Tribhuvan University’s Bachelor in Social Work (BSW) is a four-year undergraduate program organized across eight semesters. The curriculum is issued under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and combines social-work theory with fieldwork, research, academic writing and report writing.
The program is structured around both academic study and practical social-work learning. Its stated purpose is to develop generalist social workers with knowledge of social-work concepts, principles, methods and practice, together with skills developed through fieldwork. The curriculum also places human rights and social justice within the academic aims of the degree.
Answer Summary: Tribhuvan University’s BSW is a four-year, eight-semester Bachelor in Social Work program. TU’s curriculum contains 40 papers, including 14 core social-work courses, and incorporates related disciplines, fieldwork, research, academic writing and report writing. Students study social-work methods alongside subjects such as sociology, human behavior, community organization, research, social welfare, governance, conflict, human rights and project work.
Key Takeaways:
TU BSW runs for four years across eight semesters.
The curriculum contains 40 papers.
Fourteen papers are identified as core social-work courses.
Fieldwork is built into the academic structure.
Research, academic writing and report writing form part of the curriculum.
The program combines social work with subjects from related disciplines.
Human rights and social justice are stated program objectives.
Tribhuvan University describes the program in its official curriculum as the Bachelor in Social Work (BSW). It is a semester-based undergraduate degree under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
| Course Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| University | Tribhuvan University |
| Faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Program | Bachelor in Social Work (BSW) |
| Academic level | Bachelor’s degree |
| Duration | Four years |
| Structure | Eight semesters |
| Number of papers | 40 |
| Core social-work courses | 14 |
| Practical component | Fieldwork and social-work practice |
| Research component | Research work |
| Writing component | Academic writing and report writing |
| Curriculum document | Bachelor in Social Work (BSW), Courses of Study 2017 |
The 40-paper structure is broader than the 14 core social-work courses. TU states that the program also includes required courses from related disciplines, optional courses, specialization courses and supporting subjects such as Nepali, English, Nepal Studies and academic writing.
The curriculum defines BSW as a generalist social-work program intended to combine knowledge of social-work theory and methods with practical skills developed through fieldwork.
Its overall academic purpose includes building knowledge of major social-work theories and methods and developing professional skills through practical learning. TU also identifies human rights and social justice as part of the program’s educational direction.
The curriculum identifies several areas of development for BSW students. These include:
understanding basic concepts, principles, methods and practices of social work;
conducting research to identify problems faced by communities and examining possible responses;
identifying major social problems within their social context;
understanding and using service systems in work with affected people;
developing self-awareness when responding to problem situations;
developing professional social-work skills through field experience; and
developing an understanding of human rights and social justice.
These objectives show that TU treats social work as both an academic discipline and a field-based practice area.
The BSW curriculum is organized into eight semesters over four years. Courses move across foundational subjects, social-work methods, related social sciences, field practice, research and project-based study.
The curriculum distribution includes compulsory and required courses alongside practical work and optional study. Rather than limiting the degree to social-work theory, TU includes subjects that support understanding of individuals, groups, communities, institutions and wider social conditions.
The curriculum begins with subjects that establish a base for later social-work study. Courses listed by TU include:
Compulsory Nepali
Compulsory English
Nepal Studies
Introduction to Social Work
Basic Sociology for Social Work
Introduction to Human Behavior
Basics of Academic Writing
critical thinking, reading and writing
Introduction to Economics
Introduction to Philosophy
The combination gives students exposure to language, society, human behavior and analytical writing alongside introductory social work.
The curriculum also contains courses focused directly on social-work methods and professional practice. Examples include:
Introduction to Social Case Work
Social Work Practice with Groups
Community Organization
Social Action and Social Movements
Social Welfare Administration
Indigenous Social Work Practice
practicum and fieldwork courses
These subjects address work with individuals, groups, organizations and communities rather than presenting social work as a single method of intervention.
TU includes courses that place social work within wider social, legal and development contexts. Subjects named in the curriculum include:
Introduction to Law and Legislation
Social Problem: Identification and Interventions
Social Issues and Leadership Development
Cross-cultural and Multicultural Issues
Introduction to Disaster Management
Community Health
Introduction to Governance and Development
Introduction to Conflict Management
Socio-cultural Practices and Social Work
Social Justice and Human Right
This part of the curriculum links social-work study with social institutions, public issues, community conditions and rights-based concerns.
TU BSW covers social-work theory, practice, research and related social-science subjects rather than focusing on one area alone.
The curriculum starts with introductory social work and sociology and then develops into case work, group work, human behavior, community organization, social problems, welfare administration and research. Later subjects include disaster management, community health, governance, conflict management, social justice, project management and specialized areas of social-work practice.
Research appears as a distinct part of the curriculum. TU lists subjects including:
Basics of Research Methodology
Survey Research and Data Analysis
Field Work: Seminar Paper
Designing Project and Report Writing
Project Work/Report Writing
These components connect research methods with field-based observation, analysis and written academic work.
