Fanshawe and Lambton College sign agreement with King's

King’s University College’s School of Social Work, Fanshawe College and Lambton College have signed new agreements which will create a smooth transition for college students wanting to apply to the School of Social Work at King’s.

Under the new agreements, students will have the opportunity to transfer from the Social Service Worker (SSW) diploma at either Fanshawe College or Lambton College and begin their degree studies in year three of the Bachelor of Social Work. Eligible Fanshawe students will receive 8.0 course credits and Lambton students will receive 7.5 course credits. Each will be required to take either 2.0 or 2.5 courses during the summer to be admitted directly into year 3 of BSW. There has been a long-standing partnership between King’s University College and Fanshawe and Lambton Colleges. When the transfer agreements between King’s and both colleges recently came up for renewal, it allowed all parties to review their past agreements and examine both Fanshawe and Lambton College’s diploma programs, creating these new streamlined transfer pathways.

“These are now the most generous agreements we have ever had for these pathways,” says Dr. Tracy Cunningham, Associate Registrar at King’s. “Dr. Peter Donahue, Director at the School of Social Work, and Tosha Densky, Program Liaison for the School of Social Work, were instrumental in determining the additional transfer credit toward the BSW pathway to help us create these new opportunities for our college transfer students.”

“This is an exceptional and efficient pathway for Fanshawe’s Social Service Worker graduates to pursue their undergraduate degree in Social Work. It enhances the student’s academic path by building upon program synergies, recognizing students’ prior learning at Fanshawe College and shortening the time to complete their Bachelor’s degree,” says Sandra Fieber, Associate Dean of Community Studies at Fanshawe College.

“We are very pleased to be able to offer an educational pathway of this calibre to our students,” says Rob Kardas, Vice President, Academic & Student Success, Lambton College. “I think the enhancements to our transfer agreement with King’s University College speaks volumes about the quality of our Social Service Worker program and our continued commitment to provide flexible pathways for our students. This streamlined pathway to a Bachelor of Social Work will further prepare our graduates for successful careers across a wide range of social work roles.”

Dr. Cunningham explains this new agreement will be beneficial for the incoming students because once they have completed the required summer courses, they can directly enter Year 3 of the BSW and will not have to take an extra year to complete the pre-requisites before applying to King’s.

Prior to this new agreement, students received a maximum of 5.0 courses of transfer credit from their SSW diploma from Fanshawe or Lambton College. Students had to enrol in a full year of full courses before applying to the BSW program. Essentially, this has reduced the time of degree study from three years to two.

For graduates from the SSW diploma not planning to apply to the BSW program, but instead pursuing another degree at King’s, (i.e. Psychology or Sociology), they will receive a maximum of 5.0 courses.

“These new agreements will make our School of Social Work and the BSW program more attractive to prospective applicants from the SSW diplomas at both Fanshawe and Lambton who want to maximize the transfer credits they receive,” says Dr. Cunningham.

The new agreement has been well received by students. “Social Work has been my passion for as long as I can remember. The experience the Social Service Worker program gave me has been crucial in my success in the BSW program. With all of the education I received previously and the field placement I was able to do at Fanshawe, I have come into this program feeling prepared and excited. I felt confident and able in my courses and in my current placement. The opportunities both schools have offered me have been incredible,” says Amber Brock, third-year Bachelor of Social Work student at King’s, who transferred from Fanshawe.

To be considered for admission through the BSW pathway for September 2020, students will need to apply to King’s through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) no later than March 1, 2020. They will also need to complete a separate application for the BSW to the School of Social Work which needs to be received by March 15, 2020. Students who wish to take advantage of this pathway will need to also register for the required number of summer courses to be completed between May to August 2020.

For more information on how to apply for this pathway, please contact the Office of Enrolment Services at kings@uwo.ca. For information about King’s School of Social Work’s BSW Program, please visit https://socialwork.kings.uwo.ca/bsw/.

For more information, please visit Fanshawe's media contact page.