Helen Bader School of Social Welfare

Carter Jenson, a UWM criminal justice student, walking on campus with an instructor

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.

All Academic Programs
Group of diverse criminal justice & criminology graduating university students posing beneath a black and gold balloon arch.Explore Social Welfare at UW-Milwaukee
Profile photo of a police officer sitting in his car on the radio.Apply for the Criminal Justice Practitioner Scholarship
BSW academic advisor smiling in front of UWM University Center at WCTC wall signage.Transfer from WCTC into the Social Work BSW Program

Begin Your Future at UW-Milwaukee

Three students (LatinX, Black and White) walking together and smiling through the UW-Milwaukee campus.Meet with Academic Advisors
Social work student (white female) sits with a laptop and chats with the instructor (white male) in a classroom setting.Discover Your Social Work BSW
$15Million in External Awards
Attend2026Info Sessions
Three small lavendar flowers in a prairie on a hillside illuminated by a rising sun with misty fog blurred in the background.Explore Criminal Justice and Trauma-Informed Care
Students and instructors standing on a lawn with Costa Rican mountains in the background.Study Abroad
Aerial drone photo of the East Side of Milwaukee showing green park, water tower, and the city stretching off into the horizon.Earn Credits for Current Criminal Justice Experience

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Take a Virtual Tour of the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare

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Inside our classrooms and labs

Prepare for your future career at the UW-Milwaukee Helen Bader School of Social Welfare. Visit campus virtually or schedule an in-person visit to figure out if UWM is the right fit for you.

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Aerial of UWM's campus with Enderis Hall (a tall concrete building) in the foreground and the rest of campus and downtown milwaukee in the middle ground and background

Next Steps

Begin your academic adventure with us. At the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, learning has no limits.

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