Doctoral Coursework

The following 7 courses comprise the 21 required credit hours of core social work courses: 

SW 7200 Social Research Methods I: Introduction to social science research and research proposal development. 

SW 7201 Social Research Methods II: Advanced methods for conducting social science research and developing research proposals. 

SW 7202 Issues and Research Problems in Social Policy: Issues and problems in social welfare policy; research focus on policy formulation. Focuses on the research design of projects focused on policy-relevant questions. 

SW 7204 Issues and Research Problems in Social Work Intervention: Social work intervention with individuals, families, groups, and communities; formulation and development of problem-solving research agendas. It focuses on the research design of projects and conceptualizing and testing interventions. 

SW 7206 Research Practicum: No more than 6 hours can be taken in one semester. Can be repeated for up to 9 credit hours. Supervised research experience; demonstration of collaborative and/or independent research. 

SW 7207 Integrative Seminar: Development of research questions and hypotheses, and initial drafts of the dissertation proposal, including introduction, literature review, and methodology sections. 

SW 7208 Theories in Social Work: Critical analysis and discussion of the epistemological, philosophical, theoretical, empirical, and practical foundations of social work.

A MINIMUM of 12 credit hours in research methods and statistical analysis. 

Stats 1: Taken outside of department (e.g., ELRC 7006, POLI 7962, SOCL 7201) 

Stats 2: Taken outside of department (e.g.,  ELRC 7016, POLI 7963, SOCL 7203) 

Qualitative Research Methodologies (Required as of 2025): Taken outside of department (e.g., ELRC 7243, MC 7014, SOCL 7213) 

Advanced Research Methods: One additional research or advanced statistics course chosen in consultation with Major Professor/Chair or Advisor and related to dissertation research (e.g., ELRC 7280 [Applied Research, Measurement & Evaluation], MKT 7558 [Advanced S. E. M.], SOCL 7213 [Longitudinal/Spatial Data Analysis]

A MINIMUM of 6 credit hours of interdisciplinary, elective coursework is required. SW 7205 (Social Work Pedagogy and Teaching) is available to students who desire to teach and is offered within the department.

With an additional exception regarding non-MSW students (described in the following paragraph), electives should be taken in departments outside the School of Social Work. Students may consider courses in one or more disciplines: Anthropology, Economics, Education, Finance, History, Management, Marketing, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Other disciplines not listed may also be considered with approval from the PhD Program Director.

Doctoral Students Without the MSW Degree: Students admitted to the program who do not hold the MSW degree must enroll in the 3-credit course, SW 7004, Human Diversity and Oppression. SW 7004 will be an elective for doctoral students without the MSW degree.

Independent Studies

An Independent Study is an individual-instruction course. A student does not attend class on a formal basis but instead works with an individual professor on a subject of interest that is not taught in a core, research-related, or elective course.

• Each Independent Study is worth 3 credit hours
• A maximum of 6 credit hours of coursework may comprise an Independent Study
• Before enrolling in an Independent Study, a written plan of work must be submitted to and approved by the student’s Major Professor/Chair or Academic Advisor
• Written evidence of approval must be presented before registration

Students may enroll in dissertation hours while preparing for and completing their General Examination and dissertation research (SW 9000). These credit hours permit students to work independently on their dissertation projects. Students are assigned a P/F grade, not a letter grade. SW 9000 cannot be used as a substitute for: 1) core social work, 2) interdisciplinary research or statistics, or 3) interdisciplinary elective courses.

After successfully completing their General Examination, students must enroll in at least 15 credit hours of SW 9000 Dissertation hours before being considered for graduation.