DSW Student Handbook

The DSW degree requires the completion of 12 credit administered by the DSW Governance Committee, which monitors the program, recommends changes in policies and procedures, and serves as the Admissions Committee. The DSW Governance Committee is composed of three SP2 standing faculty members, the Director of the DSW Program (one of the faculty members), the DSW Fellow, and a representative from each of the current cohort of students.

In spring of the first year, two student representatives are elected from each cohort, and then they attend, along with the second- and third-year cohort representatives, the monthly DSW Governance meetings. Student representatives are expected to solicit input from their cohort and represent their views. At the SP2-level, there is a student governance committee with a representative from the DSW program, as well as all other SP2 programs.

The DSW degree requires the completion of 12 credit units (CU’s) and the dissertation. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 for all courses applied to the degree. Failure to maintain a 3.0 will result in dismissal from the program.

The School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) Doctor of Clinical Social Work curriculum is designed to prepare advanced clinical practitioners who are equipped to enhance knowledge-building and deliver the most effective and efficient practices and interventions at individual, family, community, organizational, national, and global levels, working across disciplinary lines and cultures to meet the needs of persons, particularly the most vulnerable, in the context of their multi-layered environment.

Course materials are selected for their ability to expand and deepen students’ knowledge of theoretical frameworks underpinning their work. Assignments and discussions use these materials to challenge students to consider and apply advanced-level theory to their practice in innovative, more substantive, as well as nuanced ways.

The core curriculum consists of five courses:

• Clinical Social Work Theory I
• Clinical Social Work Theory II
• Foundations of Clinical Research
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Applied Statistics

In the first and third years, students complete a series of dissertation seminars that accompany their dissertation work. In the second year, students work individually with their dissertation advisors.

There are ten full-semester courses and six proseminars that cover topics related to the practice and teaching of clinical social work.

Students must be in satisfactory academic standing.

The minimum standard for satisfactory work for students in the DSW Program is a B average in each academic semester. A student whose record falls below the B (3.0) average after any semester will be put on academic probation. If the cumulative GPA is not raised to above a 3.0 at the end of the subsequent semester, the student will be dismissed from the program.

Meet dissertation deadlines.

The dissertation is an original work of scholarship that makes a contribution to the clinical social work literature and knowledge base. the Dissertation Mentor is assigned at the end of the first year.

Be in close communication with your chair about these dates:

• April of Year 1: Meet with DSW Director to discuss selection of your chair
• By January 31 of Year 2: Preliminary draft of dissertation proposal submitted to chair
• By March 31 of Year 2: Revised, final draft of dissertation proposal submitted to chair
• By April 30 of Year 2: Dissertation proposal approved by dissertation committee
• By May 1st complete defense of dissertation; deposit final version of dissertation to Scholarly Commons following defense no later than May 15th

The DSW program requires a research-based independent dissertation for completion of the degree, the only DSW program that holds this requirement in the U.S. Academic mentoring is in the form of the dissertation team, involving at least two doctoral-level members, one of whom is associated with the University of Pennsylvania.

Every committee must have a Standing* or Associated** or Lecturer faculty member affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania who may serve as chair. The dissertation chair may also be a tenure-track/tenured faculty member at a college or university other than Penn, with prior approval from the DSW Program Director. In all cases, chairs need to approve the reader.

All dissertation committee members must approve the proposal and final dissertation.

*Standing Faculty includes all University of Pennsylvania tenure-line faculty and clinician-educator faculty.

**Associated Faculty are those with Research, Adjunct, Clinical, or Visiting appointments at the University of Pennsylvania.

• Systematic/Scoping Reviews: A systematic review aims to comprehensively locate and synthesize all research on a particular topic
• Quantitative Intervention Studies: Pilot RCT or Quasi-Experimental Designs
• Observational/Correlational Study: A quantitative study that examines the predictors/explicators of a phenomenon
• Treatment Manual Developed and/or Tested with the Use of Data
• Qualitative Studies: An empirical study that makes use of language, words, and narrative as data

Dissertation Formats:

1. Traditional book length research-based project
2. Two related, publishable articles, at least one of which is empirical

During the initial immersion experience, students meet SP2 Standing Faculty who present their work. Over the course of the first year, the DSW Program Director learns about each student’s interest areas and preferences for a dissertation topic.

After discussions with each student, the Director consults with a variety of possible mentors to establish a goodness-of-fit between mentor and mentee. Once a possible chair is identified, the student meets with the potential chair. In consultation with the dissertation mentor, a doctoral-level reader is selected to contribute substantive and/or methodological expertise to the team.

Two milestone evaluations must be passed by all DSW students:

1. Dissertation Proposal: All students are expected to submit the final dissertation proposal to the dissertation chair by March 31 of year two, for approval by the dissertation committee by April 30. Upon acceptance of the proposal, the student enters doctoral candidacy.
2. Dissertation Defense: An oral examination on the contents of the doctoral dissertation is required. Upon successful defense of the dissertation, completion of all other degree requirements and submitting the final dissertation manuscript to Scholarly Commons, the DSW degree is conferred.

