Two Schools Partner to Form the College of Social Work & Criminal Justice

Introducing Florida Atlantic University’s Newest College

On July 1, 2020, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) officially welcomed its newest college: the College of Social Work & Criminal Justice, which encompasses the Phyllis & Harvey Sandler School of Social Work and the School of Criminology & Criminal Justice. These two sister schools have formed a strong and lasting partnership rooted in a shared commitment to advocating for justice, mobilizing resiliency and promoting equality across our one human race.  

Our nation is at the intersection of, firstly, an unprecedented global pandemic that has further illuminated the racial, health and economic disparities in our country and our world; secondly, an international movement for much-needed change in response to police brutality against Black people; and thirdly, an extremely divisive time in our nation’s history when so many are desperately seeking meaningful transformation and connections. 

The College of Social Work & Criminal Justice is well-positioned to make a deep and lasting impact in these and many other challenging areas, including reentry and reintegration, child welfare, healthy aging, mental health, the opioid epidemic, addiction, human trafficking and many others critical social problems.  Our nationally and internationally acclaimed faculty are passionately working to find answers through education, scholarship, and applied research and public service activities, as well as to inspire and prepare tomorrow’s social work and criminal justice leaders, scholars, practitioners and policymakers to effect positive change in the world. 

The College of Social Work and Criminal Justice is headquartered in the Social Science building on the Boca Raton campus and also offers classes at the University’s satellite campuses in Davie and Jupiter.  Our college offers a variety of degree programs, including: 

• Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, the third largest major at FAU
• Bachelor of Social Work, the largest BSW program in the state
• Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Master of Social Work, ranked third in the nation by GraduatePrograms.com
• Doctor of Social Work, the first DSW program in the state

The college also offers three specialization certificate programs in the Sandler School of Social Work:

• Child Welfare Certificate
• Healthy Aging Certificate
• Graduate Certificate in Addiction

As well as four post-graduate certificate programs:

School of Criminology & Criminal Justice

• • Paralegal Certificate 

Sandler School of Social Work

• • Legal Nurse Consultant Certificate 
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Certificate
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Certificate

We are also proud to have long-standing partnerships with more than 350 community agencies from Miami-Dade to Vero Beach, giving our students boundless opportunities to develop meaningful service learning experience and job readiness skills in their chosen field before they graduate.

The College of Social Work and Criminal Justice also houses a number of research and service centers within the Sandler School of Social Work, including the Child Welfare Institute, the Healthy Aging Academyand the Robin Rubin Center for Happiness and Life Enhancement.

The immense faculty expertise and strong community partnerships within our two schools produce graduates who are prepared to make a difference.  Our alumni enter the fields of social work and criminal justice fully trained to analyze, implement and evaluate criminal justice and social welfare policies and practices; address discriminatory systems and processes; provide direct services to vulnerable populations; restore justice and promote equal access to care.   

For more information
Web: fau.edu/sw-cj
Social: @FAUSocialWorkCJ on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
Video: YouTube