Rate My Professor Matthew Theriot

Matthew Theriot is the Dean of the College of Health Professions and Sciences and a professor of social work at the University of Central Florida. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. His primary research interests center on juvenile violence and delinquency, with particular emphasis on school violence and school security. Secondary areas include social work education and mental health service utilization.

Prior to joining UCF in 2021 as professor and director of the School of Social Work, Theriot spent more than 17 years at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, advancing through faculty and executive leadership roles. These included director of the undergraduate and doctoral social work programs, associate provost for teaching and learning innovation, vice provost for faculty affairs, and director of ASCEND, a National Science Foundation-funded program to promote recruitment, hiring, retention, and advancement of female faculty in STEM disciplines. At UCF, he promoted interdisciplinary research, grew the Center for Behavioral Health Research and Training, created the Center for Professional and Community Education, and led the Master of Social Work program to its highest ranking of No. 67 in U.S. News & World Report, placing it in the top 25% nationally. Appointed interim dean of the College of Health Professions and Sciences in July 2024, he assumed the permanent role the following year, during which he expanded research infrastructure, invested in interprofessional education initiatives, introduced four new graduate degrees and two undergraduate interdisciplinary degrees, and strengthened partnerships with UCF Health and the Academic Health Sciences Center. Theriot chairs the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Membership and Professional Development and was inducted into the National Academies of Practice (Social Work) in 2025. Before academia, he served as a school social worker, child welfare worker, and mobile crisis counselor. In April 2026, the Theriot family established an endowed scholarship to empower future health leaders at UCF.