UW-Stout offers "professional development certificate" programs in addition to its traditional majors and minors to meet the needs of those who wish to obtain additional knowledge and skills needed for personal growth and professional advancement.
While not a substitute for a degree or diploma, the certificate is an alternative credential for individuals seeking to obtain new knowledge and skills or to update their knowledge and skills in a specific area. Typically, a certificate is earned by completing a set of limited, well-defined learning outcomes focused on new or emerging processes or new knowledge and principles applied to practical problems or issues.
Students may enroll in the certificates as a stand-alone program or in addition to their undergraduate [U] or graduate [G] major. Undergraduate students are ineligible for graduate-level [G] certificate programs.
Certificate Requirements
Program Objectives
- Demonstrate understanding of an effective, ethical and culturally competent social work practice that emphasizes the strengths of people, families, groups and communities.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the social work field which emphasizes applied research and scholarship while positively impacting social work field practice and social policy.
- Demonstrate comprehension of person-centered, theory-driven, evidence-based and cultural enriched knowledge that supports and advocates for socially and economically vulnerable and oppressed people, groups, families and communities in a respectful manner while fostering human diversity and social justice perspectives.
Career-Focused Certificate Highlights
- Advance your career in social work in the State of Wisconsin.
- Apply your credits toward B.S. Human Development & Family Studies and B.S. Rehabilitation Services Social Work Concentration requirements.
- Earn as a professional development certificate to complement the B.S. Psychology, B.S. Applied Social Science or B.S. Criminal Justice & Rehabilitation degrees.
- Apply for the Wisconsin Social Worker Training Certificate which can lead the student to the Certificate of Social Worker with the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services.
- Note: This non-Bachelor of Social Work professional certificate can support students with earning Bachelor of Social Work-level certification with the state of Wisconsin.
UW-Stout’s five social work courses have been pre-approved by the Wisconsin Department of Safety & Professional Services. UW-Stout’s B.S. Human Development & Family Studies, B.S. Rehabilitation Services, B.S. Applied Social Science, B.S. Criminal Justice & Rehabilitation and B.S. Psychology degrees have been pre-approved as “other human services degree” with the Department of Safety & Professional Services via the Social Worker Training Certificate.
- Social Work Certificate is UW-Stout’s academic certificate, which includes the five main social work courses and a field-based internship, which can support a student applying for the Wisconsin Social Worker Training Certificate which can lead to the Certificate of Social Worker.
- Social Worker Training Certificate is the State of Wisconsin certificate process. The Social Worker Training Certificate supports non-Bachelor of Social Work students with earning undergraduate-level certification of social worker, which is often required for social work positions with counties, corrections, hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools and so on. Once an applicant has obtained the state’s Social Worker Training Certificate, they can then apply for the Certificate of Social Worker.