Social Work (DSW)

The Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) program is designed to address a different population of advanced learners and a distinct set of educational needs beyond the Master’s in Social Work degree. Students entering with a Master of Social Work or other master’s degree in a closely allied field from an accredited institution are admitted with Advanced Standing. They are required to complete a minimum of 42 units of DSW course work beyond their first graduate degree. The core DSW curriculum consists of 14 courses total (at 3 units each). There are no specializations or electives available in this program. The following themes are infused throughout the curriculum: organizational leadership, public leadership, innovation and change, technological fluency, and data driven practice and management.  

The DSW program will be administered primarily online via the Virtual Academic Center within the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, and includes two week-long in-residence institutes, one in each year of the program. The purpose of the residencies is to bring together the cohort for a series of lecturers, seminars and discussions with “thought leaders” of the grand challenges in Social Work. The program can be completed in six consecutive semesters and culminates in a capstone project that will tie together the students’ goals and objectives with skills learned in the DSW program.