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Student Newsletters
BSW Beacon Newsletter
Check out the most recent issue in public view.
MSW Messenger Newsletter
Check out the most recent issue in public view.
Social Worker Opportunity Track (SWOT) Grant
Receive up to 20K in funding toward your BSW or MSW degree
The Social Worker Opportunity Track (SWOT) grant has been made available through the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board as a workforce development initiative to meet the mental health needs in Winnebago County.
Students must meet the eligibility criteria below to receive the funding.
Online MSW Program
- Apply by April 15, 2025
- Graduate from Rockford University for the Online MSW Program
- Acceptance into the University of Illinois School of Social Work
- Agree to work in Winnebago County for 3 years following graduation
Online MSW Requirements and Application Process
Admission Requirements
- Strong interest in serving individuals from diverse backgrounds seeking to improve their lives
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university
- Evidence of personal attributes that are suitable for the profession of social work
- A minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or better for the last sixty (60) semester hours or ninety (90) quarter hours of coursework
- Twenty hours of social and behavioral sciences, humanities, and biological sciences
- GRE is not required
Application Process
Official Transcripts from all colleges/universities attended. Mail directly to the School of Social Work, 1010 W. Nevada Street, Urbana, IL 61801 or official electronic transcripts can be emailed to socialwork@illinois.edu
- All items below will be uploaded to the Graduate College Application.
- Three (3) letters of reference (must be academic and/or professional in nature)
- Graduate College Academic Statement
- Social Work Personal Statement
- Resume – This should include relevant education, volunteer, and work experience
- Unofficial transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
Attend a Virtual MSW Information Session
Thursday, March 27, 2025 from 6:00-7:00pm
Online BSW Transfer Program
- Apply by April 5, 2025
- Graduate from Rock Valley College for Online BSW Program
- Acceptance into the University of Illinois School of Social Work
- Agree to work in Winnebago County for 3 years following graduation
Online BSW Requirements and Application Process
Admission Requirements
- Cumulative minimum GPA 2.5 or higher
- Evidence of strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Evidence of personal attributes that are suitable for the profession of social work
- Successful completion of the application process for professional program entry
- Volunteer or paid work experience in a social service agency prior to beginning the program is not required but is strongly encouraged
Application Process
Attend a Virtual BSW Information Session
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 from 6:00-7:00pm
Update Field Agency Contact Info
Contact Card Example
Student Support Services
University of Illinois Campus
General
- Counseling Center – Provides a range of mental health services and supports for students
- University YMCA – Supports campus community with social justice, environmental protection, interfaith cooperation and global engagement through dialogue, reflection, and action
- Student Affairs
- Career Center at Illinois
- E-Reserves
- Office of Financial Aid
- Campus Graduation Information
- Student-Parents at Illinois
Immigration
- FAQ on Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Officers on University of Illinois property
- Open Illinois: Information and Guidance for Undocumented and DACA Students
- Student Legal Services offers referrals to local immigration attorneys and resources to assist students with immigration-related concerns, including connections to the Immigration Law Clinic at the University of Illinois College of Law, which may help students seeking to change their immigration status
- La Casa Cultural Latina ensures that undocumented and DACA students feel supported. They provide resources and information pertinent to these students’ needs
- International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) serves the university’s international population through advising, immigration services, programming, advocacy, and outreach
- The Career Center offers specialized support for undocumented and DACA students, including career exploration, job searching, and professional development advice. They can also connect students with organizations that specialize in supporting undocumented individuals
- New American Welcome Center – Provides immigrant family services and immigrant legal services
LGBTQIA+
- Gender & Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) mission is to foster an environment that is open, safe and inclusive for people of all sexualities and gender identities
- Campus Queer Campus Coalition (QCC) and Affiliated Organizations such as the Ikenberry Rainbow Connection, BlacQ, Actually Neurodivergent
Local/State/National Resources
- The UP Center of Champaign County advocates for the equality, wellness, and visibility of the LGBTQIA2S+ communities in Champaign County
Immigration
- Illinois State Board of Education’s Message on Guidance on Immigration Enforcement Actions provided the following resources:
- The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights has an abundance of resources for immigrant families, including a Know Your Rights fact sheet in English and Spanish
- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) provides a Know Your Rights resource with guidance for families in specific immigration enforcement scenarios in both English and Spanish
- The National Partnership for New Americans has compiled a live document with legal protection resources and materials from across the country that will continue to be updated
- The Refugee Center: Serves refugees, immigrants, and migrant families since 1980
- The Immigration Project – Has lawyers offering pro bono services
- United We Dream – Provides resources on immigration issues
- National Immigrant Law Center – Established in 1979, it is one of the leading advocacy organizations dedicated to advancing and defending the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their loved ones
- Protecting Immigrant Families focuses on immigrant rights, health care, and human services
BSW FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What undergraduate programs does the School of Social Work offer?
The School of Social Work offers the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program, which prepares students for entry-level positions in social work and lays the foundation for graduate studies in social work.
More information: BSW Program Overview
What are the admission requirements for the BSW program?
