Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
One of the nation’s first schools of social work, USC has always been a trailblazer. And this time in our history is no exception. Still one of the 10 best social work graduate programs in the nation, USC is heralded by agency, policy and academic leaders for its rigorous career preparation. We are also a campus exemplar for our research efforts, with funding exceeding $22 million. Our own research institute, Hamovitch Center for Science in the Human Services, is a leader in translational science —expediting research findings into practice settings.
The school’s research leadership helps us attract exceptional PhD candidates, keeping the doctoral program extraordinarily selective. Our especially small number of students enables us to offer truly individual, hands-on mentoring and provide every doctoral candidate a substantial financial package of $176,000 over four years, one of the highest in the nation!
We recently launched our most sweeping curriculum change in a quarter of a century, giving our MSW students individualized study plans, more electives and a new leadership course, better equipping them with the tools they need to shape their future and reshape the world. USC is also home to the world’s first nurse social work practitioner program, which graduated its first class of new professionals in May 2006.
It’s a fascinating time to be a social worker. Never have we needed more educated, principled and resourceful leaders who can anticipate emerging issues and lead social work innovation at the local, national and global levels. And never has their educational preparation been so thorough or so crucial.
Marilyn Flynn, PhD
Dean
