Both departments in the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare collaboratively offer a program designed to provide students with theoretical and practical exposure to evolving professional practice in the field of criminal justice, or social work with a focus on criminal justice (e.g., corrections, juvenile justice, probation and parole, etc).
Admission Requirements
Application Deadlines
Application deadlines vary by program, please review the application deadline chart for specific programs. Other important dates and deadlines can be found by using the One Stop calendars.
Admission
Students are admitted to both graduate programs separately and admission requirements are consistent with those specified by the UWM Graduate School, the MS in Criminal Justice & Criminology and the MSW program in the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare.
Credits and Courses
Students accepted into this MS/MSW program complete the following courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal Justice & Criminology | ||
| CRM JST 773 | Criminological Perspectives (G) | 3 |
| CRM JST 743 | Proseminar: Administration of Criminal Justice Systems (G) | 3 |
| CRM JST 756 | Proseminar: Analysis of Criminal Justice Research (G) | 3 |
| Select 12 additional credit hours of courses within the criminal justice & criminology program | 12 | |
| Select 12 credit hours of Social Work courses with the consent of the student’s advisor | ||
| Students must complete the requirements of the Essay Option or Non-Essay Option as the degree capstone | ||
| Social Work Foundation Curriculum (required before the Advanced Curriculum for students without a bachelor's degree in social work) | ||
| SOC WRK 604 | Social Systems and Social Work Practice (U/G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 662 | Methods of Social Welfare Research (U/G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 665 | Cultural Diversity and Social Work (U/G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 705 | Individual Behavior and Social Welfare (G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 708 | Social Work Methods I: Individuals and Families (G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 709 | Social Work Methods II: Groups, Organizations and Communities (G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 721 | Field Instruction I (G) | 3 |
| SOC WRK 750 | Social Welfare Policy Development and Implementation (G) | 3 |
| Social Work Advanced Practice Curriculum | ||
| Required Core Courses | ||
| SOC WRK 711 | Direct Social Work Practice I | 3 |
| SOC WRK 712 | Advanced Practice and Leadership in Organizations and Communities | 3 |
| SOC WRK 795 | Evaluation of Social Work Practice and Programs | 3 |
| SOC WRK 851 | Social Issue and Policy Analysis: | 3 |
| Required Field Placement Courses | ||
| SOC WRK 722 | Field Instruction II | 3 |
| SOC WRK 821 | Field Instruction III | 3-4 |
| SOC WRK 822 | Field Instruction IV | 3-4 |
| Electives | ||
| Select 6 credits of electives from CJC courses in consultation with advisor | ||
| Remaining elective credits for MSW degree selected from Social Work graduate courses in consultation with MSW advisor | 7 | |
| Total Credits | 73-75 | |
Total Credits for Coordinated Degree: 73 (without a BSW) or 49 (with a BSW).
The total credits for the coordinated program would typically be completed in both programs at the same time, rather than one program after the other. Degrees will be awarded simultaneously.
A student not completing the requirements for the coordinated degree program would need to complete all requirements for an individual program in order to receive a degree.
Additional Requirements
Time Limit
Students in the coordinated MS/MSW degree program must complete all degree requirements within seven years of the first enrollment semester as a degree student.
Social Work MSW Learning Outcomes
Students moving from the Professional Foundation Curriculum to the Advanced Curriculum within the Masters in Social Work (MSW) Program will be able to:
- Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
- Engage diversity and difference in practice.
- Advance human rights and social, economic and environmental justice.
- Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
- Engage in policy practice.
- Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
- Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
- Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
- Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
Students graduating from the Masters in Social Work (MSW) Program will be able to, at the level of an advanced practitioner:
- Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
- Engage diversity and difference in practice.
- Advance human rights and social, economic and environmental justice.
- Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
- Engage in policy practice.
- Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
- Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
- Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
- Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
Criminal Justice and Criminology MS Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from the MS in Criminal Justice & Criminology Program will be able to:
- Explain the relationship between criminal justice organizations, administration, and policy. They will be able to critically assess current criminal justice policies and organizational practices.
- Explain and critically assess criminological theories to patterns of behavior. They will be able to articulate how criminal justice policies were developed in relation to these theories.
- Explain social science research methods and basic statistical applications. They will be able to apply social science research methods and statistics to criminal justice and criminology problems, including the ethical treatment of research subjects.
- Analyze and synthesize empirical research, and construct analytically synthesized written academic papers and responses.
- Develop and implement a strong research project in a substantive area of interest within criminal justice and criminology, tying together the components of theory, methods, and policy.