As first week of classes of the new academic year continues on UNC campus, students adjusting to their schedules and meeting their professors. For those in the UNC School of Social Work, many already have an eye on the 2027-28 school year – when it will launch its first undergraduate degree in social work.
The new Bachelor of Social Work degree was formally approved by the UNC System’s Board of Governors in July, the latest step in the School of Social Work’s effort to increase enrollment to 1,000 students by the fall of 2029. Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education Amy Levine helped lead the charge alongside a degree taskforce. She said this push was sparked by Dean Romona Denby-Brinson joining the school in 2021.
“And when she came on [board],” Levine told 97.9 The Hill, “she had the question, ‘Why don’t we have an undergraduate degree of social work here at Carolina?’ Right now, we have about 22,000 undergraduate students and there’s no option for them to major in social work.”
With no clear answer, Levine and the taskforce set about studying the feasibility of adding a degree based on student demand and the workforce in social work fields. She said the latter revealed a deep need for more people across North Carolina and nationally, since social workers are often the entry point of contact for mental and behavioral health resources in communities.
“Child and family-serving agencies, schools, child welfare agencies, services to older adults, services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, [services within] healthcare, services to folks who are involved in the justice system or are transitioning from incarceration…those are some of the critical workforce needs right now in North Carolina, where we’re not producing enough social workers to fill those really vital positions.
“So,” Levine concluded, “that was some of the motivation to really consider what we could be doing to further support those workforce needs.”
While UNC’s graduate students have long been able to earn a master’s degree, the School of Social Work has not had an undergraduate offering, limiting its enrollment. The school’s student body is already rising, having increased from 288 in 2022 to more than 600 in 2026. (Photo via Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill.)
The result next fall will be an initial cohort of 30 undergraduate students taking a variety of classes in a curriculum now under development. Students in the Class of 2029 can apply to be part of the group, with the school offering instruction across four semesters. The goal is to build up the cohorts to reach 75 students by 2029 and further build the pipeline for its Master of Social Work degree.
“The BSW degree begins the career pathway for highly skilled and competent social work practitioners who will address complex social challenges and strengthen individual, family and community well-being across North Carolina,” Denby-Brinson said in the school’s release following the Board of Governors’ vote. “As a top-ranked national school of social work, we are well positioned to deliver this new degree through our highly capable faculty and staff. For 106 years, we have built a strong reputation for excellence through our MSW program, and we are excited to bring that same commitment, quality and impact to the BSW program in service of the people of North Carolina.”
In the meantime, this new academic year will see the School of Social Work continue offering its 101 and 102-level courses launched last spring in anticipation of the new major, which Levine said were well-received. The administrators will work through the accreditation process while coordinating with UNC admissions, advising and career services departments so those staff can best describe and recommend the degree program to students.
And for Levine and other leaders, it also means interacting directly with students. She said several events are planned to help spread the word of the new degree and attract students to the school. So far, Levine added, she believes they’re starting to understand the appeal and importance of social work.
“[Undergraduate] students I meet at Carolina are really smart and engaged and they want to make an impact with their education and their degree,” she said. “And I feel like we’re really connecting with them on [the fact] that social work is a career where you can really make an impact every day in the work that you do. I think it’s been fun to connect to that with students and what they’re interested in.”
Featured photo via UNC-Chapel Hill/UNC School of Social Work.
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