Through education, research, and community engagement, the College of Social Work advances the transformation of policies, practice, and interventions to alleviate human suffering, enhance well-being, and promote social justice.
The University of Utah College of Social Work, established in 1937, is a leader in social work education in the Intermountain West. The College offers students an inclusive and challenging learning environment where students are encouraged to collaborate with faculty, peers, and community partners in analyzing and resolving critical social problems.
The University of Utah baccalaureate and master’s programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Accreditation represents a framework for ensuring educational institutions meet established performance, integrity, and quality standards. Our BSW and MSW programs adopt a competency-based approach based on the 2022 Educational Policy Accreditation Standards (EPAS) established by CSWE. The competencies required for accreditation are:
The College of Social Work commits to the long-term work of anti-racism; that is, recognizing and dismantling racism and interrelated oppressions in its curriculum, programs, organizational practices, processes, and outcomes. Anti-racist social work education supports us in doing the important work of reshaping social work practice, programs, and policies for a society of equal opportunity and belonging. It explicitly highlights, critiques, and challenges all forms of racism—individual, interpersonal, institutional, and structural—by addressing how racist beliefs and ideologies structure lived experiences, personal and professional relationships, education and employment opportunities, and physical and emotional health. It also examines and challenges how programs and institutions such as education, health care, housing, food access, justice, and social provisioning, among others, support and maintain disadvantages and advantages along racial lines. We engage in the work of anti-racism to prepare social workers who will contribute to building a just and peaceful society.
The University of Utah has both historical and contemporary relationships with Indigenous Peoples. Given that the Salt Lake Valley has always been a gathering place for Indigenous Peoples, we acknowledge that this land, which is named for the Ute Tribe, is the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute, and Ute Tribes and is a crossroad for Indigenous Peoples. The University of Utah recognizes the enduring relationships between many Indigenous Peoples and their traditional homelands. We are grateful for the territory upon which we gather today; we respect Utah’s Indigenous Peoples, the original stewards of this land; and we value the sovereign relationships that exist between tribal governments, state governments, and the federal government. Today, approximately 60,000 American Indian and Alaska Native peoples live in Utah. As a state institution, the University of Utah is committed to serving Native communities throughout Utah in partnership with Native Nations and our Urban Indian communities through research, education, and community outreach activities.
When a lodgepole pine tree burns, it’s hard to see anything but devastation in its brittle, blackened bark. A burnt forest can feel cold, isolating … even hopeless. But the fire that seemingly ripped apart the landscape also offers new opportunities. The heat of the fire opens up the rigid lodgepole pinecones, enabling new seeds the freedom to take root. The flames clear the ground of old brush, offering room to tender grasses and flowers, and revealing previously obscured pathways. Once the smoke clears, we navigate with fresh purpose and find new growth is already at work.
When you really dig down past the challenges, social work is a profession deeply rooted in optimism and hope.
In nearly every student application to our programs, we see reference to this optimism. Powerful and moving stories of lived experiences illuminate the motivations behind the choice of career. Our students feel a drive to help everyone—regardless of background—feel a sense of value and belonging. They tell us they want to help empower others, and to provide comfort and support during a person’s bleakest, most difficult hours. They bring their own energy and unique perspectives that help renew the focus of the profession with each graduating class. Below the surface, social workers are planting seeds for the future.
Social workers embark on this profession not for the rich altruistic rewards, but because they firmly, stubbornly believe an investment in themselves and others can grow lush, thriving communities. We hold tight to the values and ethics of our profession, which charge us with recognizing and honoring the dignity and worth of each person. Social workers know each new seed of kindness and hope planted in a community can spread like wildflowers.
Together, we will continue to cultivate a stronger, more sustainable, more dynamic ecosystem of caring and compassion.
Philip Osteen, PhD, MSW
Dean
The College of Social Work develops social work leaders to promote social justice and behavioral health in all communities. Health and justice includes sociocultural, economic, sovereign nation, psychological, spiritual, environmental, political, and biological dimensions. To achieve these aims, we provide rigorous education with a focus on people from all backgrounds and vulnerable populations, social justice initiatives, and interdisciplinary collaboration. We collaborate with community partners to develop, implement, optimize, and evaluate evidence-based approaches to practice and policy. Our students study and apply critically-appraised research, theories of practice, behavioral health interventions, models of community practice, innovative research methods, and policy analyses that prepare them to lead locally and globally. Our faculty and research staff engage in a research-to-practice model integrating advances in service delivery informed by translational research. Through federal, state, and foundation grant funding, the College’s research activities produce and disseminate knowledge to improve individual and societal well-being.
