Connect with us!
Discover the benefits of earning your Ph.D. in Social Work from Sacred Heart University.
Social Work practitioners can earn their Ph.D. with our part-time, online program which includes a one-week summer immersion on campus.
The Ph.D. in Social Work program is designed to prepare students for social work research, scholarship and education, as well as community-based leadership and service. The Ph.D. promotes students as scholars who serve as stewards of the discipline.
To meet the need for accessible, affordable doctoral education, the Ph.D. in Social Work is offered as a part time program, delivered almost entirely online. All courses are offered asynchronously in an online platform, supplemented with synchronous meetings scheduled with faculty and peers within each course and throughout the program. On-campus experiences–Orientation, Summer Residency and Writer’s Retreat–are included to enhance learning outcomes and support professional socialization.
The Ph.D. program and its faculty prioritize creating inclusive environments for students of diverse backgrounds and learning styles, and the application of antiracist, integrated frameworks and approaches to social work education, research and practice.
Ph.D. students are offered an opportunity to teach in the MSW and BSW programs beginning in their second semester. Teaching assistantships include a community forum in which students develop their teaching philosophy and approach. Mentorship is an essential aspect of the Ph.D. program, including a mentoring alliance specifically for BIPOC doctoral students.
Discover the benefits of earning your Ph.D. in Social Work from Sacred Heart University.
With a Ph.D. in Social Work from Sacred Heart, you will advance your career in social work and social justice, develop a pedagogical approach and make a meaningful contribution to the current body of social work research. The Ph.D. program is specifically designed for social work professionals currently working in community-based organizations, governmental organizations, and institutions of higher education.
This part-time, online program offers year-round, six credits per 14-week semester, followed by dissertation research. The program begins with a two-day on campus orientation and includes a one-week low residency immersion program on the SHU campus every summer. View our sample plan of study.
Courses cover topics in historical and theoretical contexts of social work, advanced social and racial justice, quantitative and qualitative research and analysis, integrated social work practice, grant writing, pedagogy and social work education.
A Doctorate of Social Work or DSW is considered a practice doctorate and is focused on social work practice, applied research, supervision and management. A DSW is best suited for practitioners who seek to advance their position in the field to leadership, management or community-based research. Having a Doctor of Philosophy or Ph.D. in Social Work enhances research skills and prepares students as stewards of the field to advance theory and knowledge. A Ph.D. is preferred within universities’ hiring faculty to teach and conduct social work research.
Having a Ph.D. in Social Work degree offers many opportunities. Graduates with this degree can go on to academic positions as faculty in colleges or universities. They might take on tenure-track or clinical professor positions in programs that offer Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or Master of Social Work (MSW) degrees. Some graduates may find positions in other academic social science departments, such as sociology or human services.
Graduates of the Ph.D. in Social Work program may pursue positions as a:
Now accepting applications for fall 2024!