DSW Program Website
Program Description
The NYU Silver DSW Program in Clinical Social Work is a practice-oriented doctoral degree designed to prepare professionally licensed students for leadership roles in academic and agency settings. By promoting practice-relevant scholarship, graduates will develop new clinical social work knowledge and tools to advance anti-oppressive social work practice toward ameliorating social ills.
Building on the NYU Silver School of Social Work’s reputation for excellence in clinical social work education, the DSW Program offers theoretical, evidence-based practice, research, and policy coursework. Additionally, the program provides writing workshops and a choice of a teaching or supervisory internship geared towards the enhancement of advanced clinical practice knowledge and skills. The unique aspects of the program are designed to develop clinical academic leadership skills and prepare students to produce publishable papers under the direction of an advisor, and present at professional conferences.
Admissions
Admission to the DSW program requires the following:
- Master’s degree in social work with a graduate grade point average of 3.5 or higher (based on a 4-point scale)
- Minimum of two years post-MSW practice experience
- LMSW or equivalent required, with an LCSW or equivalent strongly preferred
- International students are required to submit TOEFL scores if English is not their first language. View all International Student Requirements
See DSW Program for admissions requirements and instructions specific to this program.
Program Requirements
The DSW program curriculum consists of 19 courses scheduled in the fall, spring, and summer semesters over three years. Students can begin working on their graduation portfolio early in the program through course assignments and with formal guidance. The curriculum foundation is established in the first year, with internships occurring and portfolio development culminating in year three. Students can present their portfolios in a professional forum during the capstone course.
Courses are held on the Washington Square campus on Wednesday evenings during the fall and spring semesters, and on Monday and Wednesday evenings during a compressed summer session. All classes contain an online component.
The requirements for the DSW degree are the completion of a minimum of 56.5 credits in coursework and the successful completion of a Capstone Project. Students must also maintain a passing grade for all courses and meet completion deadlines.
Internships
A choice of a teaching or field-based learning internship is required and may be taken concurrently with the Teaching Clinical Practice or Supervision/Field Education class. Teaching in-person or online at a CSWE-accredited graduate or undergraduate program is acceptable, as is teaching at a clinical training institute. Any teaching semester during your DSW Program matriculation may count toward this requirement. For those selecting a supervisory internship, you may use your current or previous (since beginning the DSW Program) place of employment if it involves direct supervision of social work students, social workers, or other mental health professionals. The field instruction must occur for a semester during your time in the DSW Program.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:
- Provide anti-oppressive leadership in developing knowledge in a substantive area important to social work practice and/or service delivery.
- Incorporate research, demonstrating advance knowledge of the methodology used, in their capstone which meets current publication standards.
- Engage in critical analysis of clinical practice models and their underpinning theories, including evidence of empirical support.
- Draw upon established social science theories to generate hypotheses regarding problems relevant to social work practice.
- Critically examine social policies using established models of analysis.
- Communicate effectively at a professional level, orally and in writing, the products of one’s scholarship to diverse constituencies.
- Compete successfully for academic positions in social work or related disciplines.
Policies
Program Policies
Transfer and Articulation Agreements
Normally, credit for required courses in the PhD or DSW program cannot be transferred from other institutions. For admissions purposes, transfer credit from other educational programs within the school or from other institutions is generally not allowed.
Academic Standing and Progress
A DSW student who is on academic probation is considered not to be in good academic standing. Students will be automatically placed on academic probation for any of the following reasons:
- Receiving a “Fail” in a course.
- Failure to complete course requirements (as within one semester following the end of the semester in which the course was taken).
- Inadequate performance in internship.
Academic probation triggers the formation of a Status Committee, which helps the student identify obstacles to remaining in good academic standing and provides guidance and support for helping the student plan for improvement. Status Committees consist of three members: the student’s advisor/mentor, a member of the DSW Program Committee, and the Director of the DSW Program. Students who do not improve their academic performance sufficiently within one semester of being placed on academic probation will be dismissed from the program. The criteria for sufficient improvement are as follows:
- adherence to standards for attendance,
- completion of all incomplete and/or failed coursework, and
- satisfactorily addressing other issues as indicated by the Status Committee, and no additional failures to complete course and workshop requirements (including internship) in the probationary semester.
When academic probation is triggered in a student’s final semester of coursework, a status committee will determine the requirement(s) for returning to good academic standing.
Withdrawals
Students considering withdrawal from the DSW Program should contact the DSW Program Director to arrange an exit interview. Following the interview, students should submit an online withdrawal form via Albert. Students must contact and notify the Financial Aid Office if they have been receiving financial aid, and they should consult the Refund Schedule for Complete Withdrawals. Students may also contact the Office of Enrollment Services and any applicable University offices to obtain information with respect to grades, classes, and refunds policies.
Redress of Grievances
The Doctor of Social Work program follows the New York University Student Grievance Procedure.
Readmission to DSW Program
Students who wish to return to the DSW Program after withdrawing must submit a new application for admission. At a minimum, the School reserves the right to require a full application to the program after an absence of one year or longer for any reason. Readmission to the program is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Reapplication
Some applicants may wish to reapply if they are not admitted to the DSW Program. The School strongly recommends waiting a minimum of one academic year before initiating a new application
NYU Policies
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.
Graduate Silver Policies
A full list of relevant policies can be found on the Silver Academic Policies page.