Lower & Upper Division Explained

Understanding the Difference Between Lower & Upper Division

There are two levels of admission to the B.S.W. major: Lower Division Admission and Upper Division Admission. Lower Division students have declared social work as their major, but they have not yet been accepted into Upper Division, also termed the “BSW Program.” The BSW Program is a professional program with a competitive application process in order to be accepted into Upper Division, the final 2 years of course study to earn a BSW degree. Due to the limited number of seats in our program, not all students who apply to Upper Division or who are declared Lower Division social work majors will be accepted, even if they have met the minimum requirements. Students are encouraged to begin building a strong application from the start of their academic career by gaining human service experience through volunteer or paid work, developing their writing skills, and maintaining high grades in all college courses.

Students seeking admission to UNC Charlotte as freshmen or transfer students, who are interested in social work as a major, should first apply directly to the Office of Undergraduate admissions for University entrance at http://admissions.uncc.edu.

Students who plan to apply for entrance in to the BSW Program (Upper Division) are required to meet with the CHHS Advising Office before applying to learn more about the major, course requirements and the course sequence. The CHHS Advising Office website is: https://health.uncc.edu/chhs-student-advising.

Lower Division Information

Current students who are in good academic standing at the University are eligible to declare Social Work as their major. For more information on declaring social work as a major go to http://advising.uncc.edu/students/majors-minors/declaring. In so doing, they enter into Lower Division admission status in the major but are not yet considered to be students enrolled in the BSW Program (Upper Division). As indicated above, entering into Upper Division also termed the “BSW Program” requires an application and is a competitive process.

All Lower Division social work students are assigned an Academic Advisor in the College of Heath and Human Services Student Services office. Lower Division students are required to meet with their academic advisor to develop a plan for successfully navigating the social work curriculum and before applying to Upper Division. Students are encouraged to develop a time line with their advisor to determine when to take the courses required for the major. To schedule an appointment with a Lower Division advisor, visit the CHHS Advising Center website at https://health.uncc.edu/chhs-student-advising.

Upper Division Information

Admission to Upper Division must be granted before students are permitted to take Upper Division courses in the BSW major. Upper Division Admission is a selective process and not all students will be admitted, even if they have met the minimum requirements for the program.

For more information regarding admission criteria, see the menu on the left or click here: https://socialwork.charlotte.edu/admissions/bsw-admissions/bsw-admission-criteria-review-process