ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia State University will offer the state’s first Doctor of Social Work degree after University System of Georgia regents gave unanimous approval at their Oct. 6 meeting, the university announced.
The practice-focused doctorate will be housed in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies’ School of Social Work and is expected to begin in 2027. The hybrid program will mix in-person and online coursework for experienced professionals who want to lead human-service organizations, apply research to practice and teach future social workers.
No Georgia institution currently offers a practice doctorate in social work, according to the proposal, so professionals seeking that credential have had to enroll out of state. Nationally, the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work counted 39 DSW programs among member schools as of April 2025.
University leaders say the degree targets gaps in Georgia’s behavioral health workforce, especially in rural communities, and aims to improve service delivery and retention through stronger organizational leadership.
Students will tie coursework to challenges in their workplaces and finish with an applied capstone project meant to show measurable organizational, community or policy impact. School of Social Work Director Y. Joon Choi said a master’s degree prepares people for practice while the DSW is designed to help veterans of the field use evidence to change how teams and programs operate.
Andrew Young School Dean Thomas J. Vicino said the program creates a new leadership path for social workers who want their impact to reach beyond individual clients to the systems those clients depend on. The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities continues statewide crisis and forensic investments, underscoring why universities are racing to train more clinical leaders.
