Bachelor of Art With Major Social Work and Rural Development(BASWRD) Program

1. Why study the Bachelor of Arts with Social Work and Rural Development BASWRD?

   If we look at the history of the late nineteen early twentieth century, the pioneer social workers had an aspiration to improve the "lives of the abandoned that are destitute, stigmatized as criminals etc". To realize this aspiration requires skills and knowledge to best provide an efficient and quality service for clients. Social work has now evolved from the charity model of a past era to the professional discipline that it is today.

   The BASWRD course is designed for those committed to the empowerment of rural communities. The course has two majors, rural development and social work. This combination is designed to meet the need for trained social work professionals in designing and managing rural development program and to cater to the increasing demand for development professionals in development sectors with social work skills.

2. In Nepal, there are many colleges offering social work program, so why should I apply for the BASWRD of Nepal College of Development Studies (NCDS) at NSSW?

   The Nepal School of Social Work (NSSW) is a leading think tank for social work and social policy studies in Nepal. Its strength comes from two colleges. NCDS is one of its sister college which offers Bachelor of Arts in two majors; social work and rural development. They have offered this since 2007.

   Being the only institute of social work/social sciences in Nepal, the students enrolled in NCDS study in an environment specialized in social work and surrounded by experienced social workers. The classes are equipped with experienced faculty as well as people from various humanitarian organizations. Apart from that, students also get the chance to enrich themselves through interaction with various visiting professors from schools of social work from around the world as well as individual Australians from the program Australian Volunteers for International Development (AVID) who work in the college for an entire year to enhance capacity of students in social work skills/practice and research.

   The academic program is complimented by three social work camps; neighborhood camp in first year, rural camp in second year and urban camp in third year. These are NSSW tailored social work camps that are non-credit but offer substantial experiential learning to shape young graduates into professional development social workers. NSSW also provides non-credit classes in skill labs and psychosocial care in disaster response. These broaden the horizon of the curriculum designed by TU.

   The students are encouraged to take part in an innovative program called ACTIVE SUNDAYS. Every Sunday of the month, students have to take part in various programs. These include student’s day, 3D discourse/human library, documentary day and outreach visits. There are ample opportunities for students to excel beyond the text-based academic learning and experiment with their capacity to work with people to bring change in one’s life and also in the life of other people.

3. If I decide that BASWRD is for me, how do I apply?

   • High school seniors with 12 years of academic training with a minimum of 40% marks from any discipline can apply as a first year student to the Social Work program by filling in an online form or by coming to the college at Budha Nagar.
   • Transfer students can apply to the program from any Tribhuvan University BASWRD program after the completion one year of university study.

4. Will I need to complete an internship?

   The internship experience is an important part of social work education. The BASWRD program requires you to complete an internship in an agency where you will gain hands-on experience working with clients. The internship designed by TU is increased from ...... to 350 clock hours in every 6 month semester allowing you to put into practice the skills that you have learned in their BASWRD coursework in a supportive placement. You will have the chance to work in 6 different settings/agencies during your 3 years in the course. The final year has a month long block placement where students apply all of their skills gained from their degree to lead a program or become fully involved in an organization. As a result of these hands-on learning experiences, you will be well prepared to work as professional social workers upon graduation. NSSW encourages, and also tailors classes, for those who want to join the paid internship that is happening in the college for a period longer than a month to further enrich experiential learning.

5. Is there enough flexibility in the social work program for me to study abroad?

   Yes. Graduates of BASWRD can study a Masters course in India in disciplines such as social work, disaster management, family studies, human resource studies and business administration. NSSW has strong links with the University of Karnataka and the Tata Institute of Social Science providing useful connections for students wishing to continue further study in India. Social work students who wish to undertake further study in countries other than India need to take a single year post-graduate degree before they will be eligible.

6. What is the structure of a BASWRD internship?

   The BASWRD internship is very unique to NSSW. It is developed based on international standards for BSW programs.

   In the BASWRD internship, you will:

   • be immersed full-time in an agency for two days a week every semester as per agency rules and regulations.
   • have a full-time faculty member as a fieldwork supervisor. This person is specifically devoted to field education, they prepare and place you in an internship, meet with you on-site to review your progress, discuss any concerns, and provide continued support.
   • have a supervisor from the agency, who will also help/facilitate and also evaluate your performance during the semester.
   • Participate in individual and group counseling with the college supervisor to help ensure a strong connection between classroom learning and practical experience in the ageny, and vice versa. This counseling also helps to focus on integrating your internship with social work values, ethics, and practice and resolving problems as they arise.
   • graduate with professional work experience.

7. Where will I complete my internship?

   The KMCSM fieldwork department will find you an agency placement according to your interest and your experience. You are given the opportunity to choose an internship from a variety of social service organizations based on your interests. We currently have connections with more than 60 agencies who work with diverse populations, cultural backgrounds, and socioeconomic classes in areas including healthcare, child welfare, extended care facilities, and community advocacy agencies, geriatrics, disability, women, children, disaster, and community police.

8. How does a BASWRD degree from NCDS make you more marketable than other undergraduate degrees?

   When you graduate from our BASWRD program, you will graduate with professional work experience, and connections with various international schools of social work, social work organizations and agencies. These connections and experience make you very competitive for jobs in agencies or else set you up well to develop a career in self-initiated organizations or entrepreneurships. NSSW also refers students to job placements in humanitarian organization as per their requirement. Every year, graduates are successful in securing placements with these organizations.