Grade System
Students in the regular-length (14, 10, and 7-session) courses receive letter grades with shorter elective and seminar courses typically pass (P)/fail (F). The letter grade system consists of grades of A, B, C, D, and F, with pluses and minuses possible for A, B, or C. The mark of I is used to designate “incomplete.”

Overall GPA
The minimum standard for satisfactory work for students in the DSW Program is a B average in each academic semester. A cumulative GPA below 3.0 after completion of the core courses is considered a lack of acceptable academic progress and may result in dismissal from the program.

Grade of Incomplete
If a student cannot complete the work for a course by the end of the semester due to medical reasons or a family emergency, they may request an Incomplete (‘I’) from the instructor. The instructor may permit an extension of up to one year for completion of the course.

Timelines
Students are expected to complete coursework and dissertation in three years. The maximum time allowed for completing all degree requirements is five years. Students who do not successfully complete all course work and the dissertation within five years will be withdrawn from the program unless they have requested and received an extension from the DSW Program Director.

Graduation Timeline:

• Apply to graduate in February (Details will be sent to all expected graduates in early February)
• May 1st – Dissertation defense deadline
• May 12th – Scholarly Commons upload and approval deadline
• May 19th – Degree Conferral date (This date is reflected on your diploma and official transcript)

Festivities: SP2 has one graduation ceremony each year in May. To be eligible to participate, you must have finished your dissertation in the Summer or Fall of the previous year or be a Spring expected graduate of the current year.

Students must be continuously registered every fall and spring terms until all degree requirements have been met. Students who wish to suspend their studies for a period of time for any reason must submit a request for a leave of absence using the online form. Leaves of absence are normally approved for up to one year.

Leave of Absence Request Process:

1. Meet with your Director, Doctor of Clinical Social Work to discuss the reasons for taking a leave
2. Submit the online request form; you will receive email confirmation when the form is sent
3. Review all items on the LOA checklist and follow up with the appropriate offices as necessary
4. The SP2 Registrar will email you with confirmation once the leave has been processed

All requirements for the degree must be completed within five years of the date when the student first registered for the degree.

The University of Pennsylvania has a well-articulated set of policies and procedures pertaining to the academic and professional conduct of graduate students. Doctoral students are required to obtain a copy of the Graduate Academic Bulletin. Violations or infractions of these policies, including violations of the Code of Academic Integrity, will be processed in accordance with these policies and procedures. Students who are found to violate the Code of Academic Integrity may be terminated from the program.

Students are expected to comply with University policies and regulations outlined in the PennBook, the University Code of Student Conduct, the Code of Academic Integrity, and the Master’s Student Handbook. Students are expected to incorporate the highest standard of ethics in every element of their work.

Examples of non-academic performance and conduct that will subject the student to disciplinary action or dismissal from the program include:

• Violations of the University Code of Academic Integrity (e.g., plagiarism)
• Behavior determined to be a violation of University or School policies or regulations
• Behavior determined to be a violation of the profession’s ethics (e.g., NASW Code of Ethics)
• Inability to secure, sustain, or perform satisfactorily in a field placement
• Behaviors that do not meet professional expectations and standards
• Behaviors determined to be unprofessional conduct towards colleagues, faculty, or staff

The purpose of the social media policy is to provide guidance on how SP2 students can engage with social media platforms including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, or other social media or networking sites, and not jeopardize their good standing as graduate students.

As a rule, SP2 students should not post anything on social media that refers to or discloses information about other people, especially clients, without first gaining appropriate consent and carefully considering the possible impact and consequences of doing so.

Do not post any client information, including photographs or videos, on social media, without first gaining appropriate consent from the client(s) and when appropriate, the agency setting. Breaching client confidentiality and/or privacy may: 1) cause harm to the client(s); 2) violate professional ethics, agency policy, or law and 3) result in professional or legal sanction.

In some cases students may apply to the program while a doctoral student in another program. If admitted, these students will receive credit for doctoral level courses taken elsewhere after consideration by the DSW Program Director. These students will then join the program at the appropriate stage. No more than two (2) courses can be transferred in from other doctoral programs.

Registration & Billing: The SP2 Registrar will register students in the DSW program for the appropriate courses prior to the beginning of each term. Students can check their registration and their academic record on Path@Penn.

Billing is managed through the University’s Office of Student Financial Services. Students who owe tuition for a previous semester’s work and are placed on financial hold will not be registered for the next semester unless special arrangements for payment have been made with the Student Financial Services.

Refund of Tuition:

• Within the Add/Drop period: 100%
• Up to two weeks after the Add/Drop period: 50%
• More than three weeks after the Add/Drop period: 0%

It is expected that students and faculty will use their normal contacts in class and individual conferences to resolve any differences that may arise in their work together. Where faculty or students find such normal channels fail to resolve differences that will affect the status of the student, either or both may ask for consideration of such differences by the Director of the DSW Program.

A written appeal of the DSW Director’s decision may be made through the Director to the Dean of the School of Social Policy and Practice who will determine if a review by the Committee on Academic Standing or the Grievance Committee is warranted.