PHD Social Work Curriculum
The basic components of the program include: (1) coursework, (2) comprehensive examination, (3) dissertation, and (4) mentoring and professional development system. The program requires a
total of 50 doctoral level credit hours plus 6 dissertation credit hours for a total of at least 56 credit hours.
The coursework consists of 56 credit hours, including 38 credit hours of core curriculum, 12 hours of individualized curriculum (i.e., independent studies and electives), and 6 hour of dissertation prep. Six of the 12 individualized credit hours must be in research methods or statistics.
Links to our core course descriptions and schedule are provided below, along with the doctoral handbook.
Revised Curriculum (PDF)
Download PhD Program Handbook [PDF]
Visit the University catalog to view the admission and degree requirements.
Program Goals:
- Advanced critical thinking skills and knowledge necessary to be leaders in the social work profession as advocates for social justice, researchers, and academic professionals.
- Mastery of an area of theoretical and methodological expertise to address specific social problems.
- Mastery of research methodology and advanced statistics, including both qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Mastery of the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare future social workers to address complex social problems.