PhD Curriculum

Students study full-time and are usually expected to enroll in nine to twelve units of study each semester. Although diversity of backgrounds makes it difficult to predict, students are expected to complete the program in about four years. There are approximately two years of coursework and then the dissertation. Those in the combined MSW/PhD program usually require an additional year.

Curriculum Plans

PhD Program Overview (PDF)
PhD Curriculum Plan 2011-2012 (PDF)

MSW/PhD Program Overview (PDF)
MSW/PhD Program Curriculum Plan 2011-2012 (PDF)

Research Training

Research training, both formal and experiential, is at the core of the program. Flexibility is provided to help students attain in-depth competence in a substantive area of social welfare. Students acquire expertise in applied social and behavioral science research methodologies that are especially appropriate for investigating critical policy and practice questions. This set of courses emphasizes analytic skills needed to understand, appraise, and advance knowledge in social work. With these tools, the student selects a specific area of specialization and develops relevant social and behavioral science expertise to conduct significant research in that area.

The learning process involves more than classroom instruction. Students are expected to work closely with faculty mentors in their roles as scholars and researchers. Given that the most important research questions benefit from the scholarship of an array of academic disciplines, students are encouraged to use the rich learning resources available in the Boston area.

Doctoral students come with diverse academic backgrounds and levels of preparation, and the program assists in identifying elective courses that can fill in gaps in knowledge needed to pursue advanced work. Rather than merely completing a set of courses, the program emphasizes knowledge acquisition. Students who demonstrate possession of such knowledge on the basis of prior work and proficiency examinations may be exempted from specific course requirements and encouraged to seek more advanced options.