SOCIAL WORK
Bachelor's Degree Programs
Social justice for all.
There is perhaps no more selfless act than dedicating your life and work to improving the lives of others. Social work is one of those helping professions, and it’s a career that is increasingly in demand in our nation and around the world.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater social work bachelor’s degree program offers an affordable, well-rounded education and the professional, practical training you need to start your career as a general practitioner.
Job demand for social workers is strong, with projected growth of 7 percent over the next decade.
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100% of recent graduating social work students were employed or pursuing an advanced degree after graduation. (2020-21 research survey)
UW-Whitewater bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in social work are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, proving our commitment to excellent academic and professional standards.
Why major in Social Work at UW-Whitewater?
Here are some reasons we believe you will love studying social work at UW-Whitewater:
- Our welcoming department is home to 180+ students representing a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, ages, genders, religions, abilities and sexual orientations.
- We offer a minor in Human and Social Services, which allows our students to take interesting elective courses in a range of fields, from psychology to biology.
- Guided by the National Association of Social Workers code of ethics, our students demonstrate personal and professional integrity.
- Partnerships with social services agencies in Wisconsin and northern Illinois give our students access to quality field experiences.
- Our department offers a number of scholarships and awards for social work majors.
- UW-Whitewater’s Fostering Success and Independence program provides services to students without traditional familial support, including students who’ve been in foster care, experienced homelessness or who have unavailable family structures due to deportation, incarceration and other situations.
What our Social Work students do
Make a difference in the campus community through volunteer work and service-learning
Gain almost 500 hours of real-world experience through field study
Make discoveries through undergraduate research
Field work and research opportunities
There’s no better way to prepare for your career as a social worker than to put your knowledge and skills into practice with real clients in a real-world setting. You will learn from practicing social workers and other professionals in locations such as a community agency, school, counseling center, nursing home, hospice care facility or probation office. Learn more about our Field Program »
Undergraduate research
As a social work major, you can participate in faculty-mentored research in a variety of ways, including UW-Whitewater’s Research Apprentice Program, Undergraduate Research Program or the 10-week Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program. These experiences are especially valuable if you’re planning to attend graduate school.
Learn more about social work and research »
Campus and community involvement
In our department and across campus, you’ll find ways to get involved. Here are a few organizations that might appeal to a social work major:
- The Social Work Student Organization (SWSO)
- Phi Alpha (national social work honor society)
- Active Minds (our chapter is among the best in the nation!)
- Circle K International
- Coalition Against Sexual and Interpersonal Violence
- Peace, Education, Activism Through Creative Engagement (PEACE)
Community-based learning course
In the upper-level, project-based course, you and your classmates immerse yourselves in a social service agency. You’ll develop a new program, which could focus on advocacy, policy development or education.
What our graduates do
Behavioral health therapists and substance abuse counselors
Social workers at agencies and within school districts
Owners of private practices or founders of community-based organizations
Crystal McClain, social work alum and UW-Whitewater commencement speaker, reflects on her journey through college, including several mentors who provided guidance and inspiration. McClain, who grew up in Milwaukee’s 53206 ZIP code, is now the owner and chief executive officer of Revive Youth & Family Services, a multimillion-dollar social service agency organization.
What can you do with a Social Work degree?
Jobs for a social worker are more varied than you might think; you can work in a variety of settings and specialties such as:
- Adoption
- Aging and gerontology services
- Child welfare
- Corrections
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol counseling
- Foster care
- Mental health
- Probation and parole
- Public assistance
- Social services
Our graduates entered the helping profession at places like:
- AIDS Resources Center of Wisconsin
- Beloit Health System
- Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
- Community Action, Inc. of Rock and Walworth Counties
- Jefferson County Human Services
- LGBT Center of Southeast Wisconsin
- Mayo Clinic
- Revive Youth & Family Services
- Rogers Behavioral Health
- Rock County Child Protective Services
- Talkspace Online Therapy
- Verona Senior Center
- Walworth County Child Protective Services
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Social work graduates also pursue professional development opportunities, such as earning certificates in various specialty areas such as substance abuse, emotional intelligence, trauma and stress reduction.
