I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of our faculty and staff, to welcome you to the website for FAU's School of Social Work. I am happy to report that our BSW and MSW programs were re-accredited by the Council on Social Work Education in 2007. Whether you are considering a new career in social work or continuing in your chosen profession, you are entering into study at a time when there are many urgent social problems facing our country and the global world: poverty, human rights violations, social exclusion, child abuse and neglect, family violence, alcohol and drug addictions, mental illness, crime, barriers to heath care, underfunded schools and social welfare programs, and unemployment. The field of professional social work is one of the top twenty growing careers in the nation (U.S. News & World Report, October 1998). Graduate-level trained social workers provide more mental health services than psychologists, psychiatrists, or any other mental health profession in the United States. Further, with the sweeping reforms in social services and health care, social workers are needed in leadership roles. In 1998, social workers held approximately 585,000 jobs (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1999). About four out of ten jobs were in state, county, or municipal government agencies, primarily in departments of health, social services, child welfare, housing, education, and corrections. As social services are privatized, more jobs are likely to shift to the private sector, where professional education and licensure are particularly important. Employment outlook for social workers is expected to increase faster than average for all occupations through the year 2006 (US News & World Report, October 1998). To help meet these demands in south Florida and beyond, the School of Social Work offers two programs of study, one leading to a Bachelor of Social Work the other leading to a Master of Social Work. This website provides detailed information on each of these programs, as well as other continuing education courses and other information for our alumni and the social work community.

Please feel free to contact me or any of my colleagues at the School of Social Work if you have any questions.

Thank you.

Dr. Michele Hawkins
Professor and Director
School of Social Work