Helen Bader School of Social Welfare

Shaping Our Society

The Helen Bader School improves lives and strengthens communities through research, education and community partnerships

Improving Lives

Educating social work and criminal justice students since 1965

Essential to social welfare in Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Helen Bader School of Social Welfare promotes excellence in its degree programs and develops well-rounded, thoughtful individuals who can positively impact society.

The school supports an array of community-based research initiatives through collaborations with local agencies and offers extensive experiential learning opportunities for students.

Group of diverse graduating university students posing beneath a black and gold balloon arch.
Black male social work student on an assignment working with unhoused individuals.
Social work instructor (white male) informally chatting in a classroom setting with a female student who is sitting at a desk with a laptop.
Portrait of young white woman with brown hair and deep gold sweather sitting on campus.
James "Dimitri" Topitzes (white man), from the school of social welfare presenting in front of a group of people
Latinx female student standing in brightly lit modern building.
School of social welfare Professor Colleen Galambos sharing a book with two older adults on a porch
Female (white) police campus police officer in her car.

See Yourself Here

Crime Analyst (white female) pointing out details of crime map that's projected onto the wall in a dark room.Crime Analysis Leaders
Aerial drone photo of the East Side of Milwaukee showing green park, water tower, and the city stretching off into the horizon.Established Internship Sites Throughout the Region
$8,000,000in External Awards
Social work student association at UW-Milwaukee includes three females (Asian, Latina and white) and a faculty member standing together in the student union.Strong Student Networks
1,450Fall 2023 Enrollment
StudentsEmpower the Future through Social Work
More Than$900,000In Scholarships and Funding for 2023

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