MASTER OFSOCIAL WORK

Become a skilled, empathic social worker committed to impact and the pursuit of justice.

Full Time

Full Time (Two-Year)

Advanced Standing

Advanced Standing

Part time

Part Time (Three-Year)

Child Welfare Education for Leadership (Cwel)

Child Welfare Education for Leadership (CWEL)

Joint Lectures

Sequences in the MSW Program may schedule sequence-wide lectures for all sections at various points in the semester. These lectures feature experts in the field and are a mandatory component of the course(s). Joint lectures are scheduled on Wednesday evenings (6:30 – 8:00 PM); students should not register for other courses on Wednesday nights that conflict with the joint lecture time slot. Students who have extenuating circumstances that prevent them from attending the joint lectures must make arrangements with their course instructors to receive the lecture content in another way.

Portrait of Anao Zhang in a black shirt and striped tie foregrounded against the backdrop of nature

FEATURED ALUMNI

Anao Zhang, MSW’12

“I chose SP2 for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, SP2 has some of the strongest clinical faculty members who are actively engaged in MSW teaching, which aligns with my academic interests. Other reasons include SP2 being an Ivy League school offering an MSW program, its location in the great city of Philadelphia, and its stunning urban campus.

During my time at SP2, the faculty members not only provided me with world-class social work education, but many of them also genuinely cared about my growth and that of my peers as our mentors, colleagues, and friends.”

man smiling with hands clasped in front of wall of photos

Practicum Placements

Practicum education is an integral and required part of the overall MSW curriculum, connecting classroom learning with the practical work of an agency setting. Our students gain important knowledge and skills and make meaningful contributions at organizations such as hospitals, community centers, and hospice agencies, both here in Philadelphia and beyond.

Related News

A group of people take a picture together at SP2's Celebrating Partnerships and Student Impact event

SP2 master’s programs celebrate partnerships & student impact 

On Thursday, May 15, Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) hosted its second annual Celebrating Partnerships and Student Impact event. The event brought together SP2 master’s programs and their community partners from Greater Philadelphia area schools, faith-based organizations, charitable foundations, and more.

SP2 Hall of Fame awardees with Dean Bachman

SP2 honors five accomplished alumni at 2025 hall of fame ceremony 

Five distinguished alumni of Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) were celebrated at the 2025 SP2 Alumni Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday, May 16. The evening event marked the seventh year that the School has honored alumni through the SP2 Hall of Fame. The event began with remarks from SP2 Dean Sara S. Bachman.

Dennis Culhane speaks at a podium

Improving lives through data: SP2’s Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy boosts national impact through students and alumni

Like a number of SP2 students and alumni, Sharon Zanti, PhD in Social Welfare ’24, has taken a path that is interwoven with SP2’s Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP). An initiative co-founded by Professor Dennis Culhane, AISP has paved the way for state and local governments to better support residents by responsibly connecting data.