UNC's School of Social Work ranks fourth among programs at public universities in the latest US News & World Report survey and seventh overall among 146 schools of social work nationwide. The school prepares students for careers in strengthening families and communities through public and nonprofit settings, develops and tests knowledge related to social work, and provides leadership in addressing social problems.

The school, which enrolls more than 300 master's and doctoral students, has an eighty-year tradition of serving the people of North Carolina. During each academic year, master's students contribute approximately 130,000 hours through largely unpaid field placements to human service agencies, schools, and other public and nonprofit organizations that serve North Carolina communities.

During the past fiscal year, social work faculty led the University in average per capita funding, totaling more than $12.7 million in external support. The school also delivered training to more than 14,000 individuals from 92 North Carolina counties and 23 states through continuing education and professional development activities last year.