With more than 120 years of accomplishment behind us and our eyes fixed firmly on the future, the Columbia School of Social Work seeks to maximize human well-being and ensure that all can reach their full potential. Cutting-edge education, rigorous research, and an abiding dedication to social justice form the pillars supporting all that we do.
Our Master of Science in Social Work program is rooted in the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a curriculum that uses a power, race, oppression, and privilege (PROP) framework to understand and address racial, social, and health inequities.
CSSW students, faculty, and staff commit themselves to eradicating injustice, alleviating suffering, combating racism, rectifying systemic barriers, and promoting fair access to opportunity in all sectors and strata of society.
About Our CSWE-Accredited MS in Social Work
The Master of Science in Social Work from the Columbia School of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Our program meets the organization’s standards for performance, integrity, and quality, and it embodies the following core competencies:
- Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
- Engage anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in practice.
- Advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
- Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
- Engage in policy practice.
- Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mission Statement
At the Columbia School of Social Work, we believe that systems of racial oppression that impact our engagement across all sectors of society must be studied and challenged in order to dismantle these systems and address inequities across social identities. We are committed to centering race in our pursuit of social justice and anti-oppressive practice.
We view this as a guiding principle for our community–using a power, race, oppression, and privilege (PROP) framework across our curriculum, administrative practices, operations, and personal interactions.
Through the PROP lens, we aim to foster brave spaces where students, faculty, and staff can engage in critically analyzing and addressing institutionalized racism, multi-systemic inequities, and various forms of oppression, thus creating an environment where diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the center of our research, scholarship, and all interactions with individuals, organizations, and communities that we serve.