FAQs for Students with an MSW Degree

In Wisconsin a person is required to have a master’s degree in social work (MSW) from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and to gain institutional endorsement to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) by one of four UW system universities: UW-Milwaukee, UW Madison, UW Green Bay and UW-Whitewater. In order to gain the institutional endorsement for the School Social Work license, a person must meet specialized educational and supervised field experience requirements that are specific to school social work practice standards. Each of the four UW system institutions listed above has a set of requirements unique to their programs that when met allow the program to provide institutional endorsement required by DPI for School Social Work licensure.

Yes, a person can take the School Social Work required courses including a school social work field practicum as a registered UWM Graduate Non-Degree student. In order to gain the Graduate Non-
Degree status necessary to register for school social work courses and field practicum, you will need to enroll through a brief application process found at the below link. To find the correct application, go through the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare and find Social Work and Non Degree: https://graduateschool-apply.uwm.edu/

You will need to work with the School Social Work Coordinator within our Social Work Department to have your MSW transcripts, syllabi, and resume reviewed to determine what remaining courses you will need to take to meet the program requirements. Following a review of these documents and consultation with you, an individualized course plan for meeting the School Social Work licensing requirements will be developed The current School Social Work Program Coordinator is Ke’Andra Hagans (klhagans@uwm.edu or 251-5928)

Most post-graduate students will have to fulfill a 1 or 2 semester field practicum in a school setting under the supervision of a licensed school social worker with a minimum of three years of school social work experience. The practicum will occur for approximately 16-18 hours weekly M-F during daytime hours. Unique exceptions may apply based on post-MSW work/employment experience and available supervision and will be determined on an individual basis.

Specialized, supervised field experience in a school setting is a requirement for gaining a license to practice School Social Work in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, employed professionals who want to gain their School Social Work license through the Graduate Non-Degree status, must arrange a way to be able to complete the field experience M-F during typical K-12 school day hours.

Once you complete the application for the Graduate Non-Degree status, you can anticipate that it will take at least 2 weeks for your status to be fully processed and for you to be eligible to enroll for classes; it will not be automatic. Once your status is fully processed, you will receive information from the UWM Graduate School about your student ID number and information about utilizing UWM student systems such as email and the student account management system called PAWS. It is through the PAWS system that you will able to enroll for courses. It is important to note, that in addition to your PAWS account being activated to allow for enrollment, there are certain windows within which enrollment for each semester is possible. The Fall semester begins in early September, and registration begins for UWM graduate students in the April before the Fall semester. The Spring semester begins in late January and registration for this semester begins in November. The Summer semester begins in late May, and registration for this semester opens in March.

There are also deadlines for the submission of the online MSW General Field Application.

Fall semester – February 15 th
Spring semester – September 15 th of preceding year.

There are no school field practicum opportunities available during the summer semester.

No, unfortunately we cannot guarantee enrollment in specific classes for any student, degree seeking or Non-Degree. Our School Social Work-related courses are popular with a large number of School Social Work MSW students currently in our degree program as well as several post-MSW Graduate Non-Degree students every semester. Our degree-seeking MSW students will have the first priority to register for necessary courses generally a day before Graduate Non-Degree students. If a desired class is full when a Graduate Non-Degree student tries to enroll in the course, that non-degree student may choose a different section if applicable, may register for the waitlist for the course, and may consult with the School Social Work Coordinator for any other possible options. There is a possibility that a Graduate Non-Degree student will have to wait to register for the course in a future semester during times of high program enrollment. It is always a good idea to enroll for the wait list option when available. Wait list students will be auto-enrolled in a course as openings become available prior to the beginning of the semester.

Outside of the possible School Social Work relevant course work and School field practicum, Wisconsin DPI further requires School Social Work license candidates to take a course relating to Native Americans in Wisconsin, specifically Wisconsin ACT 31 History, Culture and Sovereignty Rights of Wisconsin Indians. The option for this course is currently offered through a day-long seminar through the School of Continuing Education at UW-Milwaukee. Finally, a person meeting all of the course and field practicum requirements as outlined by their individualized course plan with the School Social Work Coordinator, will have to pass a comprehensive school social work competency exam scheduled several times yearly through the HBSSW School Social Work Program. Detailed information about the exam will be available through the School Social Work Coordinator.

The most likely scenario is “yes” since DPI requires that the school social work field practicum be supervised by a licensed school social worker with a minimum of three years of experience in Pupil Services.