The final part of the curriculum contains optional social-work subjects. The course distribution lists options including:
Social Work with Children, Youth and Families
Social Work Practice with Mental Health Issues
Social Policy and Community Development
Social Inclusion Issues
Social Work with the Elderly
The curriculum states that optional courses are offered according to the availability of teaching faculty and the number of students at the campus or college.
Fieldwork is an integrated part of TU’s BSW curriculum. The program description specifically identifies compulsory fieldwork among its academic components.
Practical learning appears at different stages of the degree rather than being confined to one final placement. Courses listed in the curriculum include agency-based practice, social-work camp, organizational placement, practicum, seminar work and internship-related practice.
Examples of clearly identified practical courses include:
Social Work Practice: Agency Placement
Field Work: Social Work Camp (Practical)
Field Work: Organization Placement (Practical)
Practicum: Employing Social Work Practice
Field Work: Seminar Paper
Social Work Practice: Internship
This repeated practical component supports the curriculum’s stated objective of developing professional skills through field experience.
The curriculum describes practicum learning as a way of connecting classroom study with work in community settings. Practical assessment may involve reports, case studies, presentations and evaluation by field instructors or faculty. Professionalism, confidentiality and social-work ethics are also identified within practicum expectations.
Fieldwork therefore serves more than an observational role. It gives students structured opportunities to apply concepts, examine social situations, prepare reports and develop practice-related skills within the academic program.
Research and writing are recurring components of TU BSW, not separate additions outside the main curriculum.
The program description explicitly includes research work, academic writing and report writing among its 40 papers.
Academic writing appears early in the degree, while research methodology, survey research, seminar work, project design and report writing appear as students move through later semesters.
This sequence connects several forms of academic work:
reading and critical analysis;
academic writing;
research methodology;
survey research and data analysis;
field-based documentation;
seminar-paper preparation;
project design; and
project and report writing.
The structure reflects the program objective of enabling students to investigate community problems as part of their social-work education.
Human rights and social justice are stated within the objectives of the BSW program and also appear as a dedicated course area.
The program introduction says that BSW aims to develop awareness of human rights and social justice among students.
The curriculum also includes BSW 452, Social Justice and Human Right. Its course description addresses social justice principles, human rights, equality, inclusion and discrimination, together with practice areas such as advocacy, community organizing and policy analysis.
This places rights-related study within both the broader purpose of the degree and its subject structure.
The TU BSW curriculum uses both theoretical and practical assessment.
The Courses of Study describes an assessment model in which theoretical understanding is examined through written work, while practical skills are evaluated through practical assessment. Theoretical papers use internal and external evaluation.
Under the stated curriculum:
internal evaluation accounts for 40 percent;
external evaluation accounts for 60 percent;
internal evaluation includes both theoretical and practical elements;
internal criteria include attendance and class participation, assignments, fieldwork, report writing and presentation skills; and
social-work practicum and fieldwork courses also use practical evaluation for the external component.
The curriculum assigns external written examination responsibilities through Tribhuvan University’s examination system and provides a different practical treatment for fieldwork and practicum courses.
The BSW curriculum is designed to build a combination of academic, research and practice-related abilities.
Based on the objectives and course structure, students work on:
Students study social-work concepts, principles, theories, methods and practice. These form the academic base for later case work, group work, community work and field practice.
The curriculum asks students to identify social problems in context and undertake research related to problems faced by communities. Subjects covering social issues, community organization, governance, conflict and social policy provide related academic grounding.
Academic writing, research methodology, survey research, seminar papers, project design and report writing develop the research and documentation side of the program.
Agency placement, field camps, organization placement, practicum and internship courses give students repeated contact with practice-oriented learning.
The curriculum incorporates human rights and social justice at both program-objective and course levels, including study of equality, inclusion, discrimination, advocacy and community organizing.
Tribhuvan University’s BSW curriculum specifies a duration of four years divided into eight semesters.
Yes. The official curriculum states that the Bachelor in Social Work program is semester-based and contains eight semesters across four years.
The curriculum states that the program contains 40 papers, including 14 core social-work courses.
Yes. Compulsory fieldwork is part of the curriculum, and practical courses appear at several stages of the program. These include agency placement, social-work camp, organizational placement, practicum, seminar work and internship-related practice.
Yes. TU includes research work within the program and lists courses related to research methodology, survey research and data analysis, seminar work, project design and report writing.
Yes. Academic writing is specifically identified in the program structure, and the course distribution includes writing-focused study alongside research and report-writing components.
The curriculum covers social-work concepts and methods, sociology, human behavior, case work, group work, community organization, law, social problems, social welfare administration, research, disaster management, community health, governance, conflict management, human rights, project management and practical fieldwork.
