attending classes two or three evenings a week.

Field Instruction
Field Instruction provides ANSWER students with the opportunity to work directly with people in a social agency under professional M.S.W. supervision. Some ANSWER students apply for work/study internships within their human service employment settings. Students who are not employed in social service agencies or cannot meet the School’s work/study criteria are assigned to one of the School’s affiliated field agencies. Students are assigned to different field instruction settings in their junior and senior years. ANSWER students complete a minimum of 300 hours (10 hours a week) in each of their Junior and Senior years, for a total of 600 hours of field instruction for the BSW degree.

Credit for Prior Learning Experience
ANSWER students may be eligible to apply for up to a maximum of 10 prior learning credits which can be applied to electives. Credits so awarded cannot be used to waive any of the required social work or liberal arts courses. Students requesting such credit must apply to the director of the undergraduate program and prepare a series of written essays. These essays are graded by faculty according to prescribed criteria. The grade and the number of essays submitted determine the number of credits awarded.

Students must submit a full description of activities and appropriate documentation: e.g., résumé, agency job description, letters from employers, personal references, certificates of completed courses, C.E.U.s (Continuing Education Units), and so on.

Admission
Students must complete a separate admission form to apply to ANSWER.

---
Contact
For additional information, please contact:

James Mullin, M.S.W., D.P.A.
B.S.W. Program Director
Social Work Building, Room 225

p - 516.877.4362
f - 516.877.4392
e - mullin@adelphi.edu
---
^ Back to Top of Page