History

Picture of the entrance at Howley Hall.

The program in Social Work at Providence College began in the early 1970s with a few social work course offerings in the Department of Sociology. Departmental status was granted to Social Work in 1982.

The Program was first accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the organization authorized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation to accredit undergraduate and graduate level social work professional education programs in the United States, in 1976 and has been continuously accredited since that time. The program at Providence College was the first undergraduate social work program in Rhode Island to receive national accreditation.

The program’s accreditation by CSWE was reaffirmed recently (2020) for a full eight-year cycle.