Social Worker Opportunity Tracks
Get on track to a social work degree
If you want a degree program that will get you in an in-demand career that has many options where you can help people in your community, the Social Worker Opportunity Tracks program can help you get there.
Social Worker Opportunity Tracks (SWOT) is a collaboration led by the University of Illinois College of Medicine Rockford in conjunction with Rock Valley College, Rockford University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work, Rockford Public Schools 205 and the Boone-Winnebago County Regional Office of Education #4.
SWOT students can receive financial assistance and academic support to complete their degrees.
Tracks
SWOT offers different opportunities for different types of students interested in an associate degree in human services or a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in social work.
RVC
Rock Valley College now offers an Associate of Applied Science degree in human services that can prepare students for a career in social services agencies, non-profits or healthcare facilities to help people overcome barriers and access resources. They may also go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in social work.
Graduates of Rock Valley College with an associate degree are eligible to apply to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Social Work online Bachelor’s of Social Work or Rockford University’s Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts program in social work while receiving financial and educational support.
HS
Winnebago County high school students interested in pursuing a social work degree can enroll in the SWOT Pipeline Track.
Ask your guidance counselor about the SWOT program.
Following successful completion of the high school component, each student has the option to enroll in either the associate degree program in human services at Rock Valley College or the bachelor’s in social work program at Rockford University.
ROE4
The SWOT Immediate Track allows staff presently employed by Winnebago County schools with an associate degree to earn a bachelor’s degree in social work through the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s online program or the bachelor’s completion program at Rockford University.
Those who have a bachelor’s degree can complete the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign online master’s degree program. Participants can receive tuition reimbursement from their school and continue to work as they earn their social work degree.
RU grads
Graduates of Rockford University with a bachelor’s degree may be eligible for the online master’s degree in social work (iMSW).
Admission Requirements
- Strong interest in serving individuals from diverse backgrounds seeking to improve their lives
- A baccalaureate degree from Rockford 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
Carol Schuster, Program Administrator
Find out if you are eligible for SWOT and learn more about which track would be best for you.
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SWOT provides educational opportunities to increase the number of social workers in the area, thanks to an accelerator grant from the Winnebago County Community Mental Health Board.