PhD Program Overview

Our PhD Program balances theory-driven research with strong conceptual and analytical skills. Graduates are prepared to be teaching-research faculty in prominent schools of social work. Designed for students to obtain their degree in three to five academic years, the first part of the program consists of PhD core courses and the second part consists of the dissertation process. Classes in our interdisciplinary program promote strong inter-professional thinking and integrative approaches to social problems, drawing from a solid social science theory base. The graduation requirements and curriculum enhance our intensive, research-driven approaches to build new practice paradigms with a focus on practice and systems change. Our principal goal is to prepare students to contribute to the development of knowledge in the field of social welfare and the profession of social work.

The College of Social Work has an exceptional faculty, recognized for their work in the fields of child welfare, gerontology, marriage and family supports, juvenile justice and corrections, disabilities, immigrants and refugees, women/gender roles, health, mental health, and substance abuse.

We have two curriculum delivery strategies (onsite and distance) with the same program requirements, standards of rigor, and expectations for students. Our flexible coursework options enable students to maintain their roles in the community. Both full-time and part-time students are admitted each fall semester to our regular campus program, in existence since 1972. Our summer-intensive Technology-Enhanced Doctorate (TED) began in 2000, with a new cohort admitted every four to five years.

The College of Social Work and the Center for Public Policy and Administration have established a dual degree program that offers the PhD in Social Work and the Master of Public Administration (MPA) degrees. The purpose of this partnership is to prepare students in a unique interdisciplinary fashion to assume leadership roles in nonprofit organizations or institutions of government concerned with the social welfare of the public. Applicants must follow admission requirements and be accepted by both programs.

Please feel free to contact our office with specific questions, as we always welcome an opportunity to talk with applicants and students.