To be admitted to the BSW program, students must meet the University of Illinois’ general admission requirements, including completing required coursework in social work prerequisites and maintaining a minimum GPA.
For first-year students: Typically, a strong high school academic record and standardized test scores (ACT/SAT) are required.
For transfer students: Transfer students should have completed at least 30 transferable credits, including prerequisite social work courses, and must meet a minimum GPA requirement of 2.5 or higher.
What is the application process for undergraduate students for the BSW program?
First-year students must apply through the University of Illinois Undergraduate Admissions portal.
Transfer students must submit transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended and meet specific course prerequisites.
The process involves submitting the standard application form, an official transcript, and any other required documents (e.g., SAT/ACT scores for first-year applicants).
Is there a field placement or internship component in the BSW program?
Yes, the BSW program includes a field practicum that allows students to gain hands-on experience in social work practice. Students are required to complete field hours at local social service agencies, community centers, and healthcare settings.
More information: Field Education
What is the process for transferring into the School of Social Work?
Transfer students must submit their transcripts for review. The University of Illinois uses the Transferology tool to help determine course equivalencies, so it’s important to check how your courses will transfer.
Students must meet the general GPA requirement (2.5 minimum) and any specific course prerequisites for the BSW program.
More information: Transfer Admissions
Will my credits transfer into the social work program?
The University evaluates each transfer student’s coursework individually. Using Transferology, students can see how their credits from other institutions will transfer to the University of Illinois.
What kinds of careers can I pursue with a BSW degree from the University of Illinois?
Graduates with a BSW can pursue careers in various fields, including clinical social work, healthcare settings, school social work, social services agencies, nonprofit organizations, and public policy.
Many BSW graduates also continue their studies in the MSW (Master of Social Work) program to further specialize and enhance their career prospects.
Virtual Suggestion Box
This is an opportunity for students to contribute ideas for consideration. All submissions will be received and reviewed by the School of Social Work Office of Student Affairs.
Your feedback is important to us and is something we value. While we cannot guarantee action on all suggestions, we are interested to hear student voices and welcome your suggestions in our attempts to continually improve your experience in the program.
NOTE: All submissions are completely anonymous unless you provide your name and email in the spaces provided on the form. You are not required to provide a name and email address in order to submit a suggestion.
Student Opportunities
Student Opportunities
Local community partners submit project requests to the Community Learning Lab. If you are interested in learning more about service opportunities for a specific cause, we’d love to hear from you! Contact ssw-cll@illinois.edu to learn more.
Research Luncheon Webinar Series
Research Luncheon Webinar Series
Science has long been shaped by Eurocentric biases, favoring men, whites, and the wealthy, while excluding minoritized groups. Social science research has perpetuated harmful stereotypes, and environmental studies have neglected the impact of pollution and climate change on low-income communities. To address these inequities, researchers are embracing strengths-based perspectives and critical theories that challenge white bias and integrate diverse viewpoints, ensuring science serves all communities equitably.
This luncheon series explores epistemic injustice, racialized organizations, and anti-oppressive methodologies, culminating in an Afro-futuristic workshop to reimagine science as a tool for liberation and healing.
Webinar 6:
Friday, April 11, 2025 – ON CAMPUS in SSW Room 2027
Speaker: Dr. Lonny Brooks, California State University, East Bay
In addition to Dr. Brooks’ presentation, there are two workshops available for interested University of Illinois faculty and students:
10:00-11:15am CST
Reimagining social justice in scholarship and research and storytelling
This in- person workshop is for tenured and specialized faculty.
Register for faculty workshop
12:00-1:00pm CST
Afrofuturism and AfroRithms as a practice in building Mothership AI
Dr. Brooks is a professor of Communication and Afrofuturism at California State University, East Bay. For the last two decades he has advanced futuristic thinking in communications curriculum. He has a passion for creating games to envision social justice futures including black and queer liberation. For more information please explore his work further at the AfroFuturist podcast. Lunch will be served.
Background: Afrofuturism is a literary and cultural movement that reimagines African American history through the lens of science fiction and fantasy. It offers a way of covering discussions about race, identity, alienation and the aspirations of the Black community in a utopic future. Applying the concept to social work offers an opportunity to rethink strategies for equal opportunity education. For example, Afrofuturism advances the idea that Black students are valued and welcome members in educational settings. Yet, the US has a history of both barring and criminalizing basic education of students and then segregating schools and communities. Afrofuturism offers opportunities to rethink the legacy of colonialism in everyday policies from the legacy of racial disproportionality in mandated reporting laws and to mass incarceration of Black youth and adults and the push for family separation in child welfare policy. It draws attention to zero-tolerance policies and punitive approaches. It believes that to create a racially just future there is a need to understand and protect history, identity and culture.
Moderator: Liliane Windsor, PhD, MSW, Professor of Social Work and Associate Dean for Research. School of Social Work, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
2:00-3:00pm CST
Using afro-futurism to reimagine social justice in higher education
This in-person workshop is designed for undergraduate and graduate students.
