Research

Research represents the lifeblood of everything Boston College Graduate School of Social Work does. We approach social welfare and social work with the same intellectual rigor with which medical schools pioneer new stroke treatments, physicists explore the fabric of the universe, and business schools analyze best practices in investment finance.

We bridge theory and practice by systematically testing ideas and methods in research settings and translating the results into the field. This empirical approach enriches our academic programs and advances social policy and practice.

Our wide-ranging research appears in a variety of academic publications and makes headlines in mainstream media outlets.

Our research centers and institutes are renowned for conducting groundbreaking work and providing critical services. See our most recent research news stories in our News & Events section.

Immigrant Integration Lab

The The Immigrant Integration Lab (IIL) is an applied research lab exploring the intersection of social work, social policy, and immigrant inclusion. IIL is committed to social justice, working toward the well-being of immigrants by pursuing a rigorous academic approach that seeks to understand the appropriate services and delivery systems that lead to full social, civic, and economic integration of the foreign born in the United States.

Center for Social Innovation

The Center for Social Innovation promotes "innovation from within." Our mission is to foster effective, sustainable social innovations that enhance social justice. We strive to build capacity  within the social sector by preparing tomorrow's social service leaders, promoting the capacity of existing social service agencies to respond to current and future social issues, and building the evidence-base for social innovation.

National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services

The National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services (NRCPDS) assists states, agencies, and organizations in offering participant-directed services to people with disabilities. Participant-directed services promote independence by helping participants decide for themselves what mix of personal-assistance supports and services best fits their needs. NRCPDS is the only national resource that performs this function. We provide national leadership, technical assistance, training, education, and research that improve the lives of people of all ages with disabilities.

Sloan Center on Aging & Work

The Sloan Center on Aging & Work focuses its research on one of the defining issues of the 21st century, to help the business community promote workplace flexibility and prepare for the opportunities and challenges associated with an aging workforce.

Work and Family Researchers Network

The Work and Family Researchers Network (WFRN) is an international membership organization of interdisciplinary work and family researchers. The WFRN welcomes the participation of policy makers and practitioners as it seeks to promote knowledge and understanding of work and family issues among the community of global stakeholders.

Institute on Aging

The Institute on Aging is headed by James Lubben, the Louise McMahon Ahearn Professor of the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. Lubben is a leading scholar in social gerontology with an active research agenda examining social support networks among older populations. He is also the National Director of the Hartford Doctoral Fellows Program in Geriatric Social Work.

The Institute on Aging provides an integrated framework for fundraising, research, teaching, and knowledge dissemination for three aging research centers at Boston College, two of them housed at the GSSW: the Sloan Center on Aging and Work and the Center for the Study of Home and Community Life, as well as the Carroll School of Management's Center for Retirement Research.