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It's interesting.  Starting in the 1990s, social work schools were abandoning the DSW in droves.  In fact, school like Columbia and Fordham retroactively upgraded previously conferred DSWs to PhDs without any additional work which was very scandalous among long-standing PhD programs.  So it's unclear why they're going back.

It is a great degree for advancing your career. I have had a very positive response to my being a student in such a program. Only challenge is that you have to pay out of pocket. 

Moving into higher level positions usually requires work experience and connections. Gov't job promotions are always a formula consisting of degree level and experience level. I don't believe certifications would get you much, but if your employer thinks otherwise then obviously different. You already have two of the standard degrees, I don't see the need for a certification.

Do not pay for a PhD. Why do you want the PhD?  You already have 3 masters, what would the PhD do for you?
 

My goal is Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Durham/Raleigh, Columbia (SC). I prefer racially diverse southern cities  

I've actually had a few relatives go into this type of work and seriously a strong grasp of statistics and algebra and you'll be fine. 

I'm glad this was helpful.  I do want to emphasize that the quant you do learn in an MPP can be very helpful even if you are not running regressions in your job.  At the very least, those classes will give you the basis to understand if other people's analyses are valid.  One thing you absolutely will find in the public sector is a lot of people throwing around phrases/words like "statistically significant" and "correlation" without fully understanding what those things mean, and you may very well find yourself in a position where you need to call them out on that (or at least gently correct them).

One D in an otherwise good profile is not going to rule you out of consideration from good schools.  When you apply to schools, focus on your development (personal, professional, academic) and show them that you understand how their programs fit into your goals.

I've actually had a few relatives go into this type of work and seriously a strong grasp of statistics and algebra and you'll be fine. 

Thanks for the clarification.  I'm sure positions as a program officer, policy advisor, director of government relations, operations manager, etc. wouldn't, but there are some that I'm not sure about.  I'm not sure what level of math I would need for the positions similar to the following (I don't imagine you will know the answer to all of these, but if you know some I'd appreciate the help):
- Policy Analyst for a nonprofit or government
- Research Analyst for a nonprofit or government
- Analyst for the CBO or GAO

Absolutely some schools are going to use calculus in some of their classes/tracks, but unless they require that level of math as part of admission to the program or track, you'll most likely find that most of your fellow students do not have much of a calculus background.  I'm quite certain that Harvard's MPP program, for example, does not require knowledge of calculus for admission, but that it does for the MPA/ID program.  People I know who attended Harvard for the MPP neither entered or left with calculus.  MPP/MPA programs are different from Ph.D. programs in that they are typically preparing you to mainly be a consumer of empirical research and less so a producer.  Certainly some people will go from an MPP to a very quant-focused role, and those people will often have sought out the quant-heavy courses.  But there are many, many public sector-related jobs in which you will never run a regression yourself, and many people do not attend MPP programs with the goal of getting a quant-heavy job.  Ph.D. programs are preparing people to enter academia, where the ability to produce empirical research is essential.   

The best place to live is wherever the jobs are.
That being said, I really loved living in Boston many years ago, before returning to academia.
 

Once you're out of undergrad I find that most people don't bother putting their GPA on their CV/resume. If it comes up on an interview then be honest about it but I don't believe any major company out there has a strict policy on GPAs. If you're doing a master's thesis then that body of work will be more important than your GPA. In my experience doing a biomed PhD, your GPA only matters so far as it is required for enrollment (above B average, no C's, etc). In industry it doesn't matter what your GPA is as long as you can demonstrate that you can do the work assigned. 

Doing a federal government internship could help you get the skills needed to get a job with that agency in the future so, I think it's a great idea. Is it a paid or unpaid internship? You might also consider whether doing a "virtual internship", which some agencies offer, is worthwhile.

Definitely use the Magoosh apps. They have two vocabulary apps now. They are pretty good and free!

Definitely use the Magoosh apps. They have two vocabulary apps now. They are pretty good and free!

You can study the words in whatever order you wish. I'm currently learning vocal through several sources (Manhattan flashcards, Magoosh iPad apps, reading, and making my own flashcards). You just need to do whatever is best for you.

I am currently using the Magoosh app too. I'll attempt to learn 50 more words by tonight. Thanks

This. I would definitely ask. They don't have much to lose and neither do you by asking.

That being said, if this is your dream, then you should start contacting schools, reading their websites, and figuring out how to make it happen (ex. what funding or scholarships to apply for and early that process has to happen, what each school's funding situation/policy is like for international students, etc.).

If you have absolutely no or very few courses in psychology, there is a great chance you will have to do a post-bacc or complete a masters in psychology (I was told a generic masters in psychology is useful in these situations). If a program is lenient enough, they may accept a really good score on the Psych GRE. Most programs expect you to come in with a general knowledge of psychology with the understanding that graduate school is where you will define your more specific interests and learn new skills to apply that knowledge. Many programs even lay out which courses they expect you to have coming in so you may want to look for that section when researching different programs.