Clinical DSW Program  

The post-MSW Clinical Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) program is for individuals interested in advancing their clinical knowledge and becoming leaders in clinical practice and teaching.

Penn’s Clinical DSW differs from other social work doctorates in that it is a professional practice degree, designed to prepare students for advanced clinical practice and university-level teaching. It is the first and only professional practice doctorate of its kind in the country.

Geared toward working professionals, the DSW is an intensive accelerated program that enables students to satisfy all degree requirements-- coursework and dissertation-- in three years, without career disruption.

First year classes meet once a week in the late afternoon/evening. After the first year, courses are taught in weekend "modules" (Thursday evening through Saturday afternoon) that meet only once a month.

The programs's innovative format means fewer missed work days for students and allows us to bring in world class teaching faculty from around the country.

The courses and modules focus on clinical practice, clinical research and teaching and are taught by Penn faculty and nationally recognized scholars and experts.

Who is the DSW Program for?

Click here to view a copy of The Clinician, the Penn DSW Student-Run Publication

  • Agency-based practitioners
  • Medical social workers
  • School social workers
  • Private practitioners
  • Other social workers with at least 2 years post-MSW direct practice experience

DSW Mission Statement

The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice is committed to the enhancement of clinical social work practice through the development of a program of advanced study. The goal of this program is to meet four areas of perceived need within the domain of social work:

  1. Enhance and develop new clinical social work knowledge;
  2. Enhance the quality of social work practitioners in order to meet arising challenges and new social problems in an environment that demands the ability to apply the newest and most comprehensive clinical knowledge;
  3. Provide a new cadre of doctoral-level practice professors who will be able to teach high-level practice courses and who will engage in clinical research; and
  4. Enhance the status of social work as a profession, as well as that of social work practitioners.