Master of Social Work

Students enrolled in our program will examine a variety of topics and will understand how Northern communities significantly differ from urban communities (in the South, Eastern and Western Ontario) in regard to health services, family and child welfare, and the social welfare system. Ourgraduates will understand crisis intervention, and how to deal with victims of abuse, including those who were affected by the residential school system in Canada. Unlike any other Ontario university, Algoma U is situated on the former site of the Shingwauk Indian Residential School, and offers special lectures and guest presentations from residential school Survivors. Many fellow classmates may in fact be Survivors or descendants of survivors. This provides our students with a unique learning experience, and the opportunity for students to better understand oppression, colonization, and self-determination and apply them in their social work practices.

Our social work program was developed in consultation with various local employers and advisory boards  in Sault Ste Marie and Timmins, who have cited a growing need for employees. For this reason, our program is designed to help fulfill the need for social workers in Northern, rural, remote regions. A degree in social work is highly sought after in the work world. Plus, social workers are found in the broadest range of workplace settings: public agencies, private businesses, hospitals, clinics, schools, nursing homes, private practices, police departments, courts, etc. Social work graduates have an easier time finding employment after graduation than graduates in most other fields.