About the School of Social Work
Purpose. Practice. Impact.
About
The Boston College School of Social Work (BCSSW) educates students to address the world’s most pressing social problems in innovative and effective ways. We collaborate with communities embedded in social dilemmas to design enduring solutions.
Grounded in the ideals that inspired our Jesuit founders, Boston College urges students to look inward but always to reach out—to develop their minds and talents to the fullest and use them in service to others.
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Assistant Professor Carolina Vélez-Grau meets with students in her office
#8
Nationally ranked by U.S. News and World Report (2024)— #1 in New England
1,000+
Field agency partners where you receive hands-on training and mentorship
11k+
Social work alumni who have graduated from the BC Master of Social Work program
Grounded in values. Focused on impact.
Our Mission
The mission of the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at the Boston College School of Social Work (BCSSW) is to prepare specialized social work practitioners who promote individual and societal well-being as agents of change, using a person-in-environment approach through a curriculum that meets the evolving demands of practice.
Rooted in our Jesuit, Catholic, and social work values, we emphasize human flourishing, service, and accompaniment—walking alongside others in solidarity, with compassion, humility, and respect for each person’s inherent dignity. We are committed to educating students of diverse faiths and cultures who will be effective and competent promoters of human rights and social, racial, environmental, and economic justice locally and globally.
Students learn to foster community, build authentic connections, and accompany those at the margins to create change. BCSSW equips students with the skills to practice with integrity and cultural humility, integrating theory, practice, and research through the understanding that scientific inquiry informs our work with all client systems.
Dean's Impact Reports
The Gateway Initiative: Mobilizing Community Change
The Boston College School of Social Work partners with nonprofits and organizations in the City of Lawrence through agency and community-led projects, field placements, and a fellowship program to enhance the quality of life. The Gateway Initiative is dedicated to building
capacity across Massachusetts’ 26 Gateway Cities.
Tackling Complex Global Challenges: Our Collective Response
Humanitarian crises are increasingly an outcome of complex emergencies. Millions of families, women, and children are affected and displaced by war, civil strife, climate and environmental risk, famine, and epidemics around the globe, including those arriving on the doorstep of the U.S. border.
Serving Latinx Communities: Our Collective Response
The demand for social workers trained to respond to the needs and aspirations identified by Latinx communities, from culturally and linguistically appropriate social services to accessible mental health and healthcare, is urgent. Through award-winning academic programs and research, the BCSSW has established a community-centered approach to meet these aspirations and needs.
Crisis Migration: Our Collective Response
Ten faculty members in the Boston College School of Social Work are working to address the compound needs of migrants who have been forced to flee their homes because of war, natural disasters, political upheaval, and other problems around the world.
Leading social work into the future
Dean's Message
"Engaging in place-based work and transcending disciplines to tackle complex social problems amplifies and strengthens the contributions of the School of Social Work. When we are in partnership with communities and with scholars from across our universities, our work not only has translational impact, but solutions to the world’s most complex problems are within closer reach." -Dean Gautam N. Yadama
Initiatives with Impact
Latinx Leadership Initiative (LLI)
The LLI develops leaders equipped to work with the Latinx community to build sustainable solutions to complex problems.
Black Leadership Initiative
This initiative supports, develops, and prepares MSW-level practitioners regarding issues faced by the Black community.
Trauma Integration Initiative
This initiative aims to establish BCSSW as a national thought leader in trauma-informed social work education across three domains: curricula, field education/student formation, and research.
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Turn Your Purpose Into Action
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