About the School
The
Social Work Program was established in 1972, when the
University began offering academic programs. The School
offers undergraduate and graduate programs leading to the
Bachelors (BSSW) and Masters (MSW) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
degrees in Social Work. The BSSW program was one of the first degree
program offerings in the University and has been accredited since July, 1974, by the Council on
Social Work Education (CSWE). The MSW degree program has
been offered since August, 1981 and and received full
accreditation status from CSWE in April, 1986. The School
is located on the University Park Campus and has
offices on the Biscayne Bay Campus and at the Pines
Center.
- The School of Social Work offers programs of
professional study which prepares graduates to work
effectively in complex human service organizations.
These organizations may be located in governmental
or voluntary settings, in community,
regional, state, and national systems. Emphasis is
placed on achieving a comprehensive, developmental,
and community oriented understanding of problems,
issues, alternatives, and needs of an urban society
faced with rapidly changing social, political,
economic, and cultural conditions.
Dr. Paul H. Stuart is Professor and Director of
the School of Social Work. Faculty members are
recruited from prominent universities both
nationally and internationally and bring excellence
and diversity to teaching and research in the
School. Faculty members are involved in a wide range
of community projects. These include but are not
limited to projects involving the FIU-Department of
Children and Families Professional Development
Center, the Community Based Intervention Research
Group (C-BIRG), the Latino Drug Abuse Research
Center (LDARC), the Latino HIV Behavioral Science
Center (LHIVBSC), and the Institute for Children and
Families at Risk and the South East Florida Center
on Aging, as well as many other research centers and
groups throughout the South Florida region.
The graduate faculty was ranked fourth in the nation
in faculty scholarly productivity by Academic
Analytics, as reported in the November 16, 2007,
issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education (-
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The social work profession is concerned with
preventing and ameliorating social problems and
enhancing the quality of human life. Professional
practice focuses on the transactions between people
and their environments that affect their ability to
accomplish life tasks, alleviate distress, and
realize individual and collective aspirations.
Central to the profession is the belief in the
dignity and worth of each person. It requires a high
degree of knowledge, skill, dedication, and
scientific understanding of society and human
behavior, social work practice skills, and
identification with the values of the profession.
FIU's School of Social Work prepares students for a
career in this rewarding profession.