Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work
The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare Ph.D. program prepares students to become leaders nationally and internationally in advancing social work practice and policy through research, teaching, and scholarship. Our students graduate from the program with the critical knowledge and skills they need to become innovative stewards of the discipline who generate and disseminate knowledge as researchers, scholars and educators. The program offers effective options for building knowledge by initiating systematic inquiry into methods, forms, and outcomes of social work practice and social welfare policy.
Program Highlights
- Creative, critical thinking about social work practice, social policy, and guiding theoretical frames
- Advanced quantitative and qualitative research skills
- Opportunities to participate in and develop innovative scholarship and to foster teaching skills applicable across multiple formats
- Student-centered educational approach
- Financial support and mentoring for students
- Appreciation for human diversity and the development of a global perspective
- Focus on advancing justice through scholarship, teaching and service
- Unique study abroad opportunities
Curriculum
Ph.D. courses prepare students as scholars with conceptual and methodological sophistication.
- The history and philosophy course focuses on the intellectual history, current status, and innovation of social work ideas, ideologies, and theories.
- In the research sequence, students learn both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, designs, advanced modes of analysis, theory for research, appropriate applications, and research design which centers racial and social justice.
- The policy course provides the opportunity to analyze policies of interest to the student and how policies impact populations of interest. Students develop and apply a critical perspective when considering human problems, strengths, and strategies for change and transformation.
- Integrative papers and electives help students develop deep understanding in areas of special interest.
- A required course as well as teaching seminars for GTAs prepare students to be effective educators.
- The dissertation involves advanced and focused research into a topic selected by the student, based on quantitative, qualitative, historical, conceptual, or other methods of inquiry.
Admission to the Ph.D. Program
In addition to all University requirements for admission to graduate studies, students applying to the Ph.D. Program must provide and/or meet all of the following:
Required
- Master's degree in social work or related field.
- Graduate grade-point average of 3.5 or higher.
- Personal statement of scholarly and research interests in social work practice and why the candidate wishes to pursue their Ph.D. at KU.
- Three letters of reference, transcripts from all previously attended schools regardless of degree status, and resume.
- Completion of a basic statistics course within the past two years with a grade of B or higher. If the applicant has not completed this requirement, they must include a written statement showing how it will be met before entering the program, or indicate they plan to apply for a waiver of this requirement based on extensive research experience.
- Completion of the online graduate application.
- Students whose native language is not English must follow the policy for English Proficiency Requirements for Admission to Graduate Study.
Preferred
- Undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 or higher preferred.
- MSW degree preferred. Applicants with master's degrees related to social work and affiliation with social work activities and values are considered.
- Two years of social work or related practice; ideally two years of post-master’s professional social work experience preferred.
Criteria used in judging applications include the applicant’s potential for excellence in academic performance, professional practice and research experience, and potential for contributions to knowledge-building for social work. We take a holistic approach to admissions, attending to the various strengths and areas for growth of each prospective student.
Learn more about the admission process.
Note:
Ph.D. Degree Requirements
Preparatory Coursework
To help prepare students for the first two quantitative research courses (SW 981 and SW 983), incoming students are required to complete an introductory statistics online refresher offered through the KU School of Social Welfare or another statistics course prior to entering SW 981.
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| |
| SW 976 | Practice and Politics of Writing | 3 |
| SW 980 | History and Philosophy of Social Work | 3 |
| SW 982 | Social Welfare Policy | 3 |
| SW 985 | Theory for Social Work Research | 3 |
| SW 987 | Teaching Social Work: Philosophy and Methods | 3 |
| SW 975 | Racial Equity and Social Justice in Research and Practice | 3 |
| SW 978 | Research Design and Methods | 3 |
| SW 979 | Methods of Qualitative Inquiry I | 3 |
| SW 981 | Advanced Quantitative Research Methods I | 3 |
| SW 983 | Advanced Quantitative Research Methods II | 3 |
| SW 989 | Methods of Qualitative Inquiry II | 3 |
| 9 |
| Total Hours | 42 |
Other Degree Requirements
Seminar Enrollment
Starting in the first semester of enrollment in the Ph.D. program, all doctoral students must enroll in 1 credit hour of required seminar each Fall and Spring semester for a total of 4 credits. Seminar courses include: SW 911 and SW 912.
Research Skill or Foreign Language
Before completing the Comprehensive Oral Examination for the Ph.D., the student consults with the Academic Advisor and must satisfy one of the following options:
Option 1: Research Skills Electives
Students in this option must take at least one research skills elective (3 credit hours) as part of the 9 elective hours required. In consultation with the student’s Academic Advisor, students develop competency in one area of research skill relevant to social work research. A student may choose from a variety of approved options, including but not limited to advanced statistics, computer language, historical methods, ethnographic methods, psychometrics, advanced data management techniques, and content analysis. Approval is automatic if the course has been previously approved by the Program Director.
Option 2: Research Related Second Language Competency
In consultation with the student’s advisor, students may opt to develop competency in one language other than English in place of their required research methods elective. A student must demonstrate reading, writing, or speaking knowledge of the chosen language related to a specific area of social work research. If this option is chosen, the student’s Academic Advisor and the PhD Program Director must agree on the method of evaluation. These methods might include passing a Language Competency Exam administered at the university, completion of language courses, or documentation on transcripts of having completed university degrees in a non-English language-based institution. Once the requirement is satisfied, the student is notified in writing by the Program Director.
Research Skills & Responsible Scholarship
The University requires that every doctoral student receive training in responsible scholarship pertinent to the field of research and obtain research skills pertinent to the doctoral level of research in their field(s). These requirements must be completed by the end of the semester that the student takes the oral comprehensive exam. This requirement is satisfied by the completion of the courses in the Research Skills & Responsible Scholarship section in the above course grid.
Integrative Paper
After completing the required courses, the student may begin the Integrative Paper (IP) process. Students can begin working on the IP prior to completing all elective credit hours, but only after receiving approval of their IP committee. The IP is a requirement of the School of Social Welfare’s PhD program; because it is not a requirement of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs, the policies around the Integrative Paper are established and overseen by the School of Social Welfare.
The purpose of the IP is for PhD students to demonstrate their abilities to conceptualize, critically analyze, and present knowledge in an organized, compelling, and cogent manner. Students will demonstrate competence in synthesis, integration, and application of literature in an area of scholarly interest including a theoretical or conceptual framework(s), empirical literature, historical analysis, policy frameworks, and/or methodological analysis that guides their understanding of the topic. The IP also requires students to demonstrate knowledge and application of the professor's guiding principles.
The IP may set the stage for the Dissertation proposal, but it is not required to do so.
Oral Comprehensive Exam/Dissertation Proposal Defense
Within the School of Social Welfare, the function of the Dissertation Proposal/Comprehensive Oral Exam is to ensure students demonstrate competency in their area of scholarly interest and capacity to move forward with designing and executing independent research with current relevance to social work and justice. Successful completion of the Oral Comprehensive Exam qualifies the student as a Ph.D. Candidate.
To facilitate timely completion, students and their advisors are required to use the Dissertation Proposal Planning Form and to submit it to the PhD Program office within one month of completing the Integrative Paper. Refer to the Ph.D. Program Handbook for specifics.
Enrollment Requirements Post-Comprehensive Exam
Doctoral candidates are required, after passing the Comprehensive Oral Examination (i.e., dissertation proposal defense), to be continuously enrolled each fall and spring semester in one or more hours of dissertation credits or programmatically equivalent coursework (for example, document hours for DMA students) that both moves the student towards degree completion and reflects, as accurately as possible, the candidate’s demands on faculty time and university facilities. During this time, until all requirements for the degree are completed (including the filing of the dissertation) or until 18 post-comprehensive hours have been completed (whichever comes first), the candidate must enroll for a minimum of 6 hours a semester. Refer to Doctoral Candidacy Policy.
Dissertation and Final Oral Defense
Having completed all of the required coursework and the Integrative Paper, the student is eligible to form a Dissertation Committee. Within the School of Social Welfare, students may select one of two formats of dissertations – Traditional or Three-Paper. Both dissertation formats must meet the requirements of a dissertation as described by KU policy to include that the dissertation is (a) the result of original research; and, (b) a coherent, scholarly work, not a collage of separate distinct pieces. Refer to the Ph.D. Program Handbook for details regarding the approved dissertation formats.
Upon approval by the student's committee that the student’s dissertation research and written document is complete, the student must defend the dissertation before all committee members in the “final oral examination,” or dissertation defense. The final dissertation defense includes a public presentation of the dissertation research by the candidate and concludes with a period of questioning by the committee, faculty, and public in attendance. After posing questions to the student about the dissertation work, committee members deliberate and vote on a grade of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. A grade of
Satisfactory requires a majority vote, and may be contingent on the completion of specific revisions by a designated due date. The committee may also recommend that a student earning a satisfactory grade be considered for Honors by the Department. Honors are conferred by the School, reflecting outstanding work in all aspects of the doctoral program.
Sample Degree Plan for full-time students follows. Students should consult with the Ph.D. Program Director for part-time alternative plans of study.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate critical thinking skills related to high quality research from conceptualization and implementation through dissemination.
- Infuse and apply a critical perspective with an explicit focus on justice within one’s pedagogy.
- Commit to ongoing critical self-reflection and development in one’s teaching and work with students.
- Take an active role in facilitating relationships in the school, the doctoral student community, and the national and international network of social work educators and scholars.
- Demonstrate professional accountability, integrity, and ethical practice in one’s research and role as an educator of developing future social workers in the field.
- Critically incorporate the strengths perspective in one’s scholarship, research, pedagogy and practice. Specifically, clients served, collaborators, research participants, colleagues, and students.
- Position one's scholarship within social work and the broader interdisciplinary evidence base.
- Situate one's teaching, research, and service within a multi-systemic framework.
- Conceptualize the impact of one's scholarly work within empirically informed social work using a systems lens which integrates across micro and macro levels.
