The Professional & Continuing Education Program offers specialized training by local experts in the topical areas that social workers want and need to learn in order to best serve their clients and organizations. Our courses are taught by an array of licensed social workers, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists. We are explicitly accredited to offer CE training to PA and NY residents. Many other states often accept CE courses taught by CSWE Board of Accreditation-accredited universities as well.
Here's what makes our program unique:
- We are committed to anti-racist education. We have a strong focus on diversifying the content we offer in our courses, and we seek out trainers with traditionally marginalized backgrounds and lived experiences to teach our programs. The School of Social work has an overall commitment to anti-racist work and in this department we have translated this into a promise that every course you take with us will discuss topics of intersectionality, racism, diversity, oppression, and/or privilege.
- We believe that adult education should be convenient. Do you like to take courses virtually from your home or office with a live trainer? Is an in-person class more your style so that you can practice skills and talk to your peers? Or, would you rather fit your professional education in on evenings and weekends during your free time and on your own schedule? No matter what your preference or learning style is, we have you covered with a diverse array of course delivery options.
- We promise to provide high quality training experiences. Regardless if you're joining us online, in person, or via our on-demand training options, we guarantee that our programs will be top notch and provide the consistent, high-quality educational experience that you're used to from the University of Pittsburgh.
- We are mindful of cost. We know that the cost of professional education can sometimes be a barrier to helping professionals (who are oftentimes under-compensated in their careers when compared to the value that they bring to society). We are very mindful of this and do our best to ensure that our programs are priced fairly for our training attendees. We also make it a priority to compensate our licensed trainers fairly for their training development preparation, time delivering the training, and their intellectual property. Balancing these two factors is important to us.
- We see continuing education as an investment in your future. Let's face it - most times folks aren't thrilled that they have to take continuing education courses. It can sometimes feel like a chore or another thing to cross off a to-do list. Our goal is to give you educational options that will energize your mind, make you excited about social work again, and advance your professional knowledge and skills. We even offer CE Intensives and Digital Badges that allow you to take all or most of your CE hours in one subject area in order to take a deep dive into a new area of practice. Use those required hours wisely!
News and Updates
- NOW AVAILABLE! Part-time Online Masters in Social Work
- March 26-27th 2025 Live CE Training: Adoption Symposium: Challenging Common Beliefs and Elevating Lived Experiences
- 25 hour CE Intensive course released, Understanding Systemic Racism and Healing Racial Trauma
- Check out our newly released CE Intensives and Digital Badging Programs and use those 30 hours to your advantage!
- Peruse our collection of over 40 self-paced On Demand CE Courses to earn CE hours on your schedule.
- PA's current licensure cycle is March 1, 2023 - February 28, 2025
Co-Sponsorship and Collaboration
If you would like us to consider accrediting your training for continuing education credits for licensed social workers, professional counselors, or marriage and family therapists, please review the process on our website.
CE in the Code of Ethics
The Social Work Code of Ethics requires continuing education as part of lifelong professional development for social workers. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Council on Social Work Education—which accredits the School of Social Work—both prioritize continuing education. The University of Pittsburgh and its School of Social Work has also made continuing education a strategic priority. To learn more about social work licensing and biennial continuing education requirements, visit the Pennsylvania Board of Examiners website. This site and the CE program office will help guide you in your social work professional development.
