Mission and history
We work to address complex social problems through education, research and service to create a just and better world.
Sidebar
Our history spans nine decades
Since the early 1900s, the Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work and Family Science has been rooted in the Louisville community.
Courses in social services, in conjunction with the Louisville Free Public Library, the Louisville Conference of Social Workers and other groups, grew to become established social work courses and field work through the University of Louisville's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Students successfully completing four semesters received a Certificate of Social Services.
From 1923 to 1926, the Louisville School of Social Work offered baccalaureate level courses as part of the Sociology Department within the College of Arts and Sciences. Many changes occurred over the next decade including the accreditation from the American Association of Schools of Social Work in May 1937.
Margaret K. Strong, professor and chair of the Graduate Division of Administration, University of Louisville President Raymond A. Kent and professional social workers in the community were instrumental in securing the accreditation.
To honor President Kent’s efforts to establish the accredited school, the school was renamed the Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work in 1943, proceeding his death.
Kent School’s Historical Timeline
The Path Within the University
Kent School is an autonomous school reporting directly to the university provost from 1936 through 1983. In 1983, the school is placed under the newly formed College of Urban and Public Affairs (CUPA). A reorganization in 1991-1992 places Kent School under the College of Health and Social Services, and in 1997 Kent once again is reestablished as an autonomous school.
Programs are Established
Kent School launches its doctoral program in 1997. In 2007, the Bachelor of Social Work Program is inaugurated. The Master of Science in Couple and Family Therapy becomes an official degree program in 2019, 25 years after the specialization in couple and family therapy was established.
Milestone Moments
The Doctor of Social Work Program graduates its first cohort in 2021. Nineteen members of the cohort set their career pathways, and we now call them doctor.
With the start of the 2025 fall semester, Kent School launches into its 90th anniversary celebration. In this milestone year, we also see the largest undergraduate enrollment in Kent’s history.
Rebranding the Kent School
The school is renamed the Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work and Family Science in 2022, to better represent all the academic programs and discipline expertise provided by the school.
Kent is the first social work school in the nation to house a couple and family therapy program.