The chief objective of the undergraduate program of the Department of Social Welfare is to train skilled, innovative and effective human service professionals who can address social, economic, and political conditions that affect the social functioning of members of a family or of a larger community. In doing so, the department lays particular emphasis on self-awareness and sensitivity to the complexities of cross-cultural encounters, which are essential aspects of successful service in an increasingly heterogeneous society.

The major issues in social welfare are poverty, social security, welfare for the disabled, welfare for the elderly, child welfare, family welfare, industrial welfare, mental health, and medical social work. The department trains students to develop analytical skills in identifying critical problems in society and also to forecast, as well as prepare for, upcoming social problems.