The School of Social Work (ESTS) is a higher education institution for social work, affiliated with the Faculty of Humanities at the Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ).

Founded in 1948 under the name of Lebanese School of Social Training and recognized as a “public utility” by the Lebanese State, the School obtained a change of name to School of Social Work on September 1, 2025, by Decree No. 1025.

It trains social workers to be agents of change and development by forging professional identities based on specific competency-based reference frameworks.

ESTS adheres to the USJ Charter and to the values of democracy, solidarity, and equity.

Moreover, it affirms the right to be different and the freedom of expression, while combating all forms of discrimination and exclusion.

It is a platform for expertise and know-how exchange, offering annual permanent training courses that are either diploma-awarding or qualifying.

At ESTS, all educational programs are grounded in a process that emphasizes support, partnership, alternation, and transversality. Students are given a central role and responsibility in shaping their own training pathways, with a focus on interactive teaching methods and tailored pedagogical support for both individuals and groups.

ESTS maintains national-level collaborations with both the public and associative sectors, and conducts research on a range of social issues to develop innovative professional practices and contribute to the shaping of national social policies.

ESTS initiates pilot projects rooted in the Lebanese context, in collaboration with various social actors.

It also develops international partnerships in the areas of training, research, and action-oriented projects. As a member of several regional and international networks – encompassing schools of social work, university pedagogy platforms, and professional associations – ESTS actively contributes to academic and professional exchange.