Register for student workshop
Past Webinars (1-5)
Webinar 1: Is My Work Racist? Critical Thinking and Critical Discourse in Social Work Research
Recorded on Friday, September 13, 2024
12:00 to 1:00pm CST
Speaker: Holly Thurston, Senior Research Analyst, OSU College of Social Work
Dr. Thurston worked for 12 years as a QA officer for a county DHHS in a large metropolitan area, conducting investigations of child fatalities with prior government (CPS, Mental Health, and Public Health) involvement. She obtained a PhD in Nursing Science from UC Davis in 2016, and now specializes in spatio-temporal statistical analyses techniques to better understand the role of environment in child welfare and public health issues.
Based on the article Is my work racist? Critical thinking and critical discourse in social work research, this presentation focuses on critical thinking for the social work researcher, specifically, how to critique your past work to ensure that your current and future work aligns your world view and does not inadvertently perpetuate “status quo” ideology. An overview of critical thinking (dual process theory) and Critical Discourse Analysis theories will be covered, followed by an example of self-critique and suggestions for ensuring that your research continues to reflect a social justice framework.
Moderator: Liliane Windsor, PhD, MSW, Professor of Social Work and Associate Dean for Research. School of Social Work, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Webinar 2: What if Epistemic Injustice is the Wrong Question?
Recorded on Friday, October 11, 2024
12:00 to 1:00pm CST
Speaker: Karen Staller, Professor of Social Work, University of Michigan, School of Social Work
Karen Staller, PhD, JD, received her educational training at Cornell Law School and Columbia University School of Social Work, where her dissertation on runaway and homeless youth was awarded with distinction. Staller practiced public interest law with low-income senior citizens and at-risk adolescents in New York City. Her scholarship focuses primarily on runaway and homeless youth (and other at-risk adolescents). She is interested in the complicated interplay between social problem construction, social service delivery, and social policy. Her book published by Columbia University Press, Runaways: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped Today’s Practices and Policies, entertains this interplay. Her scholarship starts from a constructionist epistemological perspective and is in the interpretivist tradition. She blends her legal and social work training in her scholarship, research methodology, and her approach to teaching. She teaches in the areas of social welfare policy, child and family policy, and qualitative research methods.
Moderator: Liliane Windsor, PhD, MSW, Professor of Social Work and Associate Dean for Research. School of Social Work, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Webinar 3: Bringing Health Equity to Clinical Research: Toward Reparative and Race-Conscious Approaches
Recorded on Friday, November 8, 2024
12:00 to 1:00pm CST
1 CE credit available
Speaker: Bram Wispelwey, Associate Physician in the Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Bram Wispelwey is co-director of the Palestine Program for Health and Human Rights, a joint program between Birzeit University’s Institute of Community and Public Health and the Harvard FXB Center, and he is a co-founder of Health for Palestine, a community organizing initiative in Palestinian refugee camps. Bram is an Associate Physician in the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and an Instructor in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Bram’s research, education, and implementation efforts focus on anti-racist strategies to address hospital inequities, community health worker impact, and the settler colonial determinants of health. Before the start of his medical career, he pursued LGBTQ-rights activism, which informs his health approach at the bedside and in advocacy. Bram is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity and a 2023 awardee of the Brigham and Women’s Nesson Fellowship for Boston-based community health work.
Racial health inequities represent a public health emergency, and many are generated or exacerbated through interactions with health institutions and personnel. This talk outlines a specific case of a hospital-derived inequity that inspired the creation of Healing ARC (acknowledgment, redress, and closure), a repair-based approach to health justice. Healing ARC will be discussed as a potential tool for challenging white supremacy’s hold in our institutions, professions, and practice.
Moderator: Liliane Windsor, PhD, MSW, Professor of Social Work and Associate Dean for Research. School of Social Work, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Webinar 4: Mismeasuring Impact: How Randomized Controlled Trials Threaten the Nonprofit Sector
Friday, February 14, 2025
12:00 to 1:00pm CST
Speakers: Jennifer Mosley & Nicole Marwell, University of Chicago
Moderator: Liliane Windsor, PhD, MSW, Professor of Social Work and Associate Dean for Research. School of Social Work, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Webinar 5: Experiments in Soulcial Work Praxis: Lessons in Radical Community-Engaged Research Speakers: Alexis Jemal & Diana Melendez, City University of New York
Friday, March 7, 2025
12:00 to 1:00pm CST
Alexis Jemal, associate professor at Silberman School of Social Work-Hunter College, is a critical-radical social worker and artivist who specializes in racial justice, radical healing, and liberation. Dr. Jemal’s research and scholarship are grounded in her Transformative Potential Framework that guides the development and implementation of holistic, socio-cultural, psychosocial, biobehavioral health interventions. She teaches courses at the Master’s level in clinical practice, critical social work practice, and human behavior, and at the doctoral level in public scholarship.
This series is sponsored by the School of Social Work Research Office, with support from Dr. Judy Havlicek and the Associate Dean for Engagement, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.