Application to the One Year HBSW program for July 2025 are now available. Please review the application package for full details on how to apply, deadlines and requirements. If you still have questions after reviewing this site and the application package please see our list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's).

The One Year HBSW is designed for students who have already attained an undergraduate degree in another discipline and wish to receive the training and professional qualification to allow them to enter into the profession of Social Work. The program offers the course content of the professional years of the HBSW program in a compressed, intensive 12 month time frame.

Students begin the One Year program in July and continue through on a full-time basis until the end of June of the following year. The summer and fall terms are spent in the classroom taking core courses and electives. The winter and spring terms are spent completing a 100 day field placement under the mentorship of a qualified Social Worker. Students will continue to take courses during the winter term and will also be involved in field integration seminars

The H.B.S.W. program at Lakehead was developed to reflect a broad theoretical Social Work knowledge base, with emphasis on professional skill development for competent intervention with individuals, groups, families and communities. Part of the "learning" comes by "doing" with a hands-on, field practicum component in the program. This allows the opportunity to apply the classroom theory to real life situations. There are a multitude of options for exciting and diverse placements, dependant on student’s areas of interest and practicum availability. *Please note that students will be required to obtain a criminal reference/vulnerable sector check prior to the commencement of the field practicum component of the program.

If you have already completed either a 3 or 4 year university degree, then you would be eligible to apply for our One Year Program, which commences every July. This program offers a dynamic and challenging Social Work education that builds upon your previous university, volunteer and work experience.

To enter the One Year Program, it is helpful to know that admission is based on the four areas listed below. The weight assigned to each area is listed in brackets.

1. Academic grades, based on the 10 most recent undergraduate/graduate university level, full course equivalents, completed at the time of application. A minimum average of 70% is required.  (40%)
2. Volunteer and work experience (15%)
3. References (20%)
4. A personal statement exam (25%).

The following is an overview of how the One Year Program is structured.

1 July through early September - 3 full academic courses are scheduled entailing 8:30am - 4:30 pm classes Monday to Friday.

2. September to December is focused on academic course work.

3. January to April includes a 4-day a week field practicum with one day devoted to course work (In class in Thunder Bay, and Online in Orilila)

4. April to July is focused on a 5-day a week field placement.

The practicum portion of the program (3500 and 4501) is 100 days and counts as 2.5 full credit courses.

Students on the Thunder Bay campus will complete a combined SW 3500 and SW 4501, one hundred day placement, at one practicum site. The placement begins in January with students spending four days per week in the assigned setting. The placement continues in the same setting five days per week following the April exam period until early July. It is possible for those with extenuating circumstances to complete the second half of the practicum in their home community or internationally, if approved by the Field Coordinator. (Placements for Thunder Bay students will not be arranged in the Orillia/Barrie area)

Students on the Orillia campus will complete a combined SW 3500 and SW 4501, one hundred day placement, at one practicum site in either their hometown, nationally or internationally. The placement begins in January with students spending four days per week in the assigned setting. The placement continues in the same setting five days per week following the April exam period until early July. (Placements for Orillia students will not be arranged in the Thunder Bay area.)

Following the successful completion of the HBSW degree, students are eligible to apply for the MSW program offered here at Lakehead University, or nationally or internationally. Ours is a challenging post graduate program that includes an interesting course work component, as well as a project and a field practicum. Students have much choice in terms of program focus and direction, with the project, placement and a portion of the academics based on their own specific area of interest. The program is usually completed within a two year time frame, but there is the potential to finish in a year and a half if the student is persistently dedicated.

In Thunder Bay, Jenna Garlick is available to provide individual academic guidance to students throughout the program. As a relatively small program there is an opportunity for closer contact with faculty and other Social Work students.

In Orillia, Tess Buchanan will provide the same Academic Advising service.