PhD Program
Our rigorous PhD program prepares researchers, scholars, and educators to advance the field of social welfare and social work practice.
Research training is at the core of our program. Students develop mastery of:
A substantive area, providing the foundation for advanced social work research
Theoretical perspectives that furnish insight about social issues, social welfare, and social work practice
Research that identifies causes, dynamics, and outcomes of social work practice and interventions
Various research methods that enable the students to build and advance knowledge relevant to the field of social work and to excel as researchers and teachers at leading academic and social welfare institutions around the world
Teaching methods that actively engage the next generation of scholars and practitioners in building the social work knowledge base and in identifying effective, evidence-based practice
Communication skills that scholars use to raise awareness of important social issues and to disseminate findings of their own scholarship
- Mentorship is an important component of the doctoral program. Incoming students are matched with faculty members who share their research interests and can provide support in the areas of research, career preparation, and other areas throughout the doctoral program journey.
- The program recruited the most diverse incoming class for 2021-22 with more than 83% AHANA students.
- BC has a monthly program designed to bring together and support doctoral students of color from across campus.
- The Pinderhughes Fellowship offers additional financial support to Black doctoral students.
- Students are encouraged and financially supported to submit abstracts to national research conferences. 63% of the doctoral students had papers accepted for presentation at SSWR in 2020.
- Students have opportunities to participate in informal research groups with other SSW doctoral students across cohorts who share research interests.
- Students have co-authored articles and co-presented at conferences in areas such as immigration, aging, adoption, and food security.
- Students develop strong teaching skills through required teaching courses, teaching practicums, paid teaching assistantships, and adjunct teaching opportunities.
- Many of our doctoral students complete the Apprenticeship in College Teaching offered through BC’s Center for Teaching Excellence.
Class Profile
24
PhD students in BCSSW
48%
AHANA Students
(African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American)
94%
Of our recent grads over the last five years have secured employment as assistant professors, researchers, or post-doctoral fellows within a year of graduation
6
Countries of citizenship
PhD Curriculum Plans
The dual degree program is designed for those who do not yet have a Master's of Social Work.
Applicants will be considered for acceptance into the MSW/PhD program in exceptional cases and must possess a master’s degree in a behavioral or social science discipline in addition to considerable work experience.
Well-suited for international graduate students who can acquire an understanding of American social welfare policy and social work practice prior to launching their advanced doctoral studies.
Print
| FIRST YEAR | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | CR | Spring | CR | Summer | CR | Requirements Completed |
SCWK7721 Human Behavior & the Social Environment |
3 | SSCWK7701 Social Welfare System |
3 | Elective (MSW) | 3 |
|
SCWK7723 Diversity & Cross-Cultural Issues |
3 | SCWK7722 Psychosocial Pathology (Clinical) OR SCWK8833 Leadership & Social Transformation (Macro) |
3 | Elective (MSW) | 3 | |
SCWK7762 Basic Skills in Clinical Social Work |
3 | SCWK8856 Clinical Practice with Adults: Assessment, Intervention & Evidence Based Practice (Clinical) OR SCWK8886 Financial Management & Resource Development (Macro) |
3 | SCWK9919 Early Start Field Education Clinical or Macro (suggested early start if approved by Field Department) |
0 | |
SCWK8800 Basic Skills in Macro Social Work |
3 |
SCWK8855 Clinical Practice with Children & Families: Assessment, Intervention & Evidence Based Practice (Clinical) OR SCWK8889 Social Innovation (Macro) |
3 | |||
| SCWK9921 Field Education I (16 hours per week) | 3 | SCWK9932 Field Education II – Clinical OR SCWK9942 Field Education II – Macro (16 hours per week) | 3 | |||
| SECOND YEAR | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | CR | Spring | CR | Summer | CR | Requirements Completed |
Advanced Practice in Concentration |
3 | Advanced Policy in Concentration |
3 | Electiveh | 3 |
|
SCWK9951 Survey of Research Methods in Social and Behavioral Science |
3 | SCWK9956 The Dialectics of Social & Behavioral Theory |
1 | |||
SCWK9950 Professional Development Seminar |
3 | SCWK9960 Regression Analysis for Social and Behavioral Sciences |
0 | |||
SCWK9964 Intro to Statistics |
3 | SCWK9993 Research Internship |
1 | |||
SCWK9993 Research Internship |
1 | SCWK9934 Field Education IV – Clinical OR SCWK9944 Field Education IV – Macro (24 hours per week) | 4 |
|||
| SCWK9933 Field Education III – Clinical OR SCWK9943 Field Education III – Macro (24 hours per week) | 4 | |||||
| THIRD YEAR | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | CR | Spring | CR | Summer | CR | Requirements Completed |
SCWK9959 Doctoral Publishable Paper Writing Project |
3 | SCWK9992 Theories & Methods of Teaching in Professional Education (must be taken with SCWK9991) |
3 |
|
||
Elective |
3 | SCWK9991 Doctoral Teaching Practicum (must be taken with SCWK9992) |
1 | |||
Elective |
3 | SCWK9966 Publishable Paper Continuation |
0 | |||
| SCWK9993 Research Internship | 1 | SCWK9993 Research Internship |
1 | |||
| FOURTH YEAR | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | CR | Spring | CR | Summer | CR | Requirements Completed |
SCWK9994 Dissertation Preparation Seminar |
3 | SCWK9995 Dissertation Direction I |
3 |
|
||
| Elective (not needed if 4 electives have been taken) | 3 | Optional: Audit course needed for dissertation | 1.5 | |||
| SCWK9993 Research Internship | 1 | |||||
| FIFTH YEAR | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | CR | Spring | CR | Summer | CR | Requirements Completed |
SCWK9996 Dissertation Direction II |
3 | SCWK9911 Doctoral Continuation |
1 |
|
||
PhD Candidates and Recent Alumni
Financial Aid
Applicants are fully funded with a doctoral fellowship valued at more than $200,000 over the course of four years.
Recent Employers
Alberto Hurtado University in Chile
Boston Children’s Hospital
Brown University
Harvard University
MIT AgeLab
The Ohio State University
Umeå University, Sweden (2021)
Universidad Loyola del Pacífico
University of Maryland
University of Pittsburgh
University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Washington
