Program Accreditation
Our Master of Social Work (MSW) and Doctor of Clinical Social Work (DSW) programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Board of Accreditation.
Master of Social Work Accreditation
The Master of Social Work Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education’s(opens in a new tab) (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA). Accreditation of a baccalaureate or master’s 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 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS).
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. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE’s Department of Social Work Accreditation.
Doctor of Clinical Social Work Program Assessment and Evaluation Data
SP2 assesses the success of the Doctor in Clinical Social Work with the following core expertise and skills:
CORE EXPERTISE AND SKILL BENCHMARK:
84%/B or above will demonstrate competence on rubric2 for final proposals in both Methods of Inquiry: Quantitative Research Methods and Qualitative Inquiry (averaged)
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING BENCHMARK:
- Quantitative Research Methods: 83%
- Qualitative Inquiry: 100%
CORE EXPERTISE AND SKILL BENCHMARK:
84%/B or above will demonstrate competence on rubric for Assignment 1: Application of EBP 6-Step Process to Social Work Practice Question in Methods of Inquiry: Quantitative Research Methods
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING BENCHMARK:
100%
CORE EXPERTISE AND SKILL BENCHMARK:
Submission of final accepted dissertation to Scholarly Commons.
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING BENCHMARK:
- 3-year mark – 2022 cohort 11 of 20 finished. 55%
- 4-year mark – 2021 cohort 17 of 18 finished. 94%
- 5-year mark – 2020 cohort 14 of 22 finished. 63%
CORE EXPERTISE AND SKILL BENCHMARK:
84%/B or above will demonstrate competence on Leadership Self-Assessment and Development Plan, and Lesson Plan Development
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING BENCHMARK:
- Leadership Self- Assessment and Development Plan 100%
- Lesson Plan Development 93%
CORE EXPERTISE AND SKILL BENCHMARK:
Rating of 2 or 3 on 0-3 rating assessment of literature review and its integration into the discussion of findings and implications of the dissertation
PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING BENCHMARK:
100%
DSW Employment Data
On an annual basis, May graduates of the DSW program are surveyed in December of that year to determine whether their current job position represents an advancement or promotion attributable to their obtaining the DSW.
In December 2025, 20 graduates were contacted, and 11 responded, for a 55% response rate. Of those, 55% (n=6) reported that their current job represented an advancement or promotion.ncement or promotion.
