Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work

Graduates will locate their work in the intellectual landscape of social work, critically analyze theories, practices, policies, and research in at least one specialized area of social work knowledge, disseminate knowledge that contributes to the advancement of social work research, practice, and policy, including writing publishable, peer-reviewed manuscripts, presenting at local, national, or international conferences, and/or producing policy briefs or white papers, and
in the social work classroom, create a learning culture and classroom climate that is inclusive of a diverse population of students and diverse learning styles.

Students are required to have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, and a minimum undergraduate g.p.a. of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale).

Applicants applying only to the Ph.D. program are required to have a M.S.W. or a master's degree in a related field, such as public policy, public health, sociology, psychology, political science, economics, education, nursing, or anthropology.


For international applicants, you must have a minimum score of 100 on the TOEFL iBT Total Score or minimum of 7 on the IELTS Overall Band Score, with no IELTS sub-score less than 6.0. A score of 26on the speaking portion of the TOEFL is preferred. Automatic waivers of the TOEFL or IELTS requirementare granted for people who have completed a bachelor's degree (or higher) at an accredited university inthe United States, United Kingdom, Canada (excluding French Quebec), Africa (English speaking), Australia, or New Zealand.