Mission
Tulane School of Social Work's mission is to enhance the well-being and equitable treatment of diverse individuals and communities through transformative education, generation of knowledge, service and community engagement.
Vision
TSSW strives to build innovative, world-class graduate programs through cutting-edge research and training future leaders to provide evidence-informed, interdisciplinary practice locally and globally that advances the behavioral health and health needs of individuals, families and communities.
History
The Southern School of Social Sciences and Public Services was the first training program for social workers in the Southern United States. Under the sponsorship of the Kingsley Settlement House, a group of Tulane social science faculty offered the first classes in social welfare in 1914. Sponsored by grants from the American Red Cross, a formal one-year program was implemented in 1921. By 1927, with funding from a Rockefeller grant, the school became a separate program with a two-year curriculum qualifying students for the Master of Arts. In 1935, the University established the degree of Master of Social Work.
Tulane School of Social Work was the first School within Tulane to have a woman Dean, Dr. Elizabeth Wisner, who held the position from 1939-1958.
The most diverse School within Tulane University, the School of Social Work was the first division of Tulane to admit African American students in the 1962-63 academic year and the first School to appoint African American faculty.
In March of 2009, Tulane established the Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy (DRLA) through a grant from the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. The grant was written by Dr. Charles Figley, Dr. Nancy Mock, and Mr. Ky Luu, and supported by Dr. Eamon Kelly and former Dean Ron Marks. In 2013, DRLA was transferred to Tulane School of Social Work. DRLA welcomes its first online MS-DRL cohort in Fall 2025.
The School has awarded the Master of Social Work degree to more than 6,000 students from all 50 of the United States and more than 30 other countries.
Since 1927, the first year of national accreditation for social work education, Tulane School of Social Work has maintained full accreditation status.
TSSW is a charter member of the Council on Social Work Education, which is the standard-setting and accreditation body in the field of social work education. It is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). TSSW was recently awarded accreditation of the Master of Social Work Degree program for the full eight-year cycle with no contingencies.
