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Social Work

Contact Information

Yeongmin Kim
Department Chair & Associate Professor 
Phone: 262-472-1212
Location: Laurentide Hall 5205
Sarah Hessenauer
MSW Program Coordinator & Professor
Phone: 262-472-1203
Location: Laurentide Hall 5201/CEC-Rm. 160
Deanna Guthrie
BSW Program Coordinator & Associate Professor
Phone: 262-472-1881
Location: Laurentide Hall 5209
Susan Morris
Department Assistant
Phone: 262-472-1137
Location: Laurentide Hall 5201

About our BSW Program

The Social Work Department at the UW-Whitewater has offered a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work (BSW) since 1974. The social work program is professional education training program that is designed to meet the needs of our society through the preparation of professionally educated social work practitioners. A social worker with baccalaureate-level training is a generalist practitioner. The generalist practitioner possesses a wide range of knowledge and competencies in order to respond to a wide range of social problems. Thus the focus is not on providing specialists in any one methodology, such as casework or group work, but rather on developing a social worker who responds on the basis of the problem to be solved.

New Undergraduate Certificate Programs 

New BA/BS ONLINE Social Work Program at UW-Whitewater

  • SOCWORK 371-Practice I, SOCWORK 372-Practice II and SOCWORK 473-Practice III are not available online but will be offered via Virtual Classroom mode (similar to synchronous web-based courses). 
  • SOCWORK 493-Social Work Experience (Field Placement) is not available online.

Accreditation

The UW-Whitewater Social Work Department is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The College of Letters and Sciences at UW-Whitewater is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

Mission Statement

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Social Work Department prepares students to be exceptional professionals who facilitate change with vulnerable and diverse individuals, families, and communities and promote social justice for all.

Program Goals

  1. Through coursework, advising, and other programming (student organization, undergraduate research, etc.), students will acquire the necessary knowledge, values, and skills to graduate as culturally competent beginning generalist social workers.

  2. Consistent with the NASW Code of Ethics, students will demonstrate personal and professional integrity.

  3. Through our long-standing history of collaboration with human service organizations in the region, the department will promote effective and culturally sensitive social service programs and practice.

  4. Faculty will engage in scholarly and creative activity, especially in areas that enhance social work practice, social welfare policy, and social work education.

BSW Student Handbook

Procedures and matters relevant to current, future, and potential Social Work students can be found in the BSW Student Handbook. Also included in the handbook, is information pertaining to course requirements, sequencing of courses, expectations, requirements, and social work certification. Download a PDF copy of the manual here.