LGBTQ+ Certificate Program
The LGBTQ+ Certificate provides supplemental content and skills to existing professional master’s degrees at Penn with specialized courses and fieldwork addressing the legal, physical and mental health care, social service, and educational needs of LGBTQ+ communities and issues of gender and sexuality, more generally, across the lifespan. This education takes the form of deep intellectual engagement with history, theory, policy, and professional practice relating to gender identity and sexuality through cross-professional coursework and field/clinical work. The LGBTQ+ Certificate has been developed in conjunction with Penn Futures, a collaboration between Penn’s Graduate School of Education, Penn Nursing, and SP2 to address pressing social issues that affect Philadelphia’s most vulnerable children and families.
For years, students across professional programs have been asking for a greater focus on the needs of LGBTQ+ communities, echoing a critique of graduate professional education offered by scholars across the fields of social work, education, nursing, and medicine (see references below). Demand for health care, social services and education that see the whole person, including their gender identity and sexuality, is increasing well beyond the Academy, yet real-world opportunities for professionals to understand the needs of LGBTQ+ communities have been limited to “gay days,” guest lectures, and occasional special events within our professional programs. Professional students across sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) require more coursework and more field/clinic opportunities relating to gender, sexuality, and working with LGBTQ+ communities to meet these demands and be competitive for the best jobs.
The LGBT Certificate is open to both online and on-campus NPL students. Please consult with your academic advisor to discuss course options. While the certificate courses may only be offered in an on-campus format, local online students may still be eligible to complete this certificate.
SP2 is the first US-based social work program to offer an LGBTQ+ Certificate. Students who complete the certificate will be positioned to work with LGBTQ+ populations and LGBTQ+-related issues across a wide array of job titles and roles relating to counseling, health care, education, and law.
Philadelphia is a national leader in LGBTQ+ issues as demonstrated by the 2013 LGBT Equality Bill, the ongoing work of the Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs(opens in a new tab), extensive network of social service and health care organizations in the region, and the annual national Trans-Wellness conference(opens in a new tab) sponsored by Mazzoni Center. The University of Pennsylvania has also demonstrated leadership through its 35-year-old LGBT Center(opens in a new tab) and queer-friendly policies for students and staff.
Burnes T and Stanley JL, editors (2017). Teaching LGBTQ Psychology: Queering Innovative Pedagogy and Practice. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Byers, DS, McInroy, LB, Craig, SL, Slates S, and Kattari, SK (2019). Naming and Addressing Homophobic and Transphobic Microaggressions in Social Work. Journal of Social Work Education.
Dykes FO and Delport JL (2018) Our voices count: the lived experiences of LGBTQ educators and its impact on teacher education preparation programs. Teaching Education, 29:2, 135-146.
Englund H, Basler J, Meine, K. (2019). Nursing Education and Inclusion of LGBTQ Topics: Making Strides or Falling Short? Nurse Educator.
Greene MZ, France K, Kreider EF, Wolfe-Roubatis E, Chen KD, Wu A, et al. (2018) Comparing medical, dental, and nursing students’ preparedness to address lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer health. PLoS ONE 13(9).
McNiel PL, Elertson, KM. Advocacy and Awareness: Integrating LGBTQ Health Education into the Prelicensure Curriculum. J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(5): 312-314.
Paiz JM (2017). Queering ESL Teaching: Pedagogical and Materials Creation Issues TESOL Journal 9.2.
DeVita T, Bishop C and Plankey, M (2018). Queering medical education: systematically assessing LGBTQI health competency and implementing reform. Medical Education Online, 23:1.
Shelton J and Dodd SJ (2019): Teaching Note—Beyond the Binary: Addressing Cisnormativity in the Social Work Classroom. Journal of Social Work Education.
Wagaman MA, Shelton J and Carter R (2018) Queering the Social Work Classroom: Strategies for Increasing the Inclusion of LGBTQ Persons and Experiences, Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 38:2, 166-182.
Eligibility
Master’s students in schools other than SP2 should contact their advisors to determine eligibility.
The LGBTQ+ Certificate is open to all part-time and full-time MSW students (clinical and macro). Advanced Standing MSW students may be able to complete the requirements if they express interest before they begin classes.
The LGBTQ+ Certificate is open to all on-campus part-time and on-campus full-time NPL students. Online NPL students should contact their advisor to discuss whether they can complete the certificate.
The LGBTQ+ Certificate is open to full-time and part-time MSSP students. MSSP students should contact Kim McKay, Director of the LGBTQ+ Certificate, to discuss whether they can complete the certificate with their MSSP schedule. Due to MSSP+DA course commitments, MSSP+DA students are not eligible to complete the Certificate.
Completing the Certificate
Upon acceptance to a degree program, students may submit an online “intent to complete” form(opens in a new tab) for the LGBTQ+ Certificate. All students should submit an “intent to complete” form as early as possible. However, forms submitted later in a student’s course of study will be reviewed to ensure that the student still has time to complete the certificate requirements.
