MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK
Juris Doctor
The Master of Social Work/Juris Doctor (MSW/JD) is a joint program sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) at the University of Pennsylvania. Students will have the opportunity to earn both degrees in four years. Students in this program will be prepared to assume positions of leadership in law and social policy, ready to actively pursue a more just society, and to carry out viable systems change due to their grounding in both professions.
Application Information
Students will apply independently to each department through each program’s specified admission process. The Law School and SP2 will make independent judgments about each candidate.
While the Law School and the School of Social Policy & Practice will make independent admissions decisions, each application will invite the student to indicate that they have applied, or been admitted, to the other program.
Applicants will have three options as to applying for the joint degree program:
- They may make contemporaneous applications to both programs prior to being accepted at either.
- They may apply to the MSW program in the first or second year of the Law program.
- They may apply to the Law program in the first year of the MSW program.
Program Sequencing
The joint degree is best earned in the either of the following sequences:
- Year 1 spent at SP2, completing the foundation courses, Year 2 spent at the Law School, completing the standard and required 1L curriculum, and Years 3 and 4 spent in residence at the Law School but taking courses in both SP2 and Law.
- Year 1 spent at the Law School, completing the standard and required 1L curriculum, Year 2 spent at the SP2, completing the standard first-year MSW curriculum, Years 3 and 4 spent in residence at the Law School but taking courses in both Law and in SP2.
Other sequences may be arranged on a case-by-case basis for exceptional candidates.
Degree Completion Requirements
In order for a student to receive both degrees, he or she must complete the independent degree requirements of each program.
Law students must complete a minimum of 86 credits, 54 hours of which must be advanced credit completed in the second and third years of Law study. Students in the joint program may apply twelve credits (four courses)from the MSW program toward that requirement, reducing their credit requirement to 42 credits. These four courses are the total number of non-Law courses that a Law student can take for Law credit in other departments of the University. Law students enrolled in the joint program are not eligible to participate in Study Abroad Programs. Students must also satisfy the requirements of the Public Interest Center’s Pro Bono Program. Students may be able to fulfill the Pro Bono requirement through their practicum placement obligations; students should consult with both the SP2 Office of MSW Practicum Education and the Public Interest Center early in the planning process.
Students must complete 16 credits in the MSW program. Twelve of these classes must be completed at the School of Social Policy & Practice. The following courses are required for the MSW degree, and law school courses may not be substituted for them: SWRK 6010, SWRK 6020, SWRK 6030, SWRK 6040, SWRK 6140, SWRK 6150, SWRK 7040 or 7080, SWRK 7140 or 7180, SWRK 7130, a practice elective, and a research option. Students will consult their SP2 academic advisor to select four law courses that will count towards their MSW degree; these courses can be applied to electives and/or the policy option.
Students in the joint degree program may apply up to four courses from the law school for their policy option and/or non-practice electives. These courses must be approved in advance by the Administrative Director of the MSW Program.
Students in the MSW clinical concentration must take SWRK 7600 as their practice elective.
The MSW/JD dual degree program is open to students in both the clinical and macro concentrations. However, students choosing the clinical concentration should be aware that the dual degree course of study does not allow them to take a large number of clinical social work electives, which may present obstacles to obtaining clinical licensure in some states.
Tuition and Financial Aid
A student pays Law School tuition when they take only law courses and pays SP2 tuition when they take only MSW courses.
In other years, while the student is in residence at the Law School, students pay Law School tuition. The Law School is then responsible for payment of tuition for up to four courses taken at SP2 toward the completion of the joint degree. Penn Law students will be responsible for tuition for courses taken at SP2 over and above the four courses that are countable toward the JD degree.
If summer courses are arranged, students will pay tuition directly to SP2 for those courses. The Law School will not be responsible for any tuition or fees incurred for courses taken during summer months.
Financial aid decisions are made independently by each school. They are typically made by the school in which the student is in residence for that year. In the year when only law courses are taken, financial aid is awarded by the Law School. In the year when only social work courses are taken, financial aid is awarded by SP2.
During the years when students take classes in both the Law School and SP2, students will receive financial aid from SP2 on a per-course basis for their four MSW classes taken at the SP2. Students are required to notify the SP2 Director of Financial Aid as soon as they enroll in the dual degree program, as this could affect the student’s financial aid award from SP2.
Scheduling Courses
Students register for courses in one program in that program’s registration period and according to that program’s registration rules and procedures. Students must be aware of the differences in these procedures and it is recommended that they meet with the Registrar in both schools:
- The registration periods for the Law School and SP2 may differ.
- Students register for Law courses through the Law School’s standard registration system.
- Students register for MSW courses through the SP2 registration system.
- Each student is expected to coordinate registration in both Schools and it is highly recommended that students reach out to their MSW advisor and the Manager of Cross-Disciplinary Programs at the Law School for guidance.
- The timing and location of course scheduling must also be considered so that students are best able to attend all classes.
- Dual degree students who are not completing SWRK 6040/6140 in the academic year immediately preceding the year in which they will take advanced practice class (SWRK 7040/7080 and SWRK 7140/7180) are responsible for reaching out to the SP2 Office of MSW Practicum Education in December to begin planning for the upcoming year’s advanced practicum placement.
Issues Particular to the Program
Students in the joint degree program may have particular career interests and goals. They are encouraged to meet individually with Kathryn Deans-Schaub, Associate Director for Cross-Disciplinary Careers and Employer Outreach at the Law School and with their academic advisor at SP2 or the SP2 Career Advisor at the Office of Career Services.
Edited and reviewed by both schools: July 16, 2014
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