Apply to the Doctor of Clinical Social Work Program
Ready to advance your social work career with a practice doctorate? Start your application for Penn SP2’s innovative DSW program.
Admissions Requirements
Ensure you meet the qualifications for admission to our Doctor of Clinical Social Work program.
Basic Requirements
To be considered for admission to the Doctor of Clinical Social Work Program, applicants must:
- Hold a master’s degree in social work from an accredited social work degree program
- Have three years of post-MSW practice experience
Please note: We do not grant social work course credit for life experience or previous work experience.
Application Deadline
- February 15
- To be considered complete, your application and all required supporting materials – including letters of recommendation and, if applicable, official English language proficiency test scores and evaluated transcripts must be submitted through the online application system by February 15
- Decisions are generally released by the beginning of April.
Application Components
Complete guide to preparing your DSW application
Online Application
Your admissions process begins with submitting your application online. After creating an account to start your application, you will be able to return to your application as many times as you wish before submitting. You can track the status of your application at any time by logging into your account.
Required Components:
- Resume: Submit a current resume as part of your online application
- Application Essay: Respond to questions about your decision to pursue the DSW, describe a challenging professional situation, and discuss an issue you wish to explore through doctoral studies
- Writing Sample: Submit a sample of written work that demonstrates your writing abilities and potential for doctoral study
Transcripts
Submit transcripts detailing all undergraduate and postgraduate study via the online application. This includes coursework conducted at your degree-granting institution(s) as well as study abroad programs and institutions you may have transferred from.
Upload copies of your official transcripts that clearly display your name, dates of enrollment, course names, and credits and grades for each class. Do not mail hard copies of transcripts to the School.
International Applicants:
Transcripts reflecting more than two semesters of study at institutions based outside the United States must be evaluated on a course-by-course basis by a third-party evaluation service such as WES(opens in a new tab) or Educational Perspectives(opens in a new tab). Allow sufficient processing time as evaluations are due by the application deadline. More information can be found on our International Students page.
Recommendations
Each application requires three letters of recommendation submitted directly to the online application. Letters must come directly from the letter writer’s email account and will be verified.
Required References:
- One academic reference
- At least one reference from a supervisor of your clinical work
Tip: It’s never too early to start preparing your application. Contact your recommenders early and provide them with adequate time to write thoughtful letters.
Test Scores
Standardized tests are not required for the DSW program.
For international applicants whose first language is not English, information on examination requirements can be found on our International Applicants page.
Enrollment Deposit
Upon notification of acceptance, you are required to submit a nonrefundable $300 deposit to reserve your spot in the class. The deposit due date is provided with your offer of admission and will be credited to your account upon matriculation.
ATTENTION APPLICANTS
Due to the low residence nature of this program, international applicants to the DSW program are not eligible for CPT (Curricular Practical Training) and OPT (Optional Practical Training). International students admitted to the DSW program must apply for the appropriate visa, guidance and assistance is available by contacting the Penn Global team.
International Students
The Doctor of Clinical Social Work degree program is offered by the University of Pennsylvania, an institution of higher education authorized to confer degrees and certificates conferring academic credit under applicable laws of the United States.
Students who are interested in participating in the program from countries other than the United States are advised that each jurisdiction may have its own laws and regulations governing online educational programs, and some jurisdictions may not recognize course credit or an online degree awarded by the University as satisfying local requirements for professional licensure, employment qualification, or other purposes. Before enrolling in this program, prospective students should investigate their jurisdiction’s treatment of foreign online programs to ensure that participation in this program will meet their objectives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to common questions about our DSW program and application process.
In 2007, Penn became the first social work school in the country to offer the DSW as a practice doctorate. Before this, the PhD in social work and the DSW had both been offered as research-based doctorates that prepared people for careers as researchers and academics, and the two degrees were considered interchangeable. By 2007, all the DSW programs had been discontinued or converted to PhD programs. We seized the opportunity to reinvent the DSW as a practice doctorate focused on preparation for leadership in practice and teaching, clearly differentiated from the research-based PhD.
Our rationale for starting the DSW program was three-fold:
- There were not enough doctoral-level social workers to teach practice courses in BSW and MSW programs
- There was no option for social workers who wanted to continue their formal education beyond the MSW but for whom the research PhD was not a good fit
- There was a need for applied clinical research and social work practice knowledge that is relevant for and accessible to social work practitioners
The School of Social Policy & Practice’s Doctor in Clinical Social Work (DSW) is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA). Accreditation of a baccalaureate, master’s, or practice doctorate social work program by the BOA indicates that it meets or exceeds standards of program quality evaluated through a peer review accreditation process. An accredited program has sufficient resources to meet its mission and goals and the BOA has verified that it demonstrates compliance with all sections of the accreditation standards.
Accreditation applies to all program options, which includes locations and delivery methods.
Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.
Review our program’s accredited status in CSWE’s Directory of Accredited Programs(opens in a new tab). For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation.
Information about tuition and fees can be found on our tuition and fees page. Most students finance their DSW education through loans and personal resources. Our financial aid team can help with questions related to loans. A limited number of small scholarships are available for qualified DSW students.
The program is designed to be completed in three years, but it is possible to complete the degree requirements (coursework and dissertation) in as little as two years.
You need a desktop computer or laptop, equipped with a video camera with microphone, and a secure broadband connection. We also recommend a noise-canceling headset.
There are two 5-day campus immersion experiences or residency periods – one at the start of the first year and the other the following summer.
We will consider doctoral level credit for transfer.
Yes, the DSW is considered a full-time program, although it is scheduled in a way that allows working students to complete it.
Graduates report both tangible and intangible benefits from the knowledge they’ve gained and from the status and prestige that a doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania confers. Many of our DSW graduates are combining social work practice and teaching with some taking full-time teaching positions. Meet some of our graduates.
The online classes are held Tuesday and Thursday evenings, from 7:00 to 9:00pm EST.
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