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About

We are all about people: supporting, empowering, protecting and strengthening our community’s children and our elders. We’re committed to preparing the next generation of social workers with the skills, knowledge and values they need to  improve the lives of others. 

Our Mission

The mission of the School of Social Work at NC State University is to prepare students for practice that addresses social, economic, cultural, demographic, and political changes affecting individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations. Through teaching, advising, research, and scholarship, the school emphasizes:

  • Professional ethics
  • Social justice
  • Diversity
  • Community engagement

We offer a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), a Master in Social Work (MSW) and an undergraduate minor in Social Work.

Our Past Prepares You for the Future

Ours is a proud history: begun more than 30 years ago, our bachelor of social work program is among the earliest accredited BSW programs in the United States. More recently, we added an undergraduate minor in social work. Our Master of Social Work (MSW) program began accepting students in 2005; we introduced an Advanced Standing MSW sequence for students with a BSW in 2010. 

Humanities and Social Sciences at NC State

The School of Social Work is housed in NC State’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the second -largest college in the university. Our renowned social work faculty span a range of disciplines, including communication studies, English, foreign languages and literatures, history, philosophy, public and international affairs, sociology and anthropology. 

A World-Leading University at the Hub of Innovation

NC State, the largest university in North Carolina, is a national best value for its signature combination of academic excellence and affordability. NC State is located in Raleigh, the state capital, which is one of the three cities anchoring North Carolina’s world-famous Research Triangle region. Raleigh and the surrounding area – a few hours’ drive from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west and the Atlantic Ocean beaches to the east – are consistently rated among the best places to live and work in the United States by Forbes and Money magazines. 

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Diversity and Inclusion

Our students, faculty and staff are diverse in backgrounds and experiences. The School of Social Work is committed to incorporating diversity in teaching, research and service learning. 

We welcome students from diverse backgrounds to apply. Diversity enriches our educational programs and promotes social responsibility. We uphold the rights of students from different cultures and with different abilities to participate in our programs. We adhere to the National Association of Social Workers' (NASW) Code of Ethics that states:

"Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status and mental or physical disability. Social workers should act to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of, and discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability."

Program Assessment

We engage in continuous and systematic planning, in keeping with the standards and expectations of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Policy and Accreditation Standards for Program Evaluation. We ensure that all updates, changes and improvements to the academic programs are evidenced based, data are collected, analyzed and aggregated to adjust for trends and the recommendations of constituents; those being students, alumni, faculty and advisory board members. We perform at least one level of data analysis and, when necessary, program changes, each year. We pay particular attention to student learning outcomes, as well as program outcomes.

We assess student learning outcomes at the respective program levels each semester. At the end of each academic year, we distribute an assessment survey to students to gather data about their classroom and field education experiences. We collect and analyze these data to measure identified outcomes and associations. Our advisory board conducts annual review and analysis of student surveys about specific aspects of the respective programs. In the future, assessments will be conducted with alumni to obtain critical feedback about their post-graduate preparation, experiences and opportunity for employment and practice advancement. We share our assessment findings with faculty, staff, advisory board members and students either through direct distribution and/or through our website.

View BSW Assessment of Student Outcomes

View MSW Assessment of Student Outcomes

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