The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
, was founded in 1920 as USC's School of Social Work. The school's only location is in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
According to school officials, the facility entertains 114 faculty teaching an estimated 3,500 enrolled students, making the Dworak-Peck School the largest school for social work in the world. This means roughly 1 of every 20 graduate-level social workers in the country graduated from the school. It also has the oldest MSW and PhD of Social Work programs in the West.
The school was renamed the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work in 2016, after USC alumnus Suzanne Dworak-Peck donated $60 million to the school. It is the largest donation ever to a school of social work.
The program was ranked #25 by the 2019 ''U.S. News & World Report'' Best Colleges Ranking, and offers a
Doctor of Social Work
The Doctor of Social Work (DSW) is a professional doctorate in social work, it is the highest academic award available in the field of social work, and most offer advanced training in a professional area of practice including but not limited to; ...
degree, as well as a
Master of Social Work
The Master of Social Work (MSW) is a master's degree in the field of social work. It is a professional degree with specializations compared to Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). MSW promotes macro-, mezzo- and micro-aspects of professional social work ...
degree.
The California Social Work Hall of Distinction was established in 2002 to honor those involved in bringing about the betterment of society and to ensure that the contributions of social work leaders, innovators and pioneers would be recognized and preserved for the future. It is located in the Montgomery Ross Fisher building on USC campus.
Doria Ragland
Doria Loyce Ragland (born September 2, 1956) is an American social worker, and former makeup artist and yoga instructor. She is the mother of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
Early life
Doria Ragland was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to nurse Jeanette ...
Ira Wohl
Ira Wohl is an American documentary filmmaker. He is most noted for his 1979 film ''Best Boy'', which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 52nd Academy Awards.Best Boy
*
Karen Bass
Karen Ruth Bass (; born October 3, 1953) is an American politician, social worker and former physician assistant who is serving as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Bass had previously served in the U.S ...
, Mayor-elect of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...