ABSTRACT
The emerging practice doctorate in social work (DSW) is in a phase of active development and refinement. Since the University of Pennsylvania introduced the DSW prototype in 2007, other social work programs also have begun offering the practice doctorate alongside the research-based PhD. The reemergence of the DSW, specifically as a practice doctorate, has started a discipline-wide conversation about the identity, purpose, and value of this new credential and its potential impact on the social work education and practice landscape (Anastas & Videka, 2012; Nurius & Kemp, 2014; Social Work Policy Institute, 2013). This study provides a program description along
with a summative evaluation of the University of Pennsylvania’s DSW program, based on data collected from program records and an online survey conducted with alumni of the program.
