School of Social Work

College of Health

Take Action with Social Work

School of Social Work

Mailing Address
Cleveland State University College of Health/School of Social Work
2121 Euclid Avenue, RT 1417
Cleveland, OH 44115

Campus Location
Rhodes Tower, Room 1417
Phone: (216) 687-3520
bsw@csuohio.edu

msw@csuohio.edu

Why study Social Work at CSU?

Social work is a profession dedicated to helping people enhance their well-being, overcome barriers, advocate for the rights of the people we work with, and create lasting, positive change in communities. At Cleveland State University's School of Social Work, you learn how become a social worker who makes a difference. You get to define the difference you want to make across a nearly unlimited number of professional areas - behavioral health, alcohol/drug addiction, community mental health, child welfare, early childhood development, developmental disabilities, senior care, school-based, healthcare/hospital care, victim assistance, residential care, mental health clinical care, crisis/suicide assistance, and hospice/palliative care, among others. You can help individuals, families, or groups across your community as a licensed social worker and can advocate to make the changes needed at practice and/or policy levels.

CSU School of Social Work Highlights

Both the BSW and MSW Programs are accredited as in-person and online programs by the Council on Social Work Education. Students can complete their degrees fully online.
Certificates are available for students in Chemical Dependency, Gerontology, and Veterinary Social Work.
CSU has the nation’s only National Association of Social Workers-authorized Student Club.
The School’s University Partnership Program (UPP) a Title IV-E Child Welfare Program provides special opportunities for students interested in public child welfare
Many social work students receive a substance abuse certificate in addition to their degree.
More than three hundred social service agencies in Cleveland and northeast Ohio region provide internship opportunities to social work students.

Faculty Highlights:

Social work faculty are highly productive scholars, publishing books, multiple research articles, and recipients of grants to fund their research.

Two of the School's faculty members - Dr. Aviva Vincent, Assistant Professor, & Lisa Wiborg, Adjunct Professor, were named NASW Ohio's 2024 Regional Social Worker of the Year. Dr. Vincent for Region 2 and Lisa Wiborg for Region 3, and more details are found here: https://www.naswoh.org/page/2024winners
Two faculty members received Cleveland State University's Distinguished Faculty Award for Research.
Faculty members have been awarded the 2018 Ohio NASW Social Worker of the Year (Dr. Larry Foster) and the 2022 Ohio NASW Outstanding Service to the Profession Award (Dr. Mike Dover). Four of our alumni have been recently recognized by the Ohio National Association of Social Workers for Region Three: the 2022 Emerging Leader Award (Phillip Emerson), the 2023 Emerging Leader Award (Gabrielle Fowlkes), the 2022 Student of the Year Award (Jeff Goad), the 2023 Student of the Year Award (Karla Fitch). Emeritus Professor, Dr. Edward A. McKinney, was inducted into the 2022 Ohio Department of Aging “Senior Citizens Hall of Fame”, see: https://aging.ohio.gov/see-news-and-events/ohio-senior-citizens-hall-of-fame/inductees-ohio-senior-citizen-hall-of-fame-2022).
Three faculty members serve in leadership roles for national organizations.
The Cuyahoga Conference on Social Welfare, now in its 11th year, was instituted by School of Social Work Faculty.

*Cleveland State University’s Master of Social Work Program is ranked among the Best Graduate Schools by U.S. News & World Report. In 2019, The Master of Social Work Program and Baccalaureate Social Work programs have been reaffirmed for accreditation for the next eight years by the Council on Social Work Education Commission on Accreditation.

msw@csuohio.edu