Undergraduate Program

Bachelor of Science in Social Work

The Ateneo de Davao’s Social Work Program produces Blue Knight social workers who inspire positive change, drive innovation, and strongly advocate for marginalized populations. The program teaches students problem-solving skills and encourages them to use research, collaboration, networking, and resource mobilization to find sustainable solutions.

Ateneo de Davao’s Social Work Program offers theoretical and practical training for students interested in a lifelong career dedicated to development work. It aims to improve the quality of life of individuals, groups, and communities facing a range of challenges due to societal and economic factors, such as poverty and homelessness, as well as personal and family issues like conflicts, substance abuse, and elderly care.

The curriculum covers Human Behavior and Social Environment (HBSE), Social Welfare Policies, Programs and Services (SWPPS), Social Work Practice (SWP), and Field Instruction, with students required to complete 1,000 case hours and pass the licensure exam by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Graduate School Program Offerings

Serves as a pioneering research-intensive doctoral program in the Philippines that positions Mindanao as a hub for decolonized social work scholarship. The program emphasizes theory-building rooted in the lived realities of Mindanao’s Tri-peoples, peacebuilding, and Global South perspectives.

The PhD in Social Work features coursework in Ignatian leadership, advanced research paradigms, and data systems. Progress is governed by structured milestones (Pre-Confirmation, Mid-Candidature Confirmation, and Pre-Submission).

The program requires passing coursework (minimum 2.0 GWA), passing comprehensive examinations, completing progress milestones, presenting at an academic conference, publishing in an indexed journal, and completing an 80,000–100,000 word dissertation evaluated by an external blind peer-review panel.

Designed for experienced practitioners to master advanced clinical, administrative, and systemic intervention skills. The DSW program frames social work as a “political profession” equipped to deconstruct structural inequality, neoliberalism, and political dynasties while advancing human rights.

The students enrolled in the program are expected to complete 9 units in one tailored concentration, including Gerontology, Social Work and Migration, International Social Work, Social Work Education, Practice with Children and Youth, or Islamic Social Work. Meanwhile the DSW core curriclum combines Ignatian administration, multicultural practice models, and policy politics with a 3-unit Advanced Fieldwork and Internship placement.

The Doctor of Social Work prepares graduates for executive agency leadership, higher education faculty positions, clinical leadership, social policy advocacy, and human service consultancy.

For social work professionals advancing their practice through research.

The students enrolled in the program are expected to complete 12 units, including Ignatian Leadership in Social Work, Human Behavior and Social Change, Social Work Theories and Practice in the Philippines, Social Work Research, Advance Theories of Personalities: Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis, Family and Group Therapy, and Field Instruction in Agency- Institutional Settings as well as Field Instruction in Community Setting.

The Master of Science in Social Work engages students with both theoretical and practical education in the mastery of Social Work education