Doctor of Social Work: Curriculum Overview
As a Doctor of Social Work (DSW) student, you will complete 42 units of coursework focused on three areas:
- Problem definition when addressing complex social problems
- Using rigorous methods of inquiry to analyze problems and support the creation of solutions in collaboration with the affected communities and organizations
- Leadership in human service organizations and community contexts
The DSW program is designed to be completed in 9 semesters, or 36 months. Students focus on the Capstone Project for the last 3 semesters.
Program Goals
The following goals shape all decision-making about the Doctor of Social Work program’s curricula, admissions, assignments and policies. They also serve as a basis for devising measurable objectives for evaluating the program’s success.
- The foundation for the Doctor of Social Work curriculum and student academic products rests on three pillars:
- Problem definition and solution design within Social Work contexts and communities.
- Inquiry methods that support deeply understanding problems and co-creating implementable solutions.
- Leadership in human service organizations and community contexts.
- Student academic work culminates in a substantive advance in practice or policy related to one of the Grand Challenges a complex social problem.
- Aligning with the goals for a science of social work, the curriculum is multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary and reflects diverse public- and private-sector perspectives on complex problem identification and community and organizational problem-solving in complex systems.
- Courses emphasize bold action leading to scaling of programs, disruption, or other changes that promote social justice and human potential.
- Graduates will emerge as effective leaders in social work or allied fields, prepared to excel in senior executive management roles or social entrepreneurship.
- Graduates will emerge as capable public intellectuals who exemplify the core values, ethical principles, and standards of the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics.