To become a center for excellence for social work education, where students shall be trained to become reflexive actors in global civil society and helping professions.

To provide state of the art Social Work education and facilitating experiential    learning.

To develop sensitivity and reflexivity among students to understand and work    with the marginalized (personality development).

To train the students in the use of alternative strategies like media and theatre    for action and communication (competency building and training components).

To encourage inclusive debates on global civil society concerns (networking    activities with global and national actors).

To emphasize upon qualitative approaches to curriculum innovation,    methodological issues and pedagogical practices (Research components).

To develop global perspectives on social work and development.

To develop resources among the faculty and to develop physical and knowledge    infrastructure.

To nurture creativity, quality and efficiency.

To develop productive links with National and Global actors (academia, civil    society and resource centres).

To organize Collaborative programs, workshops and exchanges with    organizations.

To expose the students to multiple realities and develop empathy among them    for becoming responsible social workers.

To train students to communicate and act using culturally diverse strategies and    tools.

To encourage research towards curriculum building, innovative teaching-learning    strategies and fresh perspectives.

Launching of the post-graduate programme in Social Work is the culmination of a long-standing tradition in the college, as it were. Without much formal facets of theory and professionalization, Social Work practice has been an integral part of education in the American College. Interestingly the first ever inspiration in this direction came from none other than Dr. A.D. Lindsay of Oxford. As the Chairman of a visiting commission on higher education in 1931, he recommended that American College play a lead role in organizing “extension” and “research”. In 1934 the Extension Department of the college was started. However the task of intellectually training students through an academic programme had to wait. Setting up the Department of Religion, Philosophy and Sociology in 1985 was the first step in this direction. Now the launching of post graduate Department of Social Work on June 1998, aims to offer high quality education and relevant training to the students. Another aspiration of the department is to enhance the employability of its students. Keeping this in mind the department has established mutually, beneficial links with international NGOs and corporate houses. Its refreshing approach to social work education has elicited considerable interest and admiration from potential employers of our out going students. All these contacts and goodwill will be sincerely translated into placement opportunities for the out going students. UGC recognition by way of awarding a grant under Innovative Programme on Population Ageing is a recent addition.

The founding of the department has its roots in the ideas and innovations of Dr.T.Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar, who is currently the Principal and Secretary of the college. His contributions in terms of curricular research of top universities and schools of Social Work, intellectual rigour in developing a reflexive conceptual framework have best suited the constantly changing needs and demands of Social Work education. The perspective of the department and the way in which it extends itself to the context and its shifts should be attributed to the vision of Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar, Founder Director. The department asserts itself based on the rigour developed by him.

This is the ninth year of the Department (1998 -2007) and undergone two syllabi revision revision.Medical and Psychiatric Social Work Specialization was added on during the first revision in the year 2003. Recognition came in a big way to the department when University Grants Commission (UGC) provided a grant to the tune of Rs. 20.85 lacs under the innovative programme grant in the year 2004 for a period of 5 years. This is the first of its kind in deep south to be awarded a grant for Social Work departments. The credit goes to Dr. T. Chinnaraj Joseph Jaikumar and the faculty. The Department also offers a two year part time Post Graduate Diploma in Population Ageing and Old Age Care.