Message from the Dean
Welcome to one of the world's leading schools devoted to the education of social workers and agents of social change. Our Masters of Social Work program enters its second century on January 1, 2008. In addition, our focus on social change and social justice includes our Master of Science in Nonprofit/NGO Leadership, which is offered in cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and School of Arts and Sciences. A third masters program, The Master of Science in Social Policy focuses on international, national, and local policies that impact social well-being. Finally, we offer two doctoral programs, The PhD in Social Welfare, which focuses on research and theory of social welfare, and the newly designed Doctorate in Clinical Social Work (DSW) that offers a program of advanced clinical studies. All five of our degree programs embody the school's commitment to its deeply-held and broad-based efforts to advance human welfare, promote resiliency among disadvantaged populations and provide a model for other schools, centers and programs that share our core values and goals.
Our faculty are among the leaders in their fields, and our school has been consistently ranked as one of the top publishing social work education programs in the world. More importantly, our faculty and staff are readily available to students for advising, mentoring, and other professional matters.
Our students enjoy the advantages of studying at an internationally-acclaimed Ivy League university; they have the opportunity to live in or around the vibrant city of Philadelphia. All of our students have the opportunity to become involved in the school's engagement programs, including our Penn in the Gulf Coast mental health program and the Penn in Botswana HIV/AIDS program.
Our graduates become leaders in fields such as child welfare, mental health, juvenile justice, school social work, health, domestic violence, community development, urban social policy, and advocacy for the disadvantaged. Penn School of Social Policy & Practice graduates administer agencies and departments, deliver expert clinical services, and help forge local, state, national, and international social policies.
Richard J. Gelles, PhD,
Dean
Joanne and Raymond Welsh Chair of Child Welfare and Family Violence