Social Work

This is the first version of the 2025–26 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.

Undergraduate major: social work (BA)

Undergraduate minor: social work

Graduate degrees: MSW; PhD in social work

Faculty: https://socialwork.uiowa.edu/people

Website: https://socialwork.uiowa.edu/

The School of Social Work’s mission is to develop culturally responsive practitioners, scholars, researchers, and leaders to create a more just society. The school operates from strengths-based perspectives and systems perspectives. It educates its graduates to be culturally competent scholars and practitioners who are committed to social justice and social work values and ethics, and who are prepared to serve in and have a positive impact on a broad range of family-centered and community-based practice settings throughout the State of Iowa and beyond.

The school provides a program of professional training accredited by the Council on Social Work Education at the baccalaureate and master's degree levels, aimed at developing effective intervention in multiple systems and using professional social work values and ethics. It also offers a PhD program, which prepares students to conduct research that contributes to the knowledge base of social work, to be leaders in setting policy and practice, and to teach in colleges and universities. In addition, the School of Social Work administers the following programs.

Minor and Certificates

Aging and Longevity Studies

The School of Social Work administers the undergraduate minor and graduate certificate in aging and longevity studies; see Aging and Longevity Studies in the catalog.

Critical Cultural Competence

The School of Social Work administers the undergraduate certificate in critical cultural competence; see the Certificate in Critical Cultural Competence in the catalog.

Resilience and Trauma-Informed Perspectives

The undergraduate certificate in resilience and trauma-informed perspectives is administered by the School of Social Work; see the Certificate in Resilience and Trauma-Informed Perspectives in the catalog.

Continuing Education

Nondegree students may enroll in selected courses. Students who later enroll in a degree program may be able to apply a limited amount of their nondegree work toward their degree requirements; applicable credit is determined by the School of Social Work.