About the School
Message from the Director

California State University and the
School of Social Work

California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State L.A.) is located five miles from downtown Los Angeles and is situated in the midst of a thriving multicultural community. Cal State L.A., founded in 1947 by action of the California State Legislature, is a comprehensive university that offers programs of higher education in more than 50 academic and professional fields. Cal State L.A. is a designated Title III and Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) institution.

For more than 50 years, Cal State L.A. has provided access and excellence in education to traditionally underserved populations. It is the only campus within the 23-campus California State University system designated to have an urban mission. Historically, the University has supported an array of student services and educational activities that address the needs of the community and that promote access, retention and graduation of a diverse student population.

The University is organized into six colleges that house more than 50 academic departments and divisions. The School of Social Work is housed within the College of Health and Human Services which, in addition to Social Work, is comprised of the departments of Child and Family Studies, Communication Disorders, Criminal Justice; Kinesiology; and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. The College of Health and Human Services is also home to the Edward R. Roybal Institute for Applied Gerontology, which focuses on urban issues and reaches out to multiethnic and multicultural programs within the Greater Los Angeles community. Other programs and institutes in the College include the Center on Child Welfare, American Humanics, Inc. (a program in Youth Agency Administration), the Institute for Nursing and the Child Maltreatment and Family Violence Institute. Cal State L.A. is easily accessible via all forms of transportation, with its campus train/bus terminal giving faculty, staff and students a complete range of commuting options.