UBCO axes bachelor’s program

The final nail is in the coffin for one undergraduate degree at UBC Okanagan.
On Tuesday, the university senate voted in favour of ending admissions to the Bachelor of Social Work, BSW, program and cancelling the program after the class of 2014 completes the coursework.
Exact vote tallies were not made available but Paul Marck, media relations coordinator for UBCO, tells CHBC news that about 36 people voted in favour of closing the degree program, one person voted against it and one person abstained from the vote.
The decision means many students who had been hoping to pursue the BSW will have to look for alternatives and some may have to enroll in other universities that still offer the degree. Ed Taylor, director of the School of Social Work, previously told CHBC News that BSW pre-requisites will count as electives for other programs at the university or could count towards BSW programs at other universities.
Taylor also said that the school was shutting the program down so it could focus on the Masters of Social Work program, which he said was in higher demand than the bachelor’s degree.
Students currently in the BSW program at UBCO will finish out and graduate with the degree. No new students will be accepted into the program and there will not be a BSW class for the 2013-2014 school year.
Taylor says the program will officially end when the last student in the program is done with the studies. He notes that individualized plans will be created for students who are unable to finish by May 2014.
The Masters of Social Work program continues to be offered.