Ph.D. in Social Welfare

Program Description

The Ph.D. Program in Social Welfare aims to prepare students for careers in research, university teaching, and leadership in social welfare. Through a combination of courses, seminars, individual and collaborative study and research, as well as opportunities to teach, students are assisted to develop and strengthen their skills in methods of scientific inquiry, to deepen their understanding and analysis of social problems and public issues, and to contribute to the knowledge base of social welfare by evaluating the effects of social welfare interventions at all levels.

The majority of applicants to the Ph.D. Program are social work practitioners, although the Ph.D. degree is not a “clinical” degree meant for those seeking primarily to improve their intervention skills. It is first and foremost a research degree. At minimum, its graduates have demonstrated advanced knowledge of a social problem/social issue/social theory, an intervention level/practice model, and research methodology via the conduct and defense of an original dissertation. Most graduates of this program have obtained positions as faculty members in schools of social work across the country.

The School of Social Work is part of FIU's Stempel School of Public Health. A variety of opportunities exist for interdisciplinary collaboration, both within the School of Public Health and elsewhere in the University.  In the present Ph.D. curriculum, 50% of required courses are core social welfare courses, 25% are taken with students in other Ph.D. programs offered in the School, and the remaining 25% are graduate electives or individually supervised research or independent study courses.

The Ph.D. Program is a full-time program requiring a significant investment of time from students. Most students complete the program in three to four years.