Diploma in Social Service Worker is a diploma in Social Work programme offered by Sheridan College in Oakville, Canada. The programme runs for 2 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 19,785 per year (CAD 4,828 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Diploma
Field:Social Work
Duration: 2 years
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 4,828 / year
International tuition: CAD 19,785 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Gain skills to work in a wide range of community service environments.Program OverviewCritical trainingIn this program, you’ll learn from professors and guest speakers who have considerable experience in family therapy, policy development, social work, social justice and other social service fields. You’ll gain a solid skills foundation through a laboratory practicum, and you’ll develop plans for starting and running a service organization.Things you'll learn to do Conduct effective assessments. Manage interventions. Develop advocacy strategies relevant to a client’s needs. Work with government agencies to navigate regulations. Become fully aware of the services available and how to deliver them. Understand the scope of your practice and when (and where) to refer clients. Hands-on experienceThe Social Service Worker program maintains connections with hundreds of organizations – including community-based organizations, group homes, children's aid organizations and youth centres – that welcome our students for their Year 2 practicum placements. You'll complete more than 600 hours of field placement in a social service setting, reinforcing the practical skills you've learned in class.You'll learn through: Seminar presentations with class interaction Laboratory practicum that simulates the Year 2 practicum situation to give you a solid skills foundation for your upcoming experience in the field Guest speaker presentations from those active in the field Join the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service WorkersWhen you graduate from Sheridan's Social Service Worker program, you’ll be eligible for admission to the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. As a member of this body, you can use the title “Registered Social Service Worker.”Opportunities for further educationSheridan's Social Service Worker program maintains connections with several universities, which offer further educational opportunities for our graduates.Related program: Social Service Worker – Gerontology diplomaYou might also be interested in our Social Service Worker – Gerontology diploma program, which teaches you the foundations of social service work while training you to specialize in work with the elderly.Note: Success in the Social Service Worker program requires that you be open to the specific issues and contexts of people with various racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds.PSSWK
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Academic (Ontario basis): an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or accepted equivalent carrying one Grade 12 English (ENG4C or ENG4U). Applicants aged 19 or over who are short a requirement may apply as mature students, and may be asked to sit Sheridan's English, math or science tests or to take free preparatory courses through Academic Upgrading. Eligible applicants are ranked on the average of their six highest senior-level credits, the required courses included. An international applicant must present the equivalent of these Ontario courses from their own school system, and a credential assessment may be requested; a domestic applicant schooled outside Canada has transcripts assessed through ICAS or WES. English, where English is not your first language or your earlier study was in another language: Sheridan's certificate and diploma band - IELTS Academic 6.0 with no band under 5.5, TOEFL iBT 80 with nothing under 20 (or 4.0 with no section under 4.0 on the scale used from 2026), PTE Academic 58 with no section under 49, Duolingo 105 with no subscore under 85, CAEL 60 with no section under 50; a result must be no more than 24 months old on the first day of class. Related volunteer work or part-time employment in a social service setting, or with older adults, is strongly encouraged but is not an admission requirement. Sheridan's placement agencies may ask for a criminal-offence police record check, a vulnerable sector screen and proof of current immunisation; you supply that documentation to the placement before it begins and at your own expense, and students who cannot may find their placement options limited.
Application Details
Start Date:Sheridan runs three terms a year - Fall starting in September, Winter in January and Spring/Summer in May. For 2026-27 the Fall term ran 8 September to 18 December 2026, Winter runs 6 January to 16 April 2027, and Spring/Summer runs 3 May to 13 August 2027. On 6 September 2026 this program's own page listed September 2026 and January 2027 intakes at both the Davis Campus in Brampton and the Trafalgar Campus in Oakville, plus a May 2027 intake at Davis. Sheridan's Start date table also carries a separate Domestic and International status for each intake (Available, Waitlisted or Closed) that changes as seats fill, so check this program's page on sheridancollege.ca before you apply.
Application Deadline:Sheridan publishes no deadline of its own for this program; the dates below are the college-wide ones. DOMESTIC APPLICANTS (Canadian citizens and permanent residents) apply through ontariocolleges.ca, which opened the Fall 2027 application on 26 September 2026 - Sheridan says it starts receiving those applications in early October for the academic year that follows. The equal consideration date is 1 February: apply on or before it and your file is weighed alongside every other one received by then for a Fall-term start, so for the cycle now open that means 1 February 2027 for entry in September 2027. Sheridan still accepts applications after that date wherever a program has not filled, but they are handled in the order they arrive, which leaves little room in high-demand programs. First offers for a September start may go out from 1 November; programs that require a portfolio, audition or resume begin issuing decisions later in March, and offers for the Winter and Spring/Summer intakes are made on a rolling basis. Confirm a Fall offer at ontariocolleges.ca by 1 May, or by the date printed on an offer issued after that, then pay the tuition deposit three months before the term begins. INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS apply instead through Sheridan's own International Application Portal, and Sheridan publishes no deadline for them - its Important Dates table carries only a note that the international dates are still to be posted. What limits an international application in practice is space: Sheridan tells international applicants to check that a program still has room before applying, and every program page shows a separate International status for each intake. Apply as early as you can and leave time for a study permit. Confirm the current dates at sheridancollege.ca and ontariocolleges.ca before you apply.
