PhD in Social Welfare

The Program

The Ph.D Program in the School of Social Welfare is a policy/research degree that focuses on social problem/social welfare issues such as poverty, health, violence, and aging. It operates under the auspices of the Stony Brook University Graduate School. Taking full advantage of the resources of both the Graduate School and the multidisciplinary Health Sciences Center as well as affiliated faculty throughout the University, the program features small classes, a supportive environment for doctoral students, and a rigorous course of study. Upon receipt of this Ph.D, graduates will be well prepared to teach, direct research projects in government and social agencies, and carry out policy analyses in the field of social welfare.

Curriculum

The curriculum consists of 15 required courses (45 credits) as follows:

Statistics I & II
Research Methods I & II
Research Practicum I & II
Social Welfare Policy Analysis I & II
Organization Theory and Social Welfare Administration
Knowledge Building in Social Work: The Philosophy of Applied 
Social Research
Theories of Social Work Intervention
Seminar in Social Work Education
Teaching Practicum
Dissertation Seminar I & II
Three electives

The Research Practicum is a year-long research project conducted under the supervision of SSW faculty. An integrative paper designed to showcase students' mastery of policy, research, and theory consitutes the basis for an Oral Comprehensive Exam, which is administered at the beginning of the third year. The program is designed so that full-time students can complete the course work in three years. Part-time students require four years to complete the coursework. Typically, it takes another one to two years to complete and defend the dissertation.

Class Schedule

Courses are given two days a week, once in the mid-afternoon and in the evening, and on another day, just in the evening. Full-time students attend classes on those two days; part-time students attend on the one day in which two classes are given.

Financial Aid

Together with the University’s Graduate School, the School of Social Welfare offers tuition scholarships, graduate assistantships, and other forms of competitive financial aid.

Admission Requirements

All applicants must take the Graduate Record Exam. In addition to the application itself, three letters of reference, a personal statement, and a writing sample are also required. The deadline for all applications is February 1st.

For further information, please contact
Edie Lundgren, Administrative Assistant for the Ph.D. Program 
at (631) 444-8361 [ elundgr@notes.cc.sunysb.edu,] or 
Dr. Joel Blau, Director of the Ph.D. Program 
at (631) 444-3149 [jblau@notes.cc.sunysb.edu]