OpenSP2: Continuing Education
Professional and continuing education opportunities for every type of learner.
Looking to Expand Your Expertise?
OpenSP2 Has A Program for Every Learner
At the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), we’re committed to providing a wide range of continuing education opportunities. Whether you’re a social work or policy professional eager to gain new knowledge and earn additional credentials or are employed in a different field and want to explore how SP2’s coursework and thought leadership can enrich your career and life, we provide flexible options for every type of learner.
OpenSP2 programming includes Executive and Certificate Programs, many of them transdisciplinary collaborations with SP2 research centers and other Penn Schools. We also offer robust online programs in areas that include Corporate Social Responsibility, Entrepreneurship, and an LSW exam prep. All of these learning opportunities have been shaped by Penn’s world-class faculty and research, and welcoming, engaging opportunities that provide learners with relevant experience and connections.
Executive and Certificate Programs
Specialized programs for professional development
Social Innovation Design (XSD)
This innovative 7-month online program was co-developed by the Center for Social Impact Strategy (CSIS) at SP2 and Penn’s Stuart Weitzman School of Design. Its content is tailored to design professionals who want to utilize their skill set for positive change, and professionals working in mission-driven organizations but needing design tools to achieve.
Organizational Leadership in Social Work
A transdisciplinary collaboration with the Wharton School provides current students and alumni with a flexible opportunity to chart their own learning path, become effective leaders, and generate enduring social impact.
High Impact Philanthropy Academy
Unlock the power of philanthropy with High Impact Philanthropy Academy, a certificate program designed by the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at SP2. This program is designed for grantmakers, foundation trustees, foundation executive directors/CEOs, and other philanthropic leaders eager to create more social impact with their giving.
Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy (CSIS)
The Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy is an 8-month online certification from the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania for leaders and innovators working to make an impact. This program offers a comprehensive online and in-person curriculum that arms students with cutting-edge social impact tools and frameworks to ensure that they maximize the impact of their ideas.
Organizational Leadership in Social Work Certificate
A transdisciplinary collaboration with the Wharton School provides current students and alumni with a flexible opportunity to chart their own learning path, become effective leaders, and generate enduring social impact.
Free Executive Education from the Center for Social Impact Strategy
Social Impact Strategy
This course provides an introduction to social impact strategy and social entrepreneurship including key concepts, an overview of the field, and tools to get started as a changemaker.
Corporate Social Responsibility
This course explores how CSR creates shared value for firms, employees, and society as businesses and nonprofits work together on complex societal issues.
Online Programs for Social Workers and Social Welfare Fields
Licensed Social Worker (LSW) Exam Preparation
This course orients students to ASWB’s expectations for the Social Work Licensure Exam. It also covers test-taking strategies and best practices that help students successfully prepare for the exam.
Introduction to Animal Assisted Social Work
This course provides social work practitioners and students with a broad overview of therapeutic relationships we share with non-human animals.
Managing Risk Factors in Kinship Care
This 2 CE NASW-eligible certificate provides current healthcare social workers with the superior skills and knowledge they need in their work with individuals, families, and communities impacted by cancer.
NEON Program Partnership
SP2 is proud to partner with the National Education Opportunity Network (NEON), a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to college-level learning opportunities for talented students in historically underserved communities. Through partnerships with leading colleges and universities, NEON delivers credit-bearing courses taught by university faculty to students in Title I high schools nationwide, helping to expand educational opportunity and support pathways to higher education and economic mobility.
As part of this partnership, SP2 offers two courses that introduce students to the fields of social work and social innovation. Introduction to Social Work, taught by Caroline Wong and Emily Rich, provides an overview of the social work profession, its values, and its role in advancing individual and community well-being. Social Innovation, taught by Ariel Schwartz, explores how creative, systems-focused approaches can address complex social challenges and drive meaningful social change.
Together, SP2 and NEON are helping to inspire the next generation of changemakers by bringing Penn’s expertise in social policy, social work, and social impact directly to high school students across the country.
Policies & Support
Important information about continuing education credit, accreditation, costs, and policies.
OpenSP2 offers licensed social workers continuing education credit hours for both online and face-to-face training programs. Participants who complete courses and programs receive a certificate that details total continuing education credit hours earned, program delivery mode, and any other required accreditation documentation. Participants will be required to submit these along with other documentation required by their state licensure board to receive credit for work completed.
CSWE
OpenSP2 is a program of Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice, an accredited Council on Social Work Education(opens in a new tab) (CSWE) institution. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and many other states will accept continuing education credits earned from programs offered by CSWE accredited institutions, though learners should check with their states of licensure to ensure compliance. All certificates of completion awarded by OpenSP2 will note our CSWE accreditation.
ASWB
The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, 1733 is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: June 17, 2022 – June 17, 2023.
NASW
OpenSP2 offers several programs approved by the National Association of Social Workers for its national continuing education program(opens in a new tab). These NASW-approved courses are noted above. The NASW website outlines which states have approved the use of NASW continued education credits(opens in a new tab) and includes an FAQ(opens in a new tab) with additional details.
- Pennsylvania – OpenSP2 courses are accepted for Pennsylvania social work continuing education clock hours toward the biennial renewal of a social worker’s license as defined by the Pennsylvania Code sections 47.31-36(opens in a new tab).
- New York – The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers # SW-0552.
OpenSP2 programs don’t follow tuition guidelines established for credit-bearing graduate courses, and each offering is uniquely priced. Visit the dedicated page for each course or program to learn more about tuition and fees. Prices on many courses are discounted for alumni and current SP2 students: to learn more about discounted tuition, current students should contact their program director and alumni should email SP2 alumni relations.
For prospective students that are interested in this continuing education course, requests for reasonable accommodation must be accompanied by documentation of disability which will help us evaluate the limitations of the disability and determine an appropriate reasonable accommodation. Submit requests and documentation to the Program Director, augen@upenn.edu at least two weeks prior to the class start date, so that we can review and evaluate the request, and arrange for a reasonable accommodation that would be appropriate.
OpenSP2 and the School of Social Policy & Practice seek to create an educational environment that supports all types of learners. If you have concerns related to a CE based course, please email opensp2@sp2.upenn.edu. Emails are confidential and will be reviewed by the Director of Instructional Design and Education Technology in consultation with the consulting social worker. The Director of Instructional Design and Education Technology will email a reply to the learner within 24 hours to solicit additional information and ensure all concerns are documented. A complete review of concerns will be examined, and a resolution will be proposed by the Director of Instructional Design and Education Technology, who will have the final decision. For example, complaints about course content or instructors will be used for course improvement and evaluation. Complaints regarding certificates may elicit the dissemination of a new certificate with corrected information. Please note: this policy is limited to social-work CE based programming. Please see specific program pages for grievance concerns.
Refund requests for non-credit programs must be made in writing appropriate program leadership; see the specific program page for contact information. Refund requests for on-demand programs must be made within 14 days of program start date, and only if analytics indicate that the student has engaged with less than 25% of course materials. Cancellation or refund requests for live, calendar-based programs must be made at least 14 days in advance of the start date. OpenSP2 may offer a transfer option to individuals who cancel beyond the limits of this policy. Individual programs and programs from affiliated SP2 centers set final program cancellation and refund policies; participants should check policies prior to registration. OpenSP2 is a division of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice which reserves the right to change, alter, and adjust this policy. OpenSP2 reserves the right to cancel programs for low enrollment or other extenuating circumstances prior to the start of the program. If SP2 cancels a program, participants will receive a full refund.
Please also note that programs offered on 3rd party platforms (edX or Coursera) are subject to the policies of that platform.