WHY SP2?
The passionate pursuit of social innovation, social impact, and social good.
Excellence & Rigor
SP2 brings together top-ranked social work degrees with innovative policy and leadership programs that dig deep into social innovation, big data, and other trends reshaping social policy and practice. Our faculty are highly respected practitioners conducting groundbreaking research in areas like homelessness and restorative entrepreneurship. They are equal parts scholar, teacher, and mentor, and are dedicated to working for fairness and impact.
Transdisciplinary Collaboration
When it comes to charting a course that’s truly your own, nothing compares to the University of Pennsylvania. Our Ivy League ecosystem encompasses 12 different professional schools. That means unique dual degrees, certificate programs and specializations, and interdisciplinary collaborations within and outside of Penn.
Practicum Education
Bringing classroom knowledge out into the real world is a key part of SP2 experience, and there’s no better place to do it than our home base of Philadelphia. Our students grapple with a range of real-world challenges in nonprofits, hospitals, and social service agencies doing important, innovative work through practicums, internships, and research collaborations.
A Welcoming Community at Our Core
Throughout its history, SP2 has been committed to understanding and embracing differences. As a school, we are dedicated to combatting discrimination in our educational programs; interactions with colleagues, students, and external partners; and school culture.
Events
03/18
Brown Bag Lunch Series – Demarcus Jenkins
SP2 Faculty present the Brown Bag Lunch series! Bring your lunch & join the informal conversation to learn what interests your colleagues and professors at SP2. Faculty members will present […]
Events
03/19
CASI presents Nandita Das: My Journey from Social Work to Cinema
The Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is pleased to invite you to the Spring 2026 Saluja Global Fellow Lecture by Nandita Das, […]
News
Alumni
03/09
Shaping the future of responsible AI: A Q&A with Daniel S. Schiff, MSSP’13
In this Q&A, MSSP alumnus Daniel Schiff reflects on what drew him to SP2, the experiences that shaped his career in AI governance, and what he hopes to contribute to the future of technology and society.