Mission Statement
The Ph.D. Program in Social Welfare
prepares students for careers in research, university teaching, and
leadership in social welfare. Through a combination of courses,
seminars, individual and collaborative study and research, as well as
opportunities to teach, students are assisted to develop and strengthen
their skills in methods of scientific inquiry, to deepen their
understanding and analysis of social problems and public issues, and to
contribute to the knowledge base of social welfare by evaluating the
effects of social welfare interventions at all levels.
The
majority of applicants to the Ph.D. Program are social work
practitioners. However, the Ph.D. degree is not a “clinical” degree. It
is first and foremost a research degree. At minimum, its graduates have
demonstrated advanced knowledge of a social problem/social issue/social
theory, an intervention level/practice model, and research methodology
through the conduct and defense of an original dissertation. Most
graduates have obtained positions as faculty members in schools of
social work across the country.