Ph.D. in Social Work
Jennifer Wilson, Ph.D., LCSW
Clinical Associate Professor, Ph.D. Program Director
E-mail: wilsonj2@sacredheart.edu
School of Social Work E-mail: socialwork@sacredheart.edu
This degree requires completion of 54 credits, including 39 required credit hours, one 3 credit interdisciplinary elective, 3 credit hours dissertation proposal, a minimum of 12 dissertation credit hours, annual one-week on campus 3 credit summer residencies, one qualifying paper and an oral defense, an approved dissertation proposal, and unanimous approval of the candidate's dissertation. Ph.D. program requirements can be completed within 4 years; a dissertation must be approved within 8 years of the student's date of enrollment in the Ph.D. program.
Elective and required courses are offered primarily via asynchronous online delivery, supplemented with synchronous online meetings scheduled with faculty and peers within each course and throughout the program, and with a brief on campus summer residency required annually. Students can choose one required interdisciplinary elective and several optional electives to further develop their areas of specialization and competencies.
The Ph.D. in Social Work is a part-time degree program which requires continuous enrollment throughout the entirety of the program*. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better (minimum grade of B in each course) to advance in their plan of study. A course with an unsatisfactory grade may be retaken once.
Students must submit one qualifying paper to their doctoral committee for approval: this paper will provide the basis for the research proposal. Students will then conduct an oral defense to further demonstrate mastery of their research area. Upon approval of the qualifying paper and oral defense, students enroll in a 3-credit dissertation proposal course where they will formulate their doctoral research question(s), plan, and methods. The dissertation proposal must be defended to and approved by the student's doctoral committee. Approval of the dissertation proposal advances the students to candidacy.
Students who are Ph.D. candidates must enroll in at least 3 dissertation credits per semester while conducting their doctoral research and writing their dissertation. Candidates must complete at least 12 dissertation credits. Students have the option of attending an on campus Writer's Retreat (3 credits) and/or enrolling in Independent Study (3 credits) or Dissertation Seminar (3 credits) while writing their dissertation.
Upon satisfactory review of the dissertation by their advisor and doctoral committee, candidates defend their dissertation to their doctoral committee. Dissertation defenses are open to attendees from within and outside the university. Unanimous approval of the dissertation by the candidate's doctoral committee, as well as approval by the Associate Dean of the School of Social Work, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Provost of the University are required before the Ph.D. in Social Work degree is conferred.
* Students are required to obtain a Leave of Absence approved by the Ph.D. Program Director and Associate Dean of the School of Social Work if they are unable to maintain continuous enrollment.
Degree Requirements
Required and elective courses for the Ph.D. in Social Work are offered in the following categories:
- Advancement of Social Justice - 12 credits: SW 722 (required), SW 724 (required), SW 775 (required), Interdisciplinary Elective* (required)
- Research and Scholarship - 12 credits: SW 720 (required), SW 702 (required), RCR 705 (required), RCR 704 (optional), SW 730 (required)
- Social Work Education and Leadership - 6 credits: SW 751 (required), SW 767 (required), RCR 703 (optional)
- Doctoral Seminar/Dissertation Research - minimum of 24 credits: SW 700 (required), SW 798 (required), SW 799 (optional), SW 800 (optional), SW 801 (required), SW 802 (optional, SW 899 (required)
Courses for the Ph.D. in Social Work earn 3 credits toward the degree, with the exception of a 0 credit online refresher course in research methods (optional) offered before students begin their first semester and a 6 credit qualifying paper course.
Students will work with their advisor to plan and approve their program of study. Ph.D. in Social Work courses are offered once every year in Fall, Spring, or Summer semesters.
* Interdisciplinary Elective is a graduate course offered by another department based on each student's research area(s) of study and approved by their advisor.
Required Courses (54 credits)
The Ph.D. in Social Work curriculum includes courses in research methods, design, statistical analysis, interpretation and ethics consistent with the degree of rigor expected for a doctoral program in social work.
| SW 700 | Summer Residency | 3 |
| SW 702 | Quantitative Research Methods | 3 |
| SW 720 | Foundations of Statistical Analysis | 3 |
| SW 722 | Historical/Theoretical Contexts of Social Work | 3 |
| SW 724 | Advanced Social & Racial Justice | 3 |
| SW 730 | Advanced Statistical Analysis | 3 |
| SW 751 | Pedagogy & Social Work Education | 3 |
| SW 767 | Advanced Topics in Policy & Leadership | 3 |
| SW 775 | Integrated Social Work | 3 |
| SW 798 | Qualifying Papers | 6 |
| SW 801 | Dissertation Proposal | 3 |
| SW 899 | Dissertation Seminar | 3 |
| RCR 705 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
The Ph.D. in Social Work degree requires continuous enrollment and completion of a minimum of 54 credit hours, including 39 credit hours course work, 3 credit hours dissertation proposal, a minimum of 12 dissertation credit hours, and two 3 credit on campus one-week summer residency courses. SW 700 must be taken in the first and second years.
Elective Courses
Students will further develop their own areas of specialization through interdisciplinary electives. Ph.D. students are required to complete at least one graduate course in another department with advisor permission.