Part-Time Child Welfare Training Program (CWTP-PT)
Who may apply?
The part-time component serves Bureau and partner-agency employees who do not hold a BSW degree earned within the past five years and cannot leave their current positions for the two years required to complete the program's full-time component.
How is the part-time program structured?
Applicants who have taken no prior graduate-level social work courses must apply for admission to the “Qualifying Year” of the program. Classes begin in January, and a total of four courses are offered during the year. These courses are the same as those required for entry-level social work certification in Wisconsin.
Applicants who have completed at least 5 credit hours from the Qualifying Year curriculum (or who have taken at least 5 credits of such courses at their own expense) are eligible to apply for full admission to the part-time program. At this time, applicants must also apply to be accepted into the MSW program in the Department of Social Work. Students cannot complete the CWTP-PT unless they are admitted to the MSW program after the Qualifying Year.
At the start of Year 2, students must be under the supervision of someone who holds the MSW degree. At that time, students may be required to change supervisors in their workplace to enable a waiver of one semester of field practicum credits. Three additional semesters of field education will then be required, and these will occur in the fall semester of Year 3, plus the spring and summer semesters of Year 4.
During the 12 months needed to complete the field courses, students will drop to 50%-time employment at their agencies, and they will receive a stipend to partially compensate for lost earnings.
How long does the part-time program last?
Students who have taken no prior courses toward the MSW will need four years to complete the 56 credit hours required for the degree. Those who have taken graduate credit hours in social work within the past five years as non-degree students may be able to finish in a shorter time.
What courses will be offered and where will they occur?
Click here for a list of required courses and the sequence in which they must be taken.
Most classes will be held on the UWM campus in the late afternoons or evenings Occasional classes may also be held on Saturdays. Students will be required to take certain sections of courses even if other sections are open.
What financial support is provided?
- Full tuition (in-state).
- Book allowance of $75 per course.
- Monthly stipend of $580 during the semesters of field instruction when students will drop to half-time employment.
Students are not eligible for other scholarships or financial aid from the University while enrolled in the program.
Financial support and program continuation are contingent on the availability of state and federal matching funds.
What work obligation is required of participants?
Students must maintain employment with their employer during the semesters they are enrolled in classes and for at least one semester following each semester of coursework. A semester of work payback, whether it is for a fall, spring, or summer semester, is defined as four months of employment.
Participants will complete their work obligation on a rolling basis, whereby they take new courses while completing their work obligation for courses taken in a preceding semester.
All participants must sign a contract with UWM regarding the work obligation prior to beginning coursework.
During semesters in which students are enrolled in a field placement, they are not allowed to work more than 20 hours per week for their employer.
How will field education (internships) be handled?
Three semesters of field instruction are required. These are typically completed in the Fall semester of Year 3 and the Spring and Summer semesters of Year 4. Placements in all three semesters will be completed outside the participant's original agency in a community organization that provides child welfare-related services.
How do I apply?
Interested employees are eligible to apply for admission to the “qualifying year” of the program, which will begin the first summer semester of 2012. Application materials are due no later than May 7, 2012.
Application packets will also be available at your employment site or may be obtained from Mary Heller in room 1186 of Enderis Hall on the UWM campus.
For More Information, please contact:
Professor Susan Rose (sjrose@uwm.edu, 229-6301)
Professor Steve McMurtry (mcmurtry@uwm.edu, 229-2249)
Program Assistant Mary Heller (mheller@uwm.edu, 229-4895)
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* Tuition and other financial assistance is contingent on the availability of funds, which must be re-determined annually.