Social Work Program
"Social Work. Help Starts Here"

Mission Statement

Social Work Program Mission Statement

The mission of Shaw University’s baccalaureate Social Work Program is to prepare and graduate competent and principled social work majors at the generalist practice, entry level of the profession for service, advocacy, and leadership, and to prepare students for successful graduate education.

Grounded in a general liberal arts background, the Shaw University Social Work Program equips students with a solid and integrated education with a foundation in social work theories, knowledge, ethics, values, and skills and provides students with a supervised, direct field practice experience. The Shaw University Social Work Program graduates work within a wide variety of social work and social welfare agencies and settings and with systems at all levels.

As an integral part of one of the oldest historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States, the Shaw University Social Work Program emphasizes developing competent baccalaureate social workers with skills for making contributions to address such areas as social and economic justice, societal barriers and disparities, and improving the quality of life for all people, with a focus on oppressed and disadvantaged persons. The University’s Social Work Program’s areas of emphasis include self, client, and community empowerment; personal and societal responsibility; understanding, recognition and respect for persons of all orientations, cultures, racial, and ethnic groups. The Shaw University Social Work Program expects its students to acquire the skills to be effective client advocates and to advance social and economic justice particularly among traditionally recognized populations-at-risk.

The Shaw University Social Work Program believes that all persons have the potential to individually change and improve their lives and to collectively contribute to societal improvements across a continuum, from local to global communities. To this end, the Shaw University Social Work Program expects its students to exercise skills across a range of professional social work roles to bring about planned change.