Social Work (MSW)

Do you want to serve populations in need and contribute to improving lives? A Master of Social Work (MSW) program will prepare you for the important work of empowering individuals, families, and communities. Social workers help people solve and cope with problems. They have a unique combination of intelligence and emotional strength. They care about human dignity and social justice, and work to make the world a better place.

Social work is a challenging, dynamic, high-growth profession. It encompasses a wide range of practices, including child welfare, addiction treatment, mental health, advocacy, aging, family services, education, community organizing, and public policy. A master’s degree can help social workers advance in their career pathway. It can lead to a job as a case worker for mental health agencies, homeless shelters, disability resource centers, domestic violence shelter services, immigration and refugee resettlement services, senior citizen support agencies, and more.

Explore AU's graduate programs on 9/10

Drop by to learn more about our graduate programs and discuss your next steps.

Learn more about our graduate social work programs on 10/12

Attend the Graduate Social Work Virtual Open House to hear about our program offerings and your next steps.

At Aurora University, our social work programs are recognized among the best in the region. AU has been training social workers since the 1970s. Our social work roots stretch back to a small human services college in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood founded during the Great Depression.

Flexible and Customized Format

In AU’s Master of Social Work program, you will receive a strong academic foundation based in clinical social work practice, as well as specialized study. Our program is flexible and designed to fit into your busy life with fall, spring, and summer starts. And you can select from a variety of daytime, evening, and online course offerings.

AU is also an early adopter of employment-based internships, meaning you can use your current employer for your fieldwork and/or internship experience. In fact, over 50 organizations are partnering with AU so that you can work full time while earning field credit.

There is no greater joy nor greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life. Mary Rose McGeady

Our faculty are dedicated to helping you find your place within the social work profession. We also offer a variety of tracks that strengthen your knowledge in specific areas of the field.

In AU's MSW program, on-campus and online students can participate in the following curriculum tracks. Note, some on-campus students may be required to complete online coursework depending on their chosen track.

Tracks Leading to External Certifications or Licenses

Addictions prepares you to work with individuals and families impacted by substance use within a primary substance use disorder treatment setting. The coursework focuses on various aspects of substance use, challenging your biases regarding impacted populations, and learning specific clinical skills to help the sub-populations, including those impacted by substance use and mental health disorders. Within this clinical concentration, you will complete an internship at an approved substance use disorder treatment site. Upon successful completion of this track, you will be eligible to take the Certified Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor (CADC) examination offered through the Illinois Certification Board. Further opportunity exists to earn additional credentials such as the Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Disorder Professional (CODP I).

Additional Tracks Offered

Forensics prepares students to use legal expertise to work in the social work field. Simply defined, forensic social work means integration of social work and legal fields. The coursework focuses on educating students in forensic social work practice and theory. Students can utilize their specialized knowledge of this field to work in a variety of settings. Some examples include: correctional settings (jails, prisons, reentry programs, community supervision such as probation and parole), police departments and other law enforcement agencies, FBI, court systems (legal advocates, clinicians, treatment providers, policy development), child advocacy centers, domestic violence programs, survivor assistance programs (human trafficking, crime victims), etc. Opportunities are broad and available at micro, mezzo, and macro levels.