Campus address: 555 University Drive NE
The National Catholic School of Social Service (NCSSS) is headquartered in Shahan Hall, which is located in the heart of campus bordering the University Mall. Built in 1949 and renovated in 1998, Shahan Hall is architecturally significant as part of a formal three-building modern/classical composition with Mullen Library and McGivney Hall.
NCSSS offers a Bachelor of Social Work degree, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in social work. It is ranked by the Gourman Report in the top 11 percent of accredited social work programs, making it the only area program ranked in the top 20 nationwide.
The school was founded in 1918 to train women for diocesan social service programs. Affiliated with Catholic University since 1923, the school merged in 1947 with the social work school of Catholic University (which trained priests, religious, and laymen) becoming the National Catholic School of Social Service of The Catholic University of America.
Today the school, fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, has more than 3,500 alumni working throughout the world in many fields, including child welfare, gerontology, family preservation, health and mental health, social policy, social justice, and social work education.