Thank you for connecting with the Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University. For over 100 years, we have been training and developing professional social workers with the knowledge and skills to make a positive impact in their communities. Our graduates are leading large social service organizations, providing direct clinical counseling and therapy in agency and private practice settings, transforming educational systems as school social workers, developing policy and legislation to improve the lives of marginalized communities, and conducting cutting-edge research as faculty scholars in social work programs around the nation.
As a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited program since 1928, we have been creating opportunities for our BSW, MSW, and PhD students to thrive in and out of the classroom. Our nationally and internationally renowned faculty are collaborating with students on research projects and innovative experiential learning opportunities. The Office of Practice Education is placing students in cutting-edge learning environments where our students get hands-on experiences and learn to apply social work competencies in real-world settings. Our student organizations are helping our students to build a sense of community and connection while implementing service projects on campus and in the community.
Equipped with an Afrocentric perspective, our graduates leave the Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work ready to make an immediate impact in their chosen area of practice.
Ready to start your journey? Take a moment to learn more about your program of interest by reviewing content on the website. Reach out to the Program Director of your prospective program or email socialwork@cau.edu and we will direct you to the appropriate contact.
Looking forward to meeting you on campus or virtually soon!
Dean Jackson
Founded in 1920, the Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work is the nation’s first accredited school of social work at a historically black college or university (HBCU), and the first to be accredited in the State of Georgia. The school is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and has maintained its accreditation since 1952.
The School utilizes an Afrocentric, autonomous social work practice model to prepare culturally competent practitioners capable of intervening and working with systems of all sizes and resolving problems that particularly affect African American children, families, and males within the context of family and community.
The curriculum is built on a liberal arts base and is guided by humanistic values. Graduates are prepared to recognize and impact social and economic injustice issues at the local, regional, national, and international levels.
Whitney Moore Young Jr. was a noted civil rights pioneer, social worker and statesman who served as the first dean of the School of Social Work at Atlanta University, now known as Clark Atlanta University (CAU).
Young was one of the organizers of the historic March on Washington (1963) as well as an important advisor to U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon. He pushed for federal aid to cities, proposing a domestic “Marshall Plan” and was widely recognized as the coauthor of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. He served as Executive Director of the National Urban League (1961-1971), president of the National Conference on Social Welfare in 1965 and president of NASW in 1969.
At the age of 33 Young was named Dean of the School of Social Work at Atlanta University. He was the first to hold the title of dean in the school’s history and served from 1954 to 1961. During his tenure as dean, Young supported alumni in their boycott of the Georgia Conference of Social Welfare, which had a poor record of placing African Americans in good jobs. At the same time, he joined the NAACP and rose to become its state president. Young also played a lead role in getting CSWE to adopt an accreditation standard on non-discrimination.
Born in Kentucky in 1921. Young earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Kentucky State University. From 1942-1944, while serving in the U.S. Army, he studied electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After his discharge from the military, Young returned from overseas and went on to earn his MSW from the University of Minnesota. He then began to work with the Urban League in Minnesota, later became executive secretary of the Urban League in Omaha, Nebraska. During his ten-year tenure as Executive Director of the National Urban League (1961-1971), Young transformed the organization into a leader in the civil rights movement.
Throughout his career, Young received many honorary degrees and awards —including the Medal of Freedom (1969), presented by President Lyndon Johnson—for his outstanding civil rights accomplishments. A prominent lecturer and author of several books, Young completed his first full-length book, “To Be Equal,” in 1964. A second, “Beyond Racism,” was published in 1969. Young was also honored in 1981 by the United States Postal Service on a postage stamp issued as part of its ongoing Black Heritage series.
In 2000, Clark Atlanta University renamed its school of social work after Young in honor of his years of service to the university and to the social work profession.
The Afrocentric Perspective is a culturally grounded social work practice-based model that affirms, codifies, and integrates common cultural experiences, values, and interpretations that cut across people of African descent.
The Perspective encompasses the intersectionality of race, and other societal factors such as gender, ethnicity, social class, ability status and sexual orientation. Further, the Perspective acknowledges African cultural resiliency as a foundation to help social work practitioners solve pressing social problems that diminish human potential and preclude positive social change.
Thus, Afrocentric social work practice as a pedagogy imbedded within the Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work Programs, endeavors to prepare our students to address specific psychological, social, spiritual, and economic problems experienced by people of African descent and to address problems confronted by all people.
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) requires all programs to measure and report student learning outcomes. Students are assessed on their mastery of the practice behaviors that represent competencies that comprise the accreditation standards of the Council on Social Work Education. These competencies are dimensions of social work practice which all social workers are expected to acquire during their professional training.
Institutional Public Disclosure Statement
Clark Atlanta University offers several programs that prepare students for occupations requiring State licensure. While program curricula often meet the requirements of states outside of Georgia, statutes and regulations about licensure vary widely.
Students should understand that educational requirements are just one part of licensure or certification in a profession. Applicants are often required to demonstrate passage of national exams, have applicable work or clinical experience, complete background checks, and pay required fees, etc. Each state board, department, or agency has the ultimate authority and discretion to determine whether professional licensure or certification will be issued.
Use the link below to review licensure requirements for specific programs.
School of Social Work
Come explore life at CAU! Join us for a day of campus tours, student panels, academic sessions, and admissions info. 🎟️ Registration is Required 👉 Secure your spot today by
Join us in celebrating a proud tradition of excellence at the Annual Hooding Ceremony for the Clark Atlanta University School of Social Work, home to The Whitney M. Young Jr. School of Social Work – Georgia’s pioneering institution in the field. Established as the first school of social work in the state, we have been shaping compassionate and dedicated social work professionals for generations.
The Hooding Ceremony symbolizes the transition from student to professional, as each graduate is adorned with their academic hood, a traditional rite of passage signifying their readiness to embark on a meaningful career in social work.