NC State’s School of Social Work: Same Excellent Program, New Name

NC State’s Department of Social Work has changed its name: effective April 28, 2020, it is the School of Social Work. 

“We view this name change as a step forward in the continued professional recognition of Social Work’s outstanding reputation,” says Jeff Braden, dean of NC State’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The change was approved by the UNC System, Board of Trustees, the provost and the dean, and with the unanimous support of the social work faculty at NC State. 

“We are thrilled and delighted with our new name,” says Karen Bullock, who has led Social Work as head since 2013. “The nomenclature aligns our academic unit’s reputation and the success of our professional degree programs with our peer institutions.” 

NC State’s Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program is among the earliest accredited BSW programs in the United States. Social Work became a distinct department in 2003 and launched its master’s program — the MSW — in 2005. As with schools of law and architecture, prestigious professional programs in social work are more commonly referred to as schools than as departments. 

U.S.News and World Report ranks NC State’s MSW program among the top 100 social work graduate programs in the country. “We wanted to align our name more appropriately with our established and growing reputation,” says Bullock.