College of Professional Studies
School of Social Work

YMCA Senior Director Program

Supplemental Major in GroupWork
The YMCA Senior Director Certificate Program:
This cooperative program of Aurora University and YMCA of the USA gives students the opportunity to complete a bachelor's degree with a major in a chosen field of study and to complete the requirements for the YMCA of the USA Senior Director Certificate.  Students will be able to attain both of these goals in the same amount of time which would normally be spent on the bachelor's degree alone, plus complete on-the-job training required for the YMCA certification by completing a professional practicum as part of the degree.

Your Choice of Majors:
The YMCA  Certification Supplemental Major may be combined with any one of the following primary majors:

Business Administration Communication Computer/Information Science Criminal Justice Education

Physical Education Psychology Recreation Administration Social Work Sociology

Any one of these ten majors will open a variety of exciting career options in the YMCA.  Students will have an opportunity to grow professionally as an expert in a chosen field, as well as to become part of the 150-year YMCA tradition of human and community service.  This career training will have both a solid theoretical base and a proven dimension in real-world practice -- GroupWork is the product of over a century of experience at George Williams College, educating the leaders of the YMCA and other major human/community service organizations.

Coursework in the GroupWork Supplemental Major also may be counted toward requirements in your major field where appropriate.   For most majors, this will mean that a minimum of two or three courses in the Supplemental Major will form part of your primary major requirements.  Also, any courses in the Supplemental Major that are approved to meet general education requirements may be counted for that purpose as well.  Working with a faculty advisor and the University's YMCA Program Coordinator, a student may be able to complete the GroupWork-YMCA Professional Sequence by taking as few as four or five courses in addition to the primary major and general education requirements.

In addition to selecting a primary major from one of ten areas (above), the student completes the GroupWork Supplemental Major by selecting at least one course from each of eight categories, with the approval of the faculty advisor.  In addition, the Professional Practicum (at least three semester hours) and the capstone course are required -- 30 semester hours.

AU Course Catalog: Supplemental Major - YMCA Senior Director Program

For more information about the YMCA Senior Director program, please contact:

Jen Buckley
Aurora University
347 S. Gladstone Ave.
Aurora, IL 60506-4892
630-844-6155