After completing the “intent to complete” form, students will meet with the Director to plan a course of study. Students are responsible for making sure they complete the certificate requirements. Upon graduating, students will receive a paper certificate and the completion of the LGBTQ+ Certificate will be noted on their final transcript.
Requirements
MSW Certificate Requirements
Students customize their course of study, with guidance from specialization faculty, by choosing from a wide range of electives while completing the following requirements.
Course requirements
Students must complete three courses related to gender, sexuality, and/or LGBTQ+ communities including:
Existing courses that would meet this requirement include:
- SWRK 7560: Human Sexuality
- EDUC 5587: Human Sexuality
Existing courses that would meet this requirement include:
- SWRK 7330: Supporting LGBTQ+ Individuals over the Lifespan
- SWRK 7470: LGBTQ+ Communities & Social Policy
- MSSP/SWRK 7410: Gender & Social Policy
Existing courses that would meet this requirement include:
- MSSP 7980: Reproductive Justice Policy
- EDUC 6178: Gender and Sexuality in Education
- EDUC 5190: Gender and Education
- An additional course from the lists above
Students can meet this requirement by taking a second clinical or applied practice course as described above.
Pro-seminar requirement
Students are required to participate for at least two semesters in a monthly no-cost non-credit pro-seminar led by the Faculty Director and focusing on mentorship, managing personal LGBTQ+ identities in the workplace, and discussing challenging cases. Students are welcome to participate in the pro-seminar during more than two semesters and/or to choose the two semesters in which they participate.
Practicum requirement
Students are required to complete a minimum of 150 hours of practicum work in a setting that offers experience working with LGBTQ+ communities and/or work relating to gender identity and sexuality. For most MSW students, their first- or second-year practicum placement (including those in school and hospital settings) will meet this requirement.
Participation in the LGBTQ+ Certificate does not require nor does it guarantee placement in a setting or agency that primarily serves LGBTQ+ populations.
NPL Certificate Requirements
Students customize their course of study, with guidance from specialization faculty, by choosing from a wide range of electives while completing the following requirements.
Course requirements
Students must complete three courses related to gender, sexuality, and/or LGBTQ+ communities. NPL students must petition their advisor to have one SWRK or MSSP course that meets the certificate requirements count as one of their four NPLD elective credit units.
Existing courses that would meet this requirement include:
- SWRK 7560: Human Sexuality
- EDUC 5587: Human Sexuality
Existing courses that would meet this requirement include:
- SWRK 7980: Supporting LGBTQ+ Individuals over the Lifespan
- SWRK 7470: LGBTQ+ Communities & Social Policy
- MSSP/SWRK 7410: Gender & Social Policy
Existing courses that would meet this requirement include:
- MSSP 7980: Reproductive Justice Policy
- EDUC 6178: Gender and Sexuality in Education
- EDUC 5190: Gender and Education
- An additional course from the lists above
Pro-seminar requirement
Students are required to participate for at least two semesters in a monthly no-cost non-credit pro-seminar led by the Faculty Director and focusing on mentorship, managing personal LGBTQ+ identities in the workplace, and discussing challenging cases. Students are welcome to participate in the pro-seminar during more than two semesters and/or to choose the two semesters in which they participate.
Field requirement
Students are required to complete a minimum of 150 hours of practicum/clinic/field work in a setting that offers experience working with LGBTQ+ communities and/or work relating to gender identity and sexuality. For most NPL students, their leadership practicum will meet this requirement.
Participation in the LGBTQ+ Certificate does not require nor does it guarantee placement in a setting or agency that primarily serves LGBTQ+ populations.
MSSP Certificate Requirements
Students customize their course of study, with guidance from specialization faculty, by choosing from a wide range of electives while completing the following requirements.
Course requirements
Students must complete three courses related to gender, sexuality, and/or LGBTQ+ communities. Due to the one-year schedule of the MSSP program, MSSP students will need to follow this course schedule for 2023-2024:
MSSP 7980: Special Topics: Reproductive Justice Policy
SWRK 7560: Human Sexuality
- MSSP/SWRK 7410: Gender & Social Policy
- SWRK 7470: LGBTQIA+ Communities & Social Policy
Pro-seminar requirement
Students are required to participate for at least two semesters in a monthly no-cost non-credit pro-seminar led by the Faculty Director and focusing on mentorship, managing personal LGBTQ+ identities in the workplace, and discussing challenging cases. Students are welcome to participate in the pro-seminar during more than two semesters and/or to choose the two semesters in which they participate.
Field requirement
Students are required to complete a minimum of 150 hours of practicum/clinic/field work in a setting that offers experience working with LGBTQ+ communities and/or work relating to gender identity and sexuality.
Participation in the LGBTQ+ Certificate does not require nor does it guarantee placement in a setting or agency that primarily serves LGBTQ+ populations.
