Older adults are living longer than at any other time in history. By 2035, older adults will outnumber children. There is a genuine need for social work students to be adequately trained to meet the needs of older adults in a variety of settings including medical, hospice, long-term care, and rehabilitation facilities, home and community-based services, behavioral health, corrections, criminal justice, research and policy analysis, program development, advocacy, education, and training.

The Social Work Minor in Aging will provide an opportunity for undergraduate social work students to obtain skills and knowledge in gerontology. Their classroom training will culminate in a field practicum in an agency that serves older adults. In this setting, students will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge they have learned in the classroom and acquire direct practice skills by interacting with clients in the field with the support of a field instructor who has a BSW or MSW. This will prepare students to work with the aging population after graduation.

The Social Work Minor in Aging is open to undergraduate social work students only.

If you’re interested in learning more, please contact Jen Kahn-Pettigrew, Coordinator for Education and Programming (kahnpet2@uwm.edu or 414-229-6888), to set up an advising appointment.

Declare an Aging Minor

Required Courses (already required for the Social Work program)
SOC WRK 250Human Behavior and the Social Environment3
SOC WRK 421Field Education & Integrated Field Seminar I5
SOC WRK 422Field Education & Integrated Seminar II5
Electives
Choose three courses from those listed below:
SOC WRK 300Aged to Perfection: Introduction to the Study of Aging3
SOC WRK 564Social Services for the Aging3
SOC WRK 680Death and Dying3
SOC WRK 685Social Gerontology3
Total Credits22
Applied Gerontology
Program Resources

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