Summary of the Program

Admission Requirements

Selection of Courses

Stages of Study

Full-time and Part-time

Residency

Financial Assistance

Outside Employment

Doctoral Handbook

SocW 599 Proposed Course of Study form pdf.

SocW 599 Proposed Course of Study form word.

The mission of the Jane Addams College of Social Work is to educate professional social workers, develop knowledge, and provide leadership in the development and implementation of policies and services on behalf of the poor, the oppressed, racial and ethnic minorities, and other at-risk urban populations.  Consistent with this mission and Jane Addams' Hull House tradition, the PhD Program in Social Work attempts to respond to the urgent demand for more effective human services, the need for changes in social policy, and the growth in social work education at all levels. 

The program is designed to support the development of scholars of social and economic justice, providing students with the knowledge and skills for advancing social work treatment theory and research and for development and direction of social welfare programs. It provides for two broad research tracks social planning, policy, and administration, and social work practice scholarship within which a more specialized area of individualized study is selected. 

The first cohort of students enrolled in 1973 and over 120 persons have been awarded doctoral degrees since then. Most graduates of the program are either teaching in colleges and universities or hold positions as agency executives. Smaller numbers are working in research positions, with a very few in direct practice. Students are prepared for leadership in one or more of the following careers: 

• Teaching in colleges or universities
• Conducting and directing research
• Administration of large-scale social welfare programs
• Analyzing and advising on Social policy

The program is open to students who demonstrate leadership and scholarly potential and who have master's degrees in social work. A limited number of persons with advanced degrees in other human service professions or in related social sciences are also considered for admission. Persons admitted without the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree are required to complete all requirements for the master's degree before beginning doctoral courses. 

Admission and other program requirements are outlined at the site for the Graduate College. Doctoral application materials are available here on the Web, or by mail. An admissions committee of  social work faculty oversees the admission process, reviews applications, and recommends students for admission to the program. A minimum average of 3.00 (A=4.00) for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate study and for all graduate work is required for consideration. Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are also required. Applicants are expected to have had course work in both basic social research and statistical methods within the seven years prior to application. (Admission requirements are subject to change without notice.) 

Application materials are available here on the Web, or by mail. Requests for application forms should include a brief statement of the applicant's objectives for graduate study and a resume or summary of educational background and work experience. Applications are considered for fall admission only and should be should be submitted early, preferably by January 1.  The final deadline is February 15, except when February 15 is on a Saturday or Sunday; in such cases, the deadline is the first Monday after February 15. Notification of the admission decision will be made by May 1 except under exceptional circumstances.
 
If you are downloading the application from the web site, please be sure to affix your signature and the date to the bottom of page six in order to validate your application.   Your application cannot be processed without your signature.

 For further information on the Ph.D. program see the Jane Addams College of Social Work Doctoral Student Handbook, contact us by email, or write or call: 

Selection of Courses

The program is interdisciplinary and has a strong research emphasis. Anthropology, economics, education, sociology, psychology, women's studies, public health, urban planning, law, industrial and labor relations, political science and business management are among the areas often of particular interest to students pursuing advanced education in social work. Students may take courses at both campuses of the University of Illinois system-Chicago and Urbana-Champaign. In addition, the resources of other institutions of higher education who are members of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) Traveling Scholar Program (including the Big 10 schools and the University of Chicago) are available to meet special course interests. 

The Jane Addams College of Social Work offers a number of required core doctoral courses. Beyond these courses, faculty advisers will help students to select specific courses inside and outside of the college in order to provide a unified plan of study based on the substantive interests and career goals of the students. The PhD core requirements include courses in: 

• SocW 508 Social Work Research Models and Knowledge Building I
  
• SocW 509 Social Work Research Models and Knowledge Building II
• SocW 577 Social Welfare History
  
• SocW 590 Analysis of Social Work Practice Models
  
• SocW 591 Social Welfare Policy Analysis and Development
• SocW 593 Quantitative Methods in Social Work Research
• SocW 594 Dissertation Proseminar in Social Work
  

Descriptions of the PhD Courses can be accessed here. 

Students who already hold the MSW start at the second stage of doctoral work. Requirements include the core courses, possible electives within the College of Social Work, and at least 15 hours of courses in related disciplines, organized around the student's area of specialized study. Successful passing of a written qualifying examination and the approval of a dissertation proposal complete this stage. 

The third stage involves the design, completion, and final defense of the dissertation.

The option of beginning the program on a part-time basis is available to holders of the Master of Social Work. Initially, a part-time student may take less than 12 hours of credit per term, usually six per term. Part-time students will be expected to start their programs of study with the core courses especially designed for the Doctoral Program in Social Work. There are no special course offerings in the College of Social Work for PhD students in the summer session.

The policy of the University of Illinois at Chicago is to comply fully with applicable Federal and State Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity Laws, Orders and Regulations. The University of Illinois at Chicago will not discriminate in programs and activities against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, handicap, unfavorable discharge from the military, or status as disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era. This nondiscrimination policy applies to admission, employment, and access to and treatment in university programs and activities. Among the forms of invidious discrimination prohibited by university policy but not law is discrimination based on sexual orientation. Complaints of invidious discrimination which is not also proscribed by law shall be resolved exclusively within existing university procedures.