Education. Action. Impact.
PRACTICE AND RESEARCH FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
FACTS AND FIGURES
Committed to inclusion, excellence, and impact.
250k
Number of hours spent in field placements, internships, and practicums each year
500+
Number of available field placements, internships, and practicum sites
#8
U.S. News & World Report ranking for Best Grad School Social Work Program
98%
Percentage of students who applied for & received financial assistance
7.8k+
SP2 alumni network
GIVING
Support SP2
When you give to SP2, you ensure our faculty, students, and alumni have the resources they need to be driving forces for positive change in child welfare, homelessness, mental health, public health policy, racial and gender equity, and more.
INCLUSION
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Our commitment to anti-racism, anti-oppression, intersectionality, and social justice is at the core of everything we do.
Pursue Your Passion
Master’s PROGRAMS
Our diverse master’s programs equip you with the theoretical skills and practical experience you need to make a lifetime of impact.
DOCTORAL PROGRAMS
Prepare to make your mark as an advanced social work scholar or practitioner through our rigorous PhD and DSW programs.
Dual degree PROGRAMS
We partner with other schools from across Penn to offer dual degrees in a range of different disciplines.
certificate PROGRAMS & specializations
Enhance and deepen your SP2 experience by digging deep into a specific sub-specialty or area of interest.
interdisciplinary partnerships
Unique partnerships with organizations at Penn and around the world provide novel opportunities for transdisciplinary collaboration.
Alumni Leaders
Amber Hikes, MSW’08
Amber Hikes (they/she) is a social justice advocate, community organizer, TED Talk speaker, and unapologetically queer and Black. As the ACLU’s deputy executive director for strategy & culture, Amber serves as chief counselor and principal partner to the executive director, overseeing the critical functions of organizational strategic planning and programmatic priority setting.
Student Stories
Jessica Aldrich Strassman, MSW, LCSW, Doctorate in Clinical Social Work ’22
The qualitative study of Jesse’s dissertation, a cross-disciplinary study between SP2 and Penn’s history department, explores how trauma narratives from a World War II population experiencing expulsion, flight, and immigration are experienced by subsequent generations.
Research Areas
We’re conducting groundbreaking, transdisciplinary research that explores the root causes of oppression and inequality – and works to produce innovative, effective solutions.
Events
07/16
An Evening with NPL Faculty Director Dr. Chao Guo
Join Dr. Chao Guo, NPL Faculty Director, and Adam Roth-Saks, NPL Administrative Director to learn more about the program and have any of your final program questions answered. Chao Guo […]
News
Faculty & Research
06/25
Study by SP2 examines potential of direct cash for cancer patients from low-income households
The three-year randomized controlled trial by SP2 is examining the potential of direct cash assistance for patients from low-income households receiving care in Philadelphia, along with their families. The study is supported by funding from actor Bradley Cooper’s One Family Foundation and a grant awarded through the Independence Blue Cross Foundation Institute for Health Equity.