The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is looking to fill an important need in Wisconsin with the addition of a School Social Work pathway within its Master of Social Work (MSW) program.
UW-Stevens Point Professor and MSW Program Director Amy Zlimen Ticho says the offering comes after two years of rigorous work to gain the required approval through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to offer a school social work preparation program.
“To be a school social worker in Wisconsin, you have to graduate from an MSW program that’s been approved by DPI,” said Zlimen Ticho. “As is the case with teacher education, DPI has curricular and program structure standards that programs must align with in order to offer school social work preparation.”
Along with completing the core MSW Program courses, the pathway will require students to take three school social work specific courses , in addition to an advanced practicum in an educational setting under the supervision of a licensed school social worker.
With only 39% of Wisconsin school districts having a school social worker, according to the DPI, the program aims to address a growing need.
“There is a shortage of school social workers across Wisconsin,” said Zlimen Ticho. “Even though we knew it was going to be a lot of extra work to gain DPI approval, we chose this pathway for our MSW program because we want to contribute to addressing those important workforce needs.”
The launch of the pathway is a collaborative effort between the MSW Program and UW-Stevens Point’s School of Education.
UW-Stevens Point launched its online MSW Program in Fall 2025 to expand on the foundation of its strong undergraduate program. The master’s degree addresses workforce needs in child and family social work, mental health and health care systems, the field of substance use disorders and other segments of society. It aims to generate skilled advanced practice social workers who can serve as collaborative organization leaders who advocate for social, economic, racial and environmental justice and the development of responsive social policies, programs and services. Read the full length feature about the MSW Program at uwsp.edu/news/master-of-social-work/.
To learn more or apply for the Master of Social Work graduate program, go to www.uwsp.edu/programs/degree/master-of-social-work/, attend one of the many upcoming information sessions or contact either Nick Schultz, graduate recruitment coordinator, at graduateprograms@uwsp.edu or Amy Zlimen Ticho at azlimen@uwsp.edu.