Social Work, PhD

Program Mission and Goals

Program Mission: The mission of the PhD program is to prepare students for research, service, and teaching within minority serving institutions.  Particular focus on pedagogy for diverse student populations is emphasized.  The program design is particularly focused on supporting under-represented scholars through research involvement and mentoring. 

Program Goals: The goals of the proposed PhD program are:

• To provide a rigorous program of work that challenges students to think critically about social work practice, research, and teaching with diverse populations;

• To provide mentoring and other support to students that enable them to strengthen their professional skills and serve others with competence and respect; and

• To contribute to the social work profession through the development and transference of practice and evidence-based knowledge and service.

Take the following courses:

• SOWK 9102 - Seminar on Issues in Social Work Education and Research

• (Must be taken four times)

• SOWK 9172 - Colloquium Dissertation I
• SOWK 9308 - Epistemology & Theories
• SOWK 9315 - Statistical Methods I
• SOWK 9319 - Qualitative Research I
• SOWK 9325 - Statistics II
• SOWK 9330 - Quantitative Research
• SOWK 9338 - Qualitative Research II
• SOWK 9342 - Grants and Proposals
• SOWK 9351 - Mixed Methods Research
• SOWK 9183 - Colloquium Dissertation II
• SOWK 9363 - Scholarly Writing and Publishing
• SOWK 9365 - Comprehensive
• SOWK 9400 - Culturally Informed Pedagogy
• SOWK 9446 - Pedagogy of Distance Education
• SOWK 9572 - Dissertation I
• SOWK 9583 - Dissertation II
• SOWK 9124 - Dissertation III

• To continue dissertation work if needed. Students must continuously enroll in this 1 credit course until the dissertation is complete

Summer I

Required summer residency.  

• SOWK 9102 - Seminar on Issues in Social Work Education and Research

Fall I

• SOWK 9308 - Epistemology & Theories
• SOWK 9400 - Culturally Informed Pedagogy

Spring I

• SOWK 9315 - Statistical Methods I
• SOWK 9319 - Qualitative Research I

Summer II

Required summer residency.  

• SOWK 9102 - Seminar on Issues in Social Work Education and Research

Fall II

• SOWK 9325 - Statistics II
• SOWK 9330 - Quantitative Research

Spring II

• SOWK 9338 - Qualitative Research II
• SOWK 9342 - Grants and Proposals

Summer III

Required summer residency.  

• SOWK 9102 - Seminar on Issues in Social Work Education and Research

Fall III

• SOWK 9351 - Mixed Methods Research
• SOWK 9446 - Pedagogy of Distance Education

Spring III

• SOWK 9363 - Scholarly Writing and Publishing
• SOWK 9365 - Comprehensive

Summer IV

Required summer residency.  

• SOWK 9102 - Seminar on Issues in Social Work Education and Research

Fall IV

• SOWK 9172 - Colloquium Dissertation I
• SOWK 9572 - Dissertation I

Spring IV

SOWK 9583 Completion of research project and publishable articles.  Only one of the three articles may be therotical.  Student must complete oral defense of dissertation.

• SOWK 9183 - Colloquium Dissertation II
• SOWK 9583 - Dissertation II

Dissertation III

SOWK 9124 is added to continue disseration work if needed. Students must continuously enroll in this 1 credit course until the dissertation is complete. 

Offered on a pass /fail basis.