← Social Work (SOCWORK)

Hardest courses in Social Work

Plan ahead for courses where students have earned lower grades.

Lowest historical GPA first. At least 100 letter grades over the five years through the selected term. Grades reflect past outcomes, not workload or a guaranteed result.

Find your fit

22 courses

Ranked courses have at least 100 recorded letter grades.

Introduction to Social Policy explores the U.S. policy process and the political, economic, and institutional frameworks structuring public social welfare choices.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Katherine Magnuson

Exams consisted of straight lecture material but included multiple-choice questions that a student described as difficult and unfair.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Examines foundational principles of social work research to promote critical consumption of empirical studies. Covers qualitative and quantitative design evaluation for evidence-based practice.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Human Behavior and the Environment covers physiological, psychological, and social changes throughout the life cycle and major crisis and developmental tasks for social work practice.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Contemporary Issues in Social Welfare explores varying topics on current trends in social justice, welfare, and social work.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Tally Moses

The course included quizzes and a cumulative final exam. One student found quizzes easy if studied, while another found them challenging but helpful for final preparation.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2025

Introduction to the field of social work covering historical development, formation of social welfare policies, and the role of the social work professional.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Stephanie Robert

The class was considered easy if students attended lectures, as exam answers directly reflected the material covered in class.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

An interdisciplinary introduction to health care systems covering factors affecting health, delivery settings, worker roles, and sociological/economic aspects.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · David Dwyer

The course required significant effort for a 2-credit class, including weekly discussion posts, detailed reading, and projects. Quizzes often tested specific details, and grading was described as strict by some students.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Issues in Developmental Disabilities covers definition, incidence, etiology, prevention, life-cycle needs, social-welfare issues, and the social worker's role.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Examines social, historical, legal, political, and ethical dimensions of alcohol and psychotropic drug use and abuse in the United States within a substance use disorders framework.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Lucas Moore

Grades were mostly determined by quizzes, three short-answer exams, and a 2-4 page paper; students described the work as not too much, with lenient free-response grading.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Mental Health Policies and Services prepares students for leadership roles by examining policies and services that shape mental health care systems and treatment for persons with mental illness.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

SOCWORK 646 examines child abuse and neglect, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation, with attention to ethics, identity, poverty, risk assessment, and policy impacts on diverse children and families.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

An introductory course focusing on social work and helping professions that examines social problems and critiques various approaches to creating social change.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · EVELYN COKER

One student reported that attendance was mandatory in Evelyn Coker's past section, and said guest lectures had mostly no actual work attached to them.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Generalist Practice with Communities and Organizations covers the theory and practice of planned change in communities and organizations, helping students apply a generalist model at these intervention levels.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Explores out-of-home care and permanency in child welfare, covering foster care, kinship care, adoption, and policy from local to national perspectives.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Daniel Sintim

The asynchronous format limited opportunities for student-to-student interaction while delivering complex content.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Explores evidence-based services for children and adolescents using a person-in-environment, person-centered approach to assessment, treatment, intervention planning, and mental health practice issues.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Covers psychopathology in generalist social work practice, using the DSM to review major mental disorders across the lifespan and critique the medical model.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Examines evidence-based cognitive and behavioral interventions used by social workers to treat adult mental health challenges, including CBT theory and application.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Field Practice and Integrative Seminar II is an approved generalist field seminar and social work agency placement requiring a minimum of 16 hours per week as the second course in the two-semester generalist field sequence.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

A foundational social work course that examines how interpersonal and institutional oppression affect diverse populations and what those dynamics imply for social policy.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Advanced Macro Practice explores approaches to foster social justice across organizations, communities, and society while practicing advanced skills for complex macro-level issues.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Field Practice and Integrative Seminar IV is an approved advanced practice social work field seminar and placement.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Advanced social work practice in educational settings, focusing on integrating theory, advocating for student supports, and addressing inequities through data-informed strategies.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Analysis of policy issues applied to poverty, discrimination, crime, and physical and mental health at national and state levels.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Spring 2026