Social Welfare

The primary purpose of the Ph.D. program is to produce scholars who can use systematic methods to develop through research, and disseminate through teaching and writing, knowledge concerning social welfare problems and policies.

Drawing upon the social, behavioral and health sciences as well as social work knowledge and experience, the graduates of this program will have the skills to expand the base of tested knowledge that can guide the profession of social work in its efforts to address major social problems.

A second purpose is to develop leaders and educators who can effectively contribute to contemporary social work practice as defined in this school’s mission statement, which can be found at: socialwelfare.stonybrookmedicine.edu/mission.

The core of this program is education for scholarly research leading to careers as teachers, researchers, and policy analysts with a focus on the content areas of health, mental health, and substance abuse. The strength of such a program lies in its location within the Health Sciences Center. This is a natural setting in which to bring together the basic sciences and theoretical disciplines in applied policy/program analysis and thereby contribute to research in the social dimensions of health and mental health.

• Statistics I and II
• Research Methods I and II
• Qualitative Research
• Social Welfare Policy Analysis I and II
• Social Welfare Administration
• Knowledge Building in Social Work: The Philosophy of Applied Social Research
• Social Science Theory for Social Welfare
• Seminar and Teaching Practicum in Social Work Education
• Dissertation Seminar I and II

Also required are three electives (9 credits), a research practicum of 10 hours per week for two semesters under mentorship (6 credits), a comprehensive exam and the production and defense of a scholarly dissertation. Fifty four credits are required for graduation. In the first three years, students take three courses each semester. The full-time program is designed to be completed in a minimum of four years.

Once all coursework and the comprehensive exam have been completed successfully, students select a preliminary dissertation chair and committee and develop an approved dissertation proposal. The student is then advanced to candidacy and begins dissertation research. The fourth year is spent on completion of the dissertation and defense.

• A master’s degree from a program accredited by the Council of Social Work Education*
• Academic promise as evidenced by superior achievement in undergraduate and master’s level education
• Satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examination
• A personal interview
• Professional competence as demonstrated through substantial experience in responsible social work and/or human services positions supported by three letters of reference including one, if possible, from someone familiar with the applicant’s capacity to conduct research
• A sample of writing in the form of a published article, a manuscript submitted for publication, a document completed for the applicant’s agency or in connection with a research interest, or a paper prepared in your previous graduate studies
• Applicant has distinct interest in policy, research, and theory with regard to social welfare
• Personal qualities indicating a potential for leadership, compatibility with the School’s mission statement, flexibility and openness to new ideas, maturity, a spirit of inquiry, and a commitment to furthering the knowledge base of the profession of social work
• Competence in quantitative skills as evidenced by performance on the Graduate Record Exam and a college level course in statistics completed with a grade of B or better

*Under special circumstances, applications from persons who do not meet all of these requirements will be considered. Applicants without the M.S.W. degree must have a master’s degree in a closely related field and must demonstrate a high potential for success in the program.