WHY SP2?
The passionate pursuit of social innovation, impact, and justice.
Excellence & Rigor
SP2 brings together top-ranked social work degrees with innovative policy and leadership programs that dig deep into social innovation, big data, and other trends reshaping social policy and practice. Our faculty are highly respected practitioners conducting groundbreaking research in areas like homelessness and restorative entrepreneurship. They are equal parts scholar, teacher, and mentor, and are dedicated to working for justice and impact.
Transdisciplinary Collaboration
When it comes to charting a course that’s truly your own, nothing compares to the University of Pennsylvania. Our Ivy League ecosystem encompasses 12 different professional schools. That means unique dual degrees, certificate programs and specializations, and interdisciplinary collaborations within and outside of Penn.
Field Education
Bringing classroom knowledge out into the real world is a key part of SP2 experience, and there’s no better place to do it than our home base of Philadelphia. Our students grapple with a range of real-world challenges in nonprofits, hospitals, and social service agencies doing important, innovative work through field placements, practicums, internships, and research collaborations.
Inclusion at Our Core
Throughout its history, SP2 has been committed to understanding and embracing diversity in its countless forms. As a school, we are dedicated to the principles of anti-racism, anti-oppression, intersectionality, inclusion, diversity, and social justice in our educational programs; interactions with colleagues, students, and external partners; and school culture.
Harnessing Policy and Practice for Social Justice
Commitment to social justice is what drives our faculty and fuels our programs. It yields exciting research collaborations and puts us in the places – and alongside the people – where we’re needed most. We don’t claim to have all the answers. But we’ll never stop asking tough questions, engaging with our students and our community, and finding new ways to bring our education, research, and passion to bear on society’s toughest challenges.
Events
02/01
Beyond America’s Racial Fault Line
Join us for an in-person event at the Kelly Writer’s House as we feature Ben Jealous in dialogue about his new book Never Forget Our People Were Always Free: A […]
Events
02/07
The Challenges of Reforming the Criminal Justice System – Taylor Pacheco
Taylor Pacheco is the Deputy Director of Philadelphia lawyers for Social Equity. She has a wide range of experience assisting clients in the criminal legal system including at Community Legal […]
News
Faculty & Research
01/26
Former SP2 dean John L. Jackson, Jr. named Penn’s next provost
University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill announced that John L. Jackson, Jr. — formerly dean of Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) from 2014 to 2018 — has […]