Faith Jones, from Mokena, Illinois, earned a B.A. in social work and Spanish and was accepted to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater pursuing a Master of Social Work in Whitewater, Wisconsin.
"My proudest achievements are being part of the Undergraduate Research Program and presenting at numerous conferences around the country, being part of Enactus as a project lead that partnered with an organization in Guatemala, and traveling abroad to Costa Rica and Guatemala."
Brianda Salinas from Kenosha, Wisconsin, earned a B.A. in social work and was hired as a social worker with Brookside Care Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
"My proudest achievements are becoming Spanish Club president, being a first-generation student, and studying abroad in Costa Rica. I'd like to acknowledge Jeannine Rowe, who has guided me throughout the years, pushed me to do the best I can, and been one of my biggest supports and someone I could reach out to."
Nahlia Parrett, from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, earned a B.S. in social work and was accepted to graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater pursuing a Master of Social Work in Whitewater, Wisconsin. "I am grateful for the entire social work department at Whitewater. Any request, inconvenience, questions — even personal things — they've helped without hesitation. I literally wouldn't rather be at any other school."
Melissa Jaeck, from Racine, Wisconsin, earned an MSW in social work and was hired as a care coordinator-wraparound with Wellpoint Care Network in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Graduate and professional school
A master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) can lead to advanced credentials (such as LCSW) and expanded career opportunities. Many of our social work majors continue on to UW-Whitewater’s MSW program. Other students pursue graduate or Ph.D. programs in social work or related disciplines at schools such as:
- George Williams College of Aurora University (clinical social work, medical social work)
- Loyola University of Chicago
- Northern Illinois University
- The University of Connecticut
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Ph.D)
- University of Maryland College Park
- University of Washington School of Social Work
- UW-Madison (Ph.D. in social welfare)
- UW-Milwaukee (social welfare, trauma counseling)
- Washington University in St. Louis
Our faculty
Our faculty members don’t just teach social work. They live it.
The UW-Whitewater Social Work faculty includes licensed clinical social workers with decades of real-world experience to share with students. As clinicians, they’ve worked with clients of all ages in a variety of settings, such as addiction, eating disorders, relationships (couples/family), suicide prevention, hospice care and trauma.
Our faculty members have served abroad in the Peace Corp., fostered children, acted as advocates in their communities, sat on nonprofit boards, garnered national awards, and taught and researched abroad as Fulbright Scholars.
Many of our faculty members are also active in their fields, publishing articles, contributing to textbooks, serving on editorial boards and committees of industry publications/organizations, leading nonprofit organizations and some are still active in their practice.
Our faculty members have a range of teaching and research interests including:
- Aging
- Child support policy
- Disability advocacy
- Food security
- Hope
- Military social work
- Nonprofit management
- Poverty
- Social justice for refugees
- Stress
- LGBTQ youth homelessness
Want to learn more about earning a Social Work degree?
262-472-1137 | morriss@uww.edu
UW-Whitewater offers the following undergraduate social work degree options:
Minors:
Certificates:
In addition to UW-Whitewater’s general education requirements, as a social work major, you’ll take a set of foundational courses, such as:
- Intro to the Social Work Profession
- Intro to Social Welfare
- Human Behavior and the Social Environment
You will need to be formally accepted into the Social Work Professional Training program to continue on to advanced and practice-based classes such as:
- Practice I: Social Work with Individuals
- Practice II: Social Work with Families and Groups
- Practice III: Social Work with Organizations and Communities
- Social Welfare Policy
You’ll also have a vast selection of electives and advanced courses available to you, based on your personal and professional interests, such as:
- Grief Management in the Helping Professions
- Immigration Today: Individual, Community and Global Perspectives
- Social Gerontology
- Assertiveness Training in the Helping Professions
- Managing Stress and Burnout in the Helping Professions
Social worker education requirements: How to become a Certified Social Worker (CSW)
A degree in social work opens you up to many career opportunities. Certain positions might require licensure. To become a certified social worker in Wisconsin, you need a bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited program (like ours), a passing score on a national exam, and a passing score on the open-book Wisconsin Statutes and Rules examination.
Learn more about licensing and credentialing here »
To apply, you’ll complete the UW-Whitewater standard application for admission and indicate your interest in majoring in social work.
