School of Social Work—Doctor of Philosophy Program

Social work doctoral education prepares people for leadership roles in social work research, social work education, social policy, planning, and administration. The goal of the doctoral program of the School of Social Work is to provide students with advanced research and policy analysis skills based on a foundation of social science theory and social welfare. The doctoral program is committed to the school's mission to address human dignity, social justice, and social equity for diverse populations. Program graduates will be able to conduct research that addresses social welfare and policy problems and to disseminate knowledge to researchers, social work practitioners, and policy makers.

The University of Pittsburgh has one of the oldest social work doctoral programs in the United States, awarding its first DSW degrees in 1949. In 1963, the program's degree was changed to a PhD. Information regarding the Doctor of Philosophy Program is available online at www.pitt.edu/~pittssw/academics/phd/welcome.html.

In addition to the description of the PhD in Social Work given below, doctoral students should consult the Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Degrees in the General Academic Regulations section of this document.

Admission to Doctoral Program

Contact Information

Office of Admissions—Mary Pat Elhattab

School of Social Work

Room 2108 Cathedral of Learning

412-624-6348

E-mail: elhattab@pitt.edu

www.pitt.edu/~pittssw

Applications should be received no later than February 1 of each year. Admission to the program is for the fall term only. The doctoral program is strongly committed to a policy of equal educational opportunity for people of all races, creeds, and ethnic origins.

Program Transfer Credits

Students who have earned graduate-level credits at the University of Pittsburgh or at another accredited institution within seven years preceding entry to the doctoral program may be eligible for advanced standing. Advanced standing consists of awarding academic credit toward the degree for post-master's work completed when such work is evaluated as entirely comparable. Official transcripts certifying graduate course work completed in a degree-granting graduate program should be submitted at the time of application. The maximum number of credits that can be transferred and accepted for advanced standing is 12.

See Allowable Credits in the General Academic Regulations section of this bulletin for more details on requirements for transfer credits.

Financial Assistance for Doctoral Students

The doctoral program in the School of Social Work makes every effort to assist full-time students both through funds awarded by the school and with information about funds awarded elsewhere. Most funding covers two semesters (one academic year). There are a number of types of funding available, including teaching assistantships, graduate student assistantships, research assistantships, fellowships, and other special awards.

Doctoral Curriculum Objectives

The curriculum that has been developed for the doctoral program strongly emphasizes social problem areas as coordinating themes in theory, research methodology, and social policy courses. The overall goal is to integrate the acquisition of basic knowledge, methods of empirical testing, and application to real-world situations. Course materials draw heavily on several priority areas of social work concern, including mental illness, income maintenance, women's issues, family policy, and issues related to diverse populations.

By the time students have completed the program, they should have acquired the following:

1. Knowledge of relevant social science theory
2. Advanced skills in research methodology and statistics
3. Advanced knowledge of social welfare policy (history) and policy analysis
4. Knowledge of relevant fields of practice, theoretical and policy perspectives, and research findings
5. Exposure to an interdisciplinary frame of reference through mechanisms provided internally by the doctoral program and externally through access to other disciplines and professions in the wider University

Although entering students are not required to have completed course work or other experience relevant to computer literacy, possessing basic computer skills will be an asset to students beginning the program.

Doctoral Requirements

The doctoral program requires seven core courses, one policy elective, plus a minimum of six electives, which may be 2-, 3- or 4-credit courses. Most full-time students will spend two years (that is, the fall and spring terms of two sequential years) to meet their course requirements. (Full-time is defined as 9 or more credit hours per semester.) A rough timetable of the general flow of full-time students through the program is as follows:*

1. Core curriculum plus electives taken during the fall and spring terms of the first and second years
2. Comprehensive examination taken after completion of all courses
3. Identification of dissertation topic and committee and approval by doctoral director after completion of comprehensive examination
4. Defense of a dissertation overview with committee review (which allows admission to doctoral candidacy)
5. Dissertation defense usually one year or more following admission to doctoral candidacy

*Students who are able to take courses in other departments/schools and/or work on dissertations during the spring and summer terms can sometimes shorten this timetable.

Grades in Course Work

It is required that students will maintain an average grade point average of 3.00 or better in all course work. If a student receives a grade lower than B- in a required course, the course will have to be repeated. Whether the courses are required or elected, more than one grade of C+ or lower will be the basis for a formal Academic Review.

Program Flexibility and Individualization

An individual student's program should reflect the student's career goals and personal interest. This program, therefore, maintains as much flexibility and individualization as possible. This individualization is built upon the core curriculum through planning with the student's academic advisor for elective course work and enrichment experiences, including teaching and research assistantships.

Core Doctoral Curriculum

During the first two terms in the program, full-time students are usually primarily involved in taking the required courses in the four essential areas of study: social welfare, social science theory, research methods, and social policy. Part-time students are required to select among these areas in the first year of course work. These core courses are provided by the doctoral program. A brief description of each area of study follows with a listing of credits awarded and sequencing or options. Where numerals are attached to course names, this indicates that courses must be taken in sequence. The PhD program requires the completion of 42–47 additional graduate credits beyond the master's degree (a minimum total of 72 credits), or a minimum of 77 graduate credits for those entering the joint MSW/PhD program. PhD credits include 10 core courses and one policy elective, plus a minimum of six graduate electives.

Required Core Courses

Interdisciplinary Components of Doctoral Curriculum

In addition to the core doctoral courses, the student has six elective course selections to pursue more specialized interests. Certain options available in the program, especially the Joint Public Health Master's/Social Work PhD option and the graduate certificate in women's studies, offer particular advantages but tend to restrict the number of electives open to students. Students are encouraged to take graduate-level course work in other schools and departments of the University insofar as this is feasible within their program requirements. Many social welfare-related fields are open: sociology, economics, women's studies, social psychology, political science, law, urban affairs, public health, and others. The student can choose his or her courses from all graduate programs in the University. The student may take no more than two MSW courses as electives.

Comprehensive Examination

Admission to PhD candidacy is accomplished through the successful completion of a comprehensive examination. This examination is required and will be taken at a time when all required and elective course requirements are completed. The comprehensive examination is designed to assess student's mastery of the field of social work with particular emphasis on the core curriculum areas within the doctoral program and their interrelationships. The examination is written and focuses on the four core curricular areas—social welfare, social policy, research, and social science theory—as they relate to a social problem area selected by the student as an area of specialization. The exam is given twice a year—late August and early January.

Doctoral Dissertation

The doctoral dissertation should represent a creative effort to build knowledge and theory in the field of social welfare. The first step in the dissertation effort is the preparation and submission of a brief proposal to the chair and the doctoral program director. Once this brief proposal is approved, the student begins preparation for the overview by forming a committee of faculty willing to assist and advise in the process of completing the dissertation. This committee must be composed of a minimum of four faculty persons, three of whom must be School of Social Work faculty and one of whom must be a faculty member from outside the school. The majority of the committee, including the chair, must be full or adjunct members of the graduate faculty. Additional persons may be appointed as suitable. Meetings of the doctoral candidate and the candidate's dissertation committee must occur at least annually to discuss objectives for the following year. The student then works with the committee, especially the chair, to prepare a dissertation overview, which consists of all the chapters of the dissertation up through methodology and plans for analysis of data. This overview must be defended orally in a meeting of the full dissertation committee. After acceptance of the overview by the dissertation committee, the candidate may proceed to the final stage of data collection, analysis, and interpretation. A second oral defense is held at the completion of a full dissertation. For a complete description of the dissertation proposal and approval process, see Regulations Pertaining to Doctoral Degrees.

PhD COURSES