The mission of The Silver School of Social Work at New York University is to educate professionals for social work practice with individuals, families, groups and communities and to provide leadership in the development of knowledge relevant to social work practice in a complex urban environment.
The School seeks to fulfill its mission by building and transmitting knowledge that will help to alleviate human suffering, enhance the vitality and caring capacity of communities, and promote the ideals of a humane and just world.
The School is committed to the core social work values of: belief in the dignity and worth of all individuals; the centrality and power of caring human relationships; a commitment to social and economic justice that includes freedom from all forms of oppression and access to social goods; and a dedication to practicing with integrity and the highest level of competence.
The Bachelor of Science in Social Work provides students with the knowledge, skills, and ethical standards necessary for beginning social work practice. The BS program is a liberal arts program emphasizing human rights, social justice and advocacy, which establishes the foundation graduates need to effectively address the social problems of today’s world.
The Master in Social Work educates professionals for the pursuit of social justice with an emphasis on direct social work practice that aims to improve bio-psycho-social functioning through helping relationships. Dedicated to excellence in integrating teaching and learning in both classroom and community contexts, the MSW program prepares its graduates to apply critical thinking, research-based knowledge and practice wisdom to restore, maintain, and enhance the functioning and well-being of individuals, families and communities, and promote effective and equitable social policies and social services.
The Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Social Work prepares its graduates to be the intellectual leaders of the social work profession. Students in the PhD program learn to engage in practice-based research and the development of theories relevant to practice, to disseminate new knowledge through professional writing and speaking, and to educate future generations of social workers.
The School is committed to the education of its students in collaboration with community partners and the advancement of the social work profession through the scholarly contributions of its faculty.
About Us
The Silver School of Social Work at New York University, founded in 1960, is among the nation's leading institutions for the education of professional social workers. The School offers accredited programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels, and serves as a major postgraduate training center for hundreds of practitioners in the New York region. The School's Master of Social Work (MSW) program is distinguished for its focus on clinical social work, and for the education of relationship-centered, reflective practitioners. The School has developed unique educational partnerships with over 500 public and non-profit agencies throughout the tri-state area. Students at the School of Social Work collectively provide more than one half-million hours of service each year through their field placements and volunteer work. The School's faculty are involved in an extraordinary range of scholarly research initiatives, work intensively with government and community-based agencies, and play key roles in major social work journals.
On the School's main Washington Square campus, faculty and administrative offices are centrally housed in three historic town houses bordering the famous Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The School's MSW program is also available on the campuses of St. Thomas Aquinas College in Rockland County, New York; the College of Staten Island; and Sarah Lawrence College in Westchester County, New York.