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Prepare for a Lifetime of Compassionate Service 

Dominican University鈥檚 School of Social Work challenges you to change the world by helping you gain the skills to make a difference. Accredited by the , our programs prepare professional social workers for globally focused, family-centered practice. Our mission guides us to advocate for human rights and social and economic justice for all persons and to promote human and community well-being. 

As a student in Dominican鈥檚 School of Social Work you鈥檒l also:

  • Experience individualized support and mentorship from caring faculty who are invested in your success.
  • Focus your studies and build your career in the area that matters most to you by choosing from our MSW tracks.
  • Already have your MSW? We also offer a non-degree certificate program in school social work.
  • Enjoy opportunities to build cross-functional skills that can elevate your career with our multiple dual master鈥檚 degree programs.
  • Learn with dynamic peers who will become lifelong members of your professional network.


Create Local and Global Impact

Our progressive MSW program offers a wide range of local, national and international placement opportunities. Students have completed internships at Chicago-area social service agencies, hospitals, advocacy groups and geriatric centers as well as with programs in Ecuador, India, Ireland, Latvia, Mexico and South Africa. You can make a difference all over the world.

Who We Are

Dedicated to creating a more just and humane world, our progressive programs will prepare you to create meaningful impact wherever you choose to practice.

The School of Social Work is centered in the Sinsinawa Dominican tradition, which is committed to truth and compassionate service. We prepare professional social workers for globally-focused, family-centered practice to advocate for human rights, and social and economic justice for all persons including socially excluded populations that promotes human and community well-being.

The School of Social Work aspires to be an innovative global leader in social work through inquiry-based education, ethical engagement and commitment to positive social transformation.

Social Work

  • To develop social work practitioners who understand social work knowledge, values, and skills to enhance all levels of client systems.
  • To prepare professional social work practitioners to engage in culturally sensitive practice that encourages active community participation in advancing social and economic justice.
  • To prepare social work practitioners to integrate multidisciplinary bodies of knowledge and skills into their practice in order to empower clients.
  • To develop social work practitioners who incorporate reflective practices to enhance understanding of self and others within their diverse context.
  • Prepare social work practitioners who embrace core social work values and ethics in service of all people with particular attention to marginalized and disenfranchised persons and communities.
  • To prepare social workers that are lifelong learners committed to the growth of their own professional knowledge base, ongoing professional development, and self-growth. 

Master of Social Work (MSW)

  • Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly.
  • Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.
  • Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments.
  • Engage diversity and difference in practice.
  • Advance human rights and social and economic justice.
  • Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research.
  • Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment.
  • Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services.
  • Respond to contexts that shape practice.
  • Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Dominican University in compliance with Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) 2008 Educational Policy Standards measures and reports student learning outcomes yearly. Students are assessed on their attainment of the ten core competencies. Each core competency is operationalized by measurable practice behaviors throughout the curriculum. Benchmarks were established for the attainment of each competency overall, as well as for the individual practice behaviors as measured from each data source. An assessment score at or above that benchmark is considered by the program to represent attainment of that particular competency. 

All of the documents below are pdfs and open in a new window. 

Student Learning Outcomes 

2023-2024 Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes for Generalist and Advanced Generalist (Specialized Practice)

2022-2023 Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes for Generalist and Advanced Generalist (Specialized Practice) 

2021-2022 Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes for Generalist and Advanced Generalist (Specialized Practice)

School of Social Work Locations 

River Forest Campus

Graduate School of Social Work offices are located and most classes are held at Dominican University's River Forest Campus, which is located just 10 miles west of downtown Chicago. The River Forest Campus houses Dominican's Rebecca Crown Library, student facilities and other academic programs.

Free shuttle service is available from the River Forest Campus to the CTA Harlem/Lake Green Line stop in Oak Park.

Dominican University
River Forest Campus
7900 West Division Street
River Forest, IL 60305

Visit our Campus Directions and Map page for information on the 不良研究所 shuttle, directions, public transportation and parking.

University Center of Lake County

New MSW students entering our program at University Center in Grayslake, Illinois can complete the program in 2 years as full-time or 3 years as a part-time student. Students can conduct their field placements in the Grayslake area and can also choose to take courses at the River Forest campus.

University Center
1200 University Center Drive
Grayslake, IL 60030

  

Dominican was a founding partner university of the UCLC, and Dominican academic staff hold weekly office hours at UCLC.

Learn from an Expert Team Devoted to Your Success

Our esteemed faculty brings a breadth of life and career experience to the classroom. You鈥檒l learn from experts with expertise in a wide range of social work settings, including gerontology, domestic violence, human trafficking prevention and more. 

CSWE accreditation logo

 Accreditation

Dominican University's Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) MSW program is accredited by the  and is one of the first graduate schools in the nation to offer a globally focused, family centered concentration.