Social Work
Make a Difference in the Lives of Others. Social workers assist people by helping them cope with issues in their everyday lives, deal with their relationships and solve personal and family problems. Some conduct research, advocate for improved services, engage in systems design or are involved in planning or policy development, while others help clients who face a social problem, disability or life-threatening disease.
As a social worker, you'll also assist families that have serious domestic conflicts, sometimes involving child or partner abuse. Many social workers specialize in serving a particular population or working in a specific setting.
Mount Mary University offers an accredited four-year Bachelor of Arts in Social Work degree. You can complete the program on a full-time or part-time basis (part-time option will lengthen the program completion time). The program offers both day and evening courses.
A minimum of 67 credits in Social Work are required for this major. You also must complete the university’s core curriculum requirements per our Social Work curriculum sheet (see program plan below). Nine professional classroom courses are required, in addition to supervised fieldwork. Most classes include discussion, group projects, role-playing, field trips and sharing of fieldwork experiences, along with traditional lectures. Mount Mary University awards academic credit for life experience in many curricular areas. However, no credit for life or work experiences is awarded for required social work courses, specifically those courses required by the BSW Social Work major and the MSW which begin with SWK prefix.
View a sample program plan to see what courses you'll take in our Social Work program.
Learn MoreSocial Work
Make a Difference in the Lives of Others. Social workers assist people by helping them cope with issues in their everyday lives, deal with their relationships and solve personal and family problems. Some conduct research, advocate for improved services, engage in systems design or are involved in planning or policy development, while others help clients who face a social problem, disability or life-threatening disease.
As a social worker, you'll also assist families that have serious domestic conflicts, sometimes involving child or partner abuse. Many social workers specialize in serving a particular population or working in a specific setting.
Mount Mary University offers an accredited four-year Bachelor of Arts in Social Work degree. You can complete the program on a full-time or part-time basis (part-time option will lengthen the program completion time). The program offers both day and evening courses.
A minimum of 67 credits in Social Work are required for this major. You also must complete the university’s core curriculum requirements per our Social Work curriculum sheet (see program plan below). Nine professional classroom courses are required, in addition to supervised fieldwork. Most classes include discussion, group projects, role-playing, field trips and sharing of fieldwork experiences, along with traditional lectures. Mount Mary University awards academic credit for life experience in many curricular areas. However, no credit for life or work experiences is awarded for required social work courses, specifically those courses required by the BSW Social Work major and the MSW which begin with SWK prefix.
View a sample program plan to see what courses you'll take in our Social Work program.
These placements provide you with a greater understanding of the social work profession, give you opportunities to get professional experience working with persons of all ages and diverse cultural backgrounds, and develop a rich professional network. Several Mount Mary students recently received job offers from their field placement organization before graduation. Fieldwork placements are located in the Milwaukee metro area. Milwaukee’s strong ethnic communities offer rich learning experiences for social work students.
The Master of Social Work curriculum focuses on generalist and advanced skills, specifically in working with Children and Families and Clinical Social Work. Students take core coursework areas of their specialization in order to develop advanced skills.
Students enhance their coursework by participating in an internship. The program works with you in securing an internship which will help you obtain your long-term goals.
Students who do not have a social work undergraduate degree are required to take 57-61 credits (depending on pre-requisites). Students who have an undergraduate degree are eligible for advanced standing which requires 28 credits.
Holding a long tradition of excellence, Mount Mary was the first private University in Wisconsin to have a Social Work baccalaureate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Mount Mary’s program has been accredited since 1974. Students who wish to take the licensure or certification exams in Wisconsin must graduate from an accredited program. In addition, some employers may be required to hire graduates from accredited colleges and universities. Because Mount Mary’s program is accredited, graduates are immediately eligible to take licensure/ certification exams necessary for employment in the field.
The Master's program is currently in candidacy for CSWE accreditation. Students who graduate from the program can apply to become advanced practice social workers in the State of Wisconsin. Following graduation, students can work on gaining experience to become a licensed clinical social worker.
Certification/Licensure: Social workers may be certified or licensed. Students who graduate with a Social Work bacheor's degree from Mount Mary are eligible to take the State of Wisconsin BSW-level certification exam for entry-level professional practice. In order to use the title “social worker,” you must be licensed or certified by the Wisconsin Department of Professional Services.
Students who graduate with a Master of Social Work degree from Mount Mary are eligible to take the State of Wisconsin Advanced Practice level licensure exam for advanced professional practice.
Melinda Kiltz, MSW, MPA
Social Work Department Chair and Associate Professor
Phone:(414) 930-3261
Email: kiltzm@mtmary.edu
Expertise: Disability policy, mobile crisis response, administration
Sarah Hessenauer-Bladorn, MSW
Master of Social Work Program Director Mount Mary University
Phone:(414) 930-3280
Email: hessenas@mtmary.edu
Expertise: Mental health, substance use disorders, social work education
Rebecca Valentyn, LCSW
Assistant Professor & Director of Field Education
Phone: (414) 930-3430
Email: valentyr@mtmary.edu
Expertise: Child and adolescent mental health, trauma-informed care, homelessness prevention
Michael Wallace
Assistant professor/ Fieldwork Program Director
Phone:(414) 930-3325
Email: wallacem@mtmary.edu
Expertise: Mental health, community (macro), social work
Mark Long
Assistant Professor
Phone:(414) 930-3183
Email: longm@mtmary.edu
Expertise: Substance use, human behavior, policy, cultural humility and social services leadership
The demand for social workers has never been greater, and is still growing. In fact, some social service agencies are finding it necessary to recruit social workers from outside the area because they cannot meet their social work staffing needs. Social workers are employed in mental health clinics, schools, hospitals and private practices.
With a Social Work degree, you can work in a wide variety of settings such as family and children’s services, homeless and domestic violence centers, mental health and community support programs, schools, substance abuse programs or hospice programs.
According to 2024 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, social workers earn a median annual salary of $61,330.
The demand for social workers has never been greater, and is still growing. In fact, some social service agencies are finding it necessary to recruit social workers from outside the area because they cannot meet their social work staffing needs. Social workers are employed in mental health clinics, schools, hospitals and private practices.
A number of career paths exist for those with a social work degree, including in areas such as:
- Community support programs
- Crisis intervention services
- Family and children’s services
- Homeless and domestic violence centers
- Hospice programs
- Medical social work
- Mental health and clinical social work
- Policy
- Schools
- Substance abuse programs
Mount Mary graduates have gone on to work at a number of companies and organization, including:
- Advocate Aurora Health
- American Red Cross
- Ascension
- Child Protective Services
- Children's Wisconsin
- Froedtert Health
- Lutheran Social Services of WI & UP MI
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- MindStar Counseling
- The Cathedral Center, Inc.
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