We introduce and reinforce concepts and experiences that are important to being a successful social worker. These include, Indigenous, structural, critical feminist, anti-oppressive and anti-racist perspectives especially as they impact people in rural, northern, and remote communities.
We prepare social workers who will engage and practice at micro, meso and macro levels creating meaningful change in our communities. Students enrolled in our program will be challenged to engage in critical social work practice, gain practical skills and be engaged leaders in social service careers.
A Professional Degree that is Accessible
We are located in three physical locations in Sault Ste. Marie, Brampton and Timmins with offsite locations as well. We have offices and student support services in these three locations, the programming we offer in person programming in Sault Ste. Marie and Brampton and remote synchronous programming across all of our locations.
As well we have two partnerships with agencies which allows us to extend our programming in ways that support students without the expectation that they need to move away from their communities.
Students enrolled in our program will examine a variety of topics and will understand how northern communities significantly differ from urban communities in regards to health services, family and child welfare, and the social welfare system. Our graduates 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 community members educating our students on the importance of the history of the site, and what has occurred in the past. This provides our students with a unique learning experience, and the opportunity for students to better understand oppression, colonization, and self-determination.
Our social work program was developed in consultation with various local employers in Sault Ste. Marie, Brampton, and Timmins, and other offsite locations who have expressed a growing need for thoughtful, well skilled employees. For this reason, our program is designed to help fulfill the need for social workers in many different locations across Ontario. A degree in social work is highly sought after in the work world. Social workers are found in the broadest range of workplace settings: public agencies, private businesses, hospitals, clinics, schools, nursing homes, private practices, police departments and inside court systems, etc.
Partnerships
Bridging the gap between local expertise and academic excellence through innovative, flexible, and culturally rooted education.
At Algoma University, we believe that geography should never be a barrier to education. Our partnerships are designed specifically for those who are rooted in their communities and ready to lead. By blending remote access with intensive, block-based learning, we provide a pathway for Social Service Worker diploma holders to earn an Honours Bachelor of Social Work without leaving the regions they serve. This is education designed for the working professional, the community leader, and the change-maker.
In relation with Oshki-Pimache-O-Win: The Winjack Education Institute, Algoma University offers an Accelerated HBSW program for diploma holders (min. 3.0 GPA) seeking careers in social work. Designed to support learners in northern, remote and Indigenous communities, the program emphasizes social justice and anti-oppressive practice.
Program Highlights
- Blended delivery: online evening classes + in-person intensive blocks (Thunder Bay)
- Community-based, culturally responsive learning
- Experiential, interactive instruction
- Strong focus on underserved populations
Field Placements
- Hands-on experience in:
- Social services, clinical, policy, and education sectors
- Focus areas include mental health, child welfare, elder support, crisis response, and more
Yashoda Fernando
Off-site Program Coordinator
[email protected]
In partnership with Omushkego Education and Payukotayno: James & Hudson Bay Family Services, this program is designed to respond to the unique needs, priorities, strengths, and aspirations of learners, families, and communities throughout the Mushkegowuk region.
The program provides an accessible, community-focused pathway to social work education that allows students to continue their education while continuing to live, work, and serve in their communities. It recognizes the cultures, experiences, knowledge, and priorities of the communities it serves while supporting the development of local social work capacity and the long-term wellbeing of individuals, families, and communities throughout the region.
Students are supported in pursuing field education opportunities within or near their communities where feasible, allowing them to develop practical experience while contributing meaningfully to the communities they know and serve.
Remote Access Education
Courses are delivered remotely, reducing geographic barriers and allowing students throughout the Mushkegowuk region to pursue their education while remaining connected to their families and home communities.
Aligned with Community Calendars
Through ongoing collaboration with community partners, program delivery and scheduling consider local events and the cultural, seasonal, employment, family, and community responsibilities of learners. This community-responsive approach recognizes that the realities of students living and working throughout the Mushkegowuk region may differ from those of learners in traditional campus-based programs.
Block Plan Scheduling
The Block Delivery Model allows students to focus on a maximum of two courses at a time in an intensive evening and/or weekend delivery format. This approach supports focused learning while making post-secondary education more accessible for adult learners, working professionals, and students balancing family, cultural, professional, and community responsibilities.
Key Features
- Course scheduling and delivery that consider community priorities and the cultural, seasonal, employment, family, and community responsibilities of learners..
- Flexible full-time and part-time study options that are responsive to the individual needs of students and their personal, family, professional, and community responsibilities.
- Remote course delivery that allows learners to remain connected to their home communities while pursuing their education.
- A focused block-delivery format designed to support engagement while reducing competing course demands. A reciprocal learning environment that values the knowledge and experience students and instructors each bring, creating opportunities to learn from one another through shared lived, professional, cultural, and community-based perspectives.
- Culturally relevant and community-informed learning that reflects the strengths, priorities, histories, realities, and ways of knowing of Indigenous communities throughout the Mushkegowuk region.
- Opportunities for community-based field education that connect academic learning with regional workforce needs and the priorities of the communities students know and serve.
This flexible approach supports learners in remaining connected to their communities while progressing through their education in a way that is responsive to the realities of work, family, culture, and community life.
Theresa Chavez
Mushkegowuk-Payukotayno Program Advisor
[email protected]
What You Can Expect
Hands-on learning, a close-knit campus community, and caring faculty.
Special Mission
Algoma University applied for and was granted a university charter in order to support the learning needs of both Northern locations and Indigenous communities. Although we have expanded to areas across the province of Ontario, we remain committed to both accessible, responsive education with the added commitment of supporting Indigenous communities and partners. Therefore we take our mandate as Algoma University to being a welcoming, inclusive, safe, and respectful learning community; one that values the opportunities to learn from and with students, staff and visitors from all parts of the world. This is what makes Algoma University such a special place.
Learn MoreMeet our Faculty and Staff
Our Social Work faculty are experts in the field. Get to know them!
Dr. Leslie Yaffa, EdD, MSW, RSW
Social Work Field Education, Placement and Admissions Coordinator
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Tara Duclos, RSW
Part-Time Social Work Field Education, Placement and Admission Coordinator
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Melissa Long, RSW
Social Work Field Education, Placement and Admission Coordinator
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Ready to Apply?
Admissions is a two-step process
“Attending Algoma University has been a great experience for me. The faculty in at the School of Social Work are outstanding and are truly supportive on all fronts. The program itself has allowed me to grow as a person, and into the social worker I want to be.”
Andre Barnett
Alumni, BSW
“I believe this is a program that embraces diversity and encompasses what society can become. As a student who is actively working in the social work field, I can confidently say that the BSW program's knowledge can change people's lives. ”
Sierra Mannarino
BSW
“The BSW program provides opportunities to be able to engage with students, staff and faculty in ways that create relationships and dialogue that promote inclusivity, critical thinking, and social justice. I have been able to draw upon the information provided in various courses to develop methods of practice with individuals, families, and communities in various social contexts.”
Tara Burrell
Alumni, BSW
“Algoma University has provided me with a culturally rich experience beyond education. The program enriched my development by allowing me to be myself, a young man trying to figure out his purpose and where he belongs.”
Michael Dhliwayo
Alumni, BSW