Social Work and Social Research Ph.D.
The School of Social Work offers the Ph.D. in Social Work and Social Research to educate the next generation of scholars, researchers, teachers and leaders in social work and related fields. The program prepares students to contribute to scholarly knowledge, conduct ethical, rigorous, and community-engaged research, and teach passionately and effectively in various settings--all with special attention to equity and justice. The Regional Research Institute for Human Services and the Center for the Improvement of Child and Family Services are major resources for the program.
Coursework includes core social work courses, required research electives, and selected substantive area electives. The core social work classes are taught seminar style, providing students with experiences of engagement in discussions about complex ideas and diverse viewpoints. The elective courses can be taken in other academic units based on each student's individualized study plan. Following completion of required and elective courses the student must pass written and oral comprehensive examinations before defending a dissertation proposal, conducting independent research and a final dissertation defense.
Requirements
Each doctoral student is required to select a social problem for study and become knowledgeable about relevant theories and proficient in the methodologies appropriate for scholarly inquiry of the problem.
Core requirements for the course of study are designed to ensure knowledge and skills in the history, theory, and organization of societal responses to social issues; quantitative and qualitative research methods and statistics; and expertise in a cognate area relevant to the social problem or method of inquiry through course work outside of the School of Social Work. Students also are required to enroll in a research practicum under the direction of an approved qualified supervisor. A teaching practicum may be elected. Each student’s program of study will be individually planned and approved. Students in the first and second years of the program are required to attend the Ph.D. seminar each quarter.
Core Courses (31 credits)
| SW 620 | Substantive Area Conceptualization | 3 |
| SW 622 | Substantive Area Investigation | 3 |
| SW 626/PHE 626 | Teaching and Learning in Health Promotion & Social Work | 3 |
| SW 630 | Philosophy of Science for Social Sciences | 3 |
| SW 637/Psy 637 | Qualitative Research Methods for Social Inquiry | 4 |
| SW 640 | Research Practicum and Seminar | 3 |
| SW 650 | History of Social Work Profession/al | 3 |
| SW 660 | Ph.D. Seminar – First Year | 1 |
| SW 661 | Ph.D. Seminar – Second Year | 1 |
| SW 690 | Teaching Practicum and Seminar | 3 |
SW 660 and
SW 661 must be taken 3 times each for a total of 6 credits.
Required Elective Courses (16 credits)
| | Appropriate interdisciplinary social science research methods courses | 16 |
Other Electives (16)
| | Appropriate courses in student's substantive area of focus | 16 |
Dissertation (27 credits)
Total Credit Hours: 90
Comprehensive examination
A written comprehensive examination is taken after completion of required coursework.
Dissertation
After successful completion of the comprehensive examinations, the dissertation chairperson and committee are appointed. The student develops a dissertation proposal that is defended orally before the dissertation committee. When the proposal has been approved by the dissertation committee and by the University Human Subjects Research Review committee, the student is considered a candidate for the Ph.D. in Social Work and Social Research. A dissertation must be completed following the outlines of the approved proposal. Students must maintain continuous registration while engaged in dissertation research.
Final examination
At the conclusion of doctoral work, the student defends the completed dissertation before the dissertation committee and other interested faculty and doctoral students. The student is expected to demonstrate knowledge of the topic selected for study and to show that the dissertation is a contribution to knowledge in the social problem area.