School of Professional Studies

School of Social Work

The Master of Social Work program was founded in 1966 at George Williams College. The M.S.W. program emerged from a program in group work administration designed to prepare people for human service in voluntary agencies. The history of that program can be traced back to 1890. The School of Social Work today prepares students for professional social work practice that is responsive to the diverse needs of the community. Students are educated to skillfully apply current knowledge and humanitarian values toward the promotion of mutual well being and the solution of human problems within a holistic context.

The School of Social Work has its roots in George Williams College which was established more than 100 years ago to prepare YMCA leaders and other leaders in human service who were a part of the “group work” movement. The program prepares graduates to work with vulnerable populations and social problems confronted in social work practice, but also to work on a new vision of service delivery that is asset-driven, community-based and integrative.

The School of Social Work delivers two advanced concentrations: a) Clinical Practice and, b) Leadership and Community Practice. Both of these advanced concentrations prepare the M.S.W. student for professional social work practice. The Clinical Practice concentration focuses on theory and experiential education aimed toward providing individual, family, and group work services to diverse populations. The Leadership and Community Practice concentration focuses on administration, supervision, political advocacy and community organization work. Both of these concentrations flow from the George Williams philosophy, with its emphasis on holistic development and prevention services to diverse populations.

The Social Work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) at both the B.S.W. and M.S.W. levels. Up to 27 semester hours of credit can be granted toward advanced standing in the M.S.W. program for those students who have graduated from a CSWE-accredited B.S.W. program. There are about 300 students in the M.S.W. program. Both a part-time and a full-time program are offered on the Aurora campus. In 2004, a part-time as well as advanced standing M.S.W. degree program began at the George Williams College of Aurora University campus in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. The School of Social Work prepares students to be social workers who are thoughtful, ethical and courageous in their caring about people.

School Mission
The mission of the School of Social Work is to prepare competent and committed human service practitioners who will promote the development and enhancement of resilient communities, social groups, families and individuals.

The school seeks to improve quality of life and community well-being and to promote social justice with emphasis on oppressed populations and vulnerable populations through excellent teaching, scholarship, research and community service.

Core Values for the School of Social Work
As a social work program, we affirm these underlying social work principles and believe in their relevance today in empowering people to enhance their lives, communities, social service systems, and society.

• A belief in the inherent strengths and coping resilience of people, realized in improved social support networks;
• A focus on the positive and holistic development of people through natural communities, groups, and families, thereby supporting prevention and contributing to the development of collaborative social service systems;
• A belief in the capacity of people to empower themselves through mutual aid and to advocate for social change when encountering obstacles to individual and collective well being;
• A belief in the social work role to facilitate group and network affiliation, particularly for isolated, vulnerable populations;
• Use of an experiential learning model and the value of developing in a learning community.

Additional Information

• Message from the Director of the School of Social Work
• Admission
• Apply Now
• Program Academic Policies
• Program Requirements
• Prerequisites
• Internships
• Type 73 Certification: School Social Work
• MSW Course Descriptions
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Accreditation & Certification
• Field Instruction

Please Note: The information listed on this page is current according to the 2007-2009 Graduate Catalog, unless otherwise noted.