Curriculum

• Philosophy of Science and Knowledge Development
• Seminar on Social Policy History and Analysis
• Social Science Theories and Social Work
• Social and Behavioral Intervention Research
• Quantitative Methods
• Qualitative Methods
• Statistics I: Introductory Statistics
• Statistical Methods II: Generalized Linear Models
• Conducting Research with Diverse Populations
• Career Preparation and Scholarly Impact
  • Doctoral students will complete two courses (a total of six credits) focused on developing competencies for entry and success in academia and social welfare leadership.
    1. Teaching Social Work (joint with DSW)
    2. Dissertation Proseminar

Electives should help to advance students toward their dissertation; they should select courses that will add to their knowledge in substantive areas related to what will likely be their dissertation topic, or in methodological areas that are likely to be needed for their dissertation. Elective courses compromise fifteen (15) credits.

Social Work Electives

• Grant Writing I and II

• Mixed Methods

• Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

• Implementing Evidence-Based Practices (joint with DSW)

Students complete courses in their chosen methodological specialization track. Such tracks could be: advanced qualitative and data analytic methods, advanced quantitative and statistical methods, a combination of both methods, or mixed-methods. These courses provide additional training in research methods and advanced statistical analysis.

Students will select one substantive area of expertise in which to specialize, in line with the Silver School’s strategic vision and the expertise and strengths of the school’s faculty. Students must take courses in their chosen area of expertise.

The research practicum is focused training designed to develop knowledge and applied skills for a successful career as an independent researcher and scholar. Students will work in collaboration with their assigned mentors on a clearly defined research project. Each student should have the opportunity to engage in the following types of tasks: research planning; study design; study implementation; data collection; data analysis; interpretation of findings; and dissemination of the results through publication in peer reviewed journals. See our Sample Mentor/Mentee Agreement Packet.

Each semester, doctoral students will be registered and receive a formal Pass/Fail grade for the research practicum.

This seminar is required for all first-year PhD students. It is designed with three primary purposes. The first is to provide the nuts-and-bolts in navigating the school and the University in the first year of study. The second is to expose students to the research expertise and scholarly career of the faculty (in an informal manner). The third is to provide students with an opportunity to sharpen their research interests by developing a brief research statement. The overarching goals of this seminar are to immerse students in a learning environment with motivation, to get to know different trajectories in becoming an independent scholar, and to have growing confidence in their own research interests. This seminar thus provides students with the scholarly-related competencies and skills for successfully earning the PhD degree and becoming a promising young scholar.

Following the successful completion of core coursework, students must pass a comprehensive qualifying exam, which serves as an examination of what students have learned to date in the program and a determination of whether they are ready to engage in independent research. Students taking the Qualifying Exam (QE) are expected to demonstrate a thorough understanding of 1) theoretical perspectives related to the etiology, treatment, and policy of a social problem, 2) core knowledge and skills related to qualitative and quantitative research design and methods and 3) knowledge of research and policy related to their substantive area.

A complete draft of the dissertation proposal must be reviewed and approved by the dissertation committee chair before a proposal defense can take place. Members of the committee should receive copies of the proposal to be defended no less than four to six weeks before the date of the defense in order to provide the committee with sufficient time to prepare. Proposal defenses may take place only on Mondays through Fridays, at the School of Social Work or via Zoom, during the academic year. They cannot be scheduled on holidays, weekends, or during intersession periods. Although the date and time are negotiated between students and their committee members, if the defense is in person, the actual scheduling of the defense and reservation of a room for it must be done by the Assistant Director of the Ph.D. Program. If defense is via Zoom, the link is created by the student and sent to committee members and Assistant Director of Ph.D. Program.

The topic of the dissertation should be in an area in which the student has a great deal of intellectual curiosity and interest, and which is related to their research experience. Students should begin thinking about possible dissertation topics early in the program and should process these with their faculty mentor for guidance in conceptualizing and formulating topics that are timely, in keeping with current priorities of the field of social welfare and anchored in the core values of the profession of social work.