The USC School of Social Work is now accepting applications for its new online Doctor of Social Work (DSW) degree, which prepares scholar-practitioners to create innovative solutions for real-world problems. The DSW@USC offers students the unique opportunity to develop an actionable solution to one of the 12 Grand Challenges for Social Work, an initiative by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare to tackle the nation’s toughest social problems.

“The DSW@USC will bring together students from a range of professional backgrounds and communities to take on issues that affect social justice, individual and family well-being, and our country’s social fabric,” said Marilyn Flynn, dean of the USC School of Social Work. “By addressing significant societal issues through social work’s science and knowledge base, the community action leaders we create in this program can offer pathways for social and economic progress.”

The part-time online doctorate degree is geared toward working professionals who want to achieve greater impact in their practice, lead conversations and find break-through solutions for social change at the highest levels. DSW@USC students will address a specific Grand Challenge through coursework, residencies in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and ultimately a capstone project that culminates in the development of a proposed solution they present to a panel of experts comprising faculty, thought leaders and venture capitalists.

Consisting of 42 units of coursework that can be completed in 24 months, the DSW@USC will educate students in the areas of organizational leadership, leading public discourse, innovation and change, technological fluency and data-driven decision making. The DSW@USC is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Each year, there will be three start dates in January, May and August. The first application deadline is June 20, 2016, and the first class begins in August 2016. For more information on DSW@USC, please visit msw.usc.edu/academic/doctor-social-work or contact an admissions counselor at 1-877-700-4679 or sswvac@usc.edu.

The DSW@USC adds to the School of Social Work’s portfolio of online degrees, including the MSW@USC, a Master of Social Work, and Nursing@USC, a Master of Science in Nursing.