Field instruction, under supervision in a social agency, is scheduled for two or three days a week, enabling students to apply theory to practice. At the end of the first year, students are expected to have acquired a sense of professional responsibility and the ability to use knowledge on behalf of the individual, the group and the community. In the second year, the curriculum is planned to combine areas of concentration around major intervention systems with the generic base obtained in the first year of study. At the Orange County Center, selected courses in one concentration are offered. Students who attend first-year courses at the Orange County Center will take some or all concentration courses at University Park.
Students designate their choice of concentration by the end of their first year.
Research requirements will also be related to concentrations. This system of curriculum offerings provides a strong educational program with a continuing commitment to a generic base and a focused set of concentrations, in combination with a range of options to meet special interests. This program enables graduates to move into the social work community with a combination of knowledge and skills in a broad arena, as well as in-depth knowledge and skills in a particular method or area of service. The curriculum builds on a liberal arts foundation which all entering students are expected to have. Specific instruction in human biology is required.