The Boston College School of Social Work (BCSSW) is the graduate school of social work at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1936, it is among the nation's oldest schools of social work and provides experience-based Master of Social Work (MSW) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree programs. In 2019, it was ranked as the #10 best school of social work in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. More than 8,000 alumni serve as practitioners in social service agencies, policymakers, academics, and researchers around the world. History The School of Social Work was founded in 1936 by Walter McGuinn, S.J., who held a Ph.D. from Fordham University, and Dorothy L. Book, an experienced social worker. McGuinn, a faculty member, petitioned both the Society of Jesus in Rome and Cardinal William Henry O'Connell of Boston for permission to open a social work program with a focus on Catholic philosophy and ethics. McGuinn served as the school's first dean. Classes began in September 1936 at the university's downtown Boston building at 126 Newbury Street, with an enrollment of 40 students and a distinguished faculty of experts from the field. The school's curriculum included both studies about the foundations of social work and hands-on experience with social work agencies. Students could specialize in four fields: case work; public welfare; medical social work; and probation and parole; and later community organization. Two years later, the first class graduated and the school received its accreditation from the American Association of Schools of Social Work on June 28, 1938. In 1943, Book followed McGuinn as dean, becoming the first woman dean at Boston College. She served until 1955. In 1979, the school began offering a Doctor of Social Work degree, which later was changed to a Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work. The school in September 1968 moved to the Chestnut Hill campus's McGuinn Hall, which is named for McGuinn and his brother, Rev. Albert McGuinn, S.J., who headed the chemistry department. Academics The School of Social Work offers two professional degrees: Masters of Social Work and Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work, as well as several dual degrees. In addition, a Latinx Leadership Initiative (LLI) trains social work leaders to work with the Latino community. Masters of Social Work program (MSW) The School of Social Work offers a full-time, two-year program and a part-time, three- or four-year program towards a