The Columbia University School of Social Work is affiliated with Columbia University as one of its graduate schools and began awarding the Master of Science (MS) degree in 1940. With an enrollment of over 900, it is one of the largest social work programs in the United States. It is also the nation’s oldest, with roots extending back to 1898, when the New York Charity Organization Society’s first summer course was announced in The New York Times. The combination of its age and size has led to the School becoming a repository for much of the reference literature in the social work field.