Graduate
Social Work PhD
Ph.D. & Pre-Doc
- Ph.D. Admission
- Ph.D. Requirements
The Pre-Doc Exploratory Option allows prospective doctoral students to test their interest in and commitment to doctoral education. The program provides students with the time to gain the information and experience needed to make an informed decision about formal application to the program. This option permits qualified students to enroll in up to three of the school’s regular Ph.D. foundation courses and to complete up to 9 credit hours of doctoral course work before deciding to apply formally to the program. If a student later applies and is accepted to the regular Ph.D. program, credits earned during the pre-doc phase will automatically apply toward the Ph.D. degree.
Participation in the Pre-Doc Exploratory Option does not guarantee acceptance into the PhD program. It does, however, provide a unique opportunity for students to explore that possibility. Courses counted toward the PhD degree must be completed within seven years of passing the required qualification examination.
Applicants to the Pre-Doc Exploratory Option should have earned master’s degree in social work or a related field. Admission to the PreDoc Option is based on evaluation of:
- An online application
- A professional resume
- Official copies of all baccalaureate-and master’s- level transcripts. A graduate grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale is preferred.
- At least one letter of reference
- A sample of scholarly writing
- A 500-word written statement that outlines the applicant’s reasons for seeking enrollment in the Pre-Doc Exploratory Option
Applications for the Fall semester should be submitted by April 1st. PhD Students enrolled in the Pre-Doc Exploratory Option are strongly encouraged to complete S 718 and S 721 as part of their program of studies. The following is a list of other S 700 level courses:
- S710 Social Work Theories of Human and Social Behavior (3 cr.)
- S712 International Social Development in a Global Context (3 cr.)
- S718 Intermediate Statistics for Social Work (3 cr.)
- S720 Philosophy of Science and Social Work (3 cr.)
- S724 Theory, Practice, and Assessment of Social Work Teaching (3 cr.)
- S726 Advanced Social Work Research: Qualitative Methods (3 cr.)
- S727 Advanced Social Work Research: Quantitative Methods (3 cr.)
- S728 Advanced Statistics for Social Work
- S730 Proseminar on Social Work Policy Analysis (3 )
For additional information contact:
Margaret Adamek, PhD Program Director Education/Social Work Building 4138 Indiana University
School of Social Work 902 W. New York Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5154
Telephone: (317) 274-6730 E-mail: madamek@iupui.edu
Ph.D Admission
Admission Requirements
All applicants to the PhD program must have a master’s degree in social work or a related field. Admission to the PhD program is based on evaluations of
- an online application
- a professional resume
- undergraduate and graduate transcripts
- three letters of reference
- an example of the applicant’s scholarly writing
- a 750-word statement of purpose
- Graduate Record Examination General Test scores taken within the last five years
- TOEFL scores for international applicants
Application Deadline
Applications for the full-time PhD Program are due February 1 for admission in the following fall semester. For application materials and further information, write to:
PhD Admissions
Education/Social Work Building 4138 Indiana University
School of Social Work 902 W. New York Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5154
Telephone: (317) 274-6730 E-mail: madamek@iupui.edu
Ph.D Requirements
Course Requirements
The student must complete a total of 90 credit hours, including dissertation and research internship. Candidates for the PhD degree may be granted up to 30 hours of graduate credit from other institutions as follows:
- Of the 30 graduate transfer credit hours counted toward the PhD degree in social work, 15 of these credits must be in an area directly related to research (e.g., research methods, statistics, a mentored research project, etc.).
- Of these 15 research-related credit hours, at least 6 credits must have been completed within three calendar years prior to the date the student enrolls in his/her first doctoral class following acceptance into the PhD program.
- All 15 research transfer credits must have been successfully completed as prerequisites for the two advanced research methods courses (S 726 and S 737), the Research Internship (S 725), and the advanced statistics course (S 728).
- Any or all of the 15 research transfer credits may be taken prior to acceptance into the PhD program and in addition to the 9 credit hours associated with the Pre-Doc Option.
- All students must have successfully completed a graduate-level statistics course within three calendar years prior to enrolling in the required advanced statistics course. Students who have completed a statistics course more than three years prior to enrolling in the advanced statistics course may petition the director of the PhD program to test out of this requirement.
- Any research transfer credits not completed prior to acceptance into the PhD program must be completed as part of the student’s doctoral studies in accordance with the above provisions.
- Foundation research courses offered by the program include S 718, S 721, and S 790.
All courses credited toward the PhD degree must have a minimum grade of B and must receive written approval from the School of Social Work PhD Program Committee and the Dean of the University Graduate School Indianapolis. Specific program requirements include:
- professional social work component (33 cr.)
- specialization component (18 cr.)
- research component (21 cr.)
- research internship (6 cr.)
- dissertation (12 cr.)
All students in the PhD program, with the approval of the program director, will select 3 faculty members to serve as their academic advisors throughout their doctoral studies, one of whom will represent the student’s area of specialization outside the School of Social Work.
Qualifying Examination Process
The qualifying examination process is comprehensive and integrative in nature. Specific guidelines for the completion of the qualifying process are available from the PhD Program Director. Admission to Candidacy following the passing of the qualification examination and the completion of all course work, the student’s advisory committee will submit a Nomination to Candidacy Form to the University Graduate School Indianapolis. Upon approval of the Dean, the student will be admitted to candidacy and awarded a Certificate of Candidacy.
Research Proposal
After nomination to candidacy, the student, with the approval of the Program Director, will select a research committee of no fewer than four faculty members, including one member outside of the School of Social Work. This committee must approve the proposed dissertation topic.
Final Examination
The final examination is the oral defense of the dissertation.
