Social Work and Social Welfare

The PhD Program in Social Work and Social Welfare at Wurzweiler School of Social Work is designed for the working social work professional. We want to enhance the education of professionals for scholarly and creative leadership in social work practice, education, social policy, planning, research and administration.

The program offers several advantages:

• Yeshiva University is ranked in the top tier of national universities by U.S. News & World Report
• Students complete our program. Their presence is known on almost every social work faculty in the greater metropolitan area and across the country. Graduates have also gone on to significant research and service positions.
• Courses are offered two weekday evenings (Wednesdays and Thursdays)
• The program is designed to support interaction and integration of theory and practice and encourages a high degree of individualization and easy access to faculty
• Students represent diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds and ages, and come from all the fields of professional social work practice
• Loans and scholarships are available
• The University community and resources include Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology

A minimum of 60 credits are required for the program, which include course work, seminars and doctoral dissertation research. Preparation and approval of the dissertation is required in order to receive the degree.

Coursework typically takes two years (permission can be granted for three years), after which time the student writes the dissertation. The dissertation is expected to take three years to complete.

The program can be classified as one that is ''practice-based,'' that is, a program that is intimately connected to practice yet doesn't strive for a direct or immediate impact on the practice skills of the students.

Year One: Dependent Study

The first year, characterized as a time of dependent study, is when course content is largely determined by the faculty. Here, the competent social work professionals who are students acquire the skills and inculcate the standards of doctoral scholarship. They integrate new learning with their existing knowledge, learning how to question favored assumptions and to formulate questions as a basis for inquiry.

Students acquire a foundation of social theory that can help to analyze the dilemmas and contradictions of social work practice. At the conclusion of the first year, students are asked to submit to the doctoral faculty a Plan of Study, which contains a scholarly, documented statement of learning representing the student's knowledge and understanding of a particular theme for which there is professional concern. It is the program's approach to comprehensive examinations.

Entrance into the second year of doctoral study is contingent on the student passing the Plan of Study, both written and oral components. The student is expected to demonstrate mastery of course material and the ability to apply these concepts to student-relevant aspects of social work practice. The examination provides the student with an opportunity to integrate the conceptual framework of the first-year courses and to apply this integrated conceptual framework to social work practice.

Year Two: Independent Study

The second year is a period of independent study. The open-ended expansion of knowledge and discovery that is the focus of the first year becomes much more targeted as students work with their advisers to define and develop their dissertation topic.

In students' course work, the conceptual frameworks and research incorporated in their course papers become part of the foundation for the preparation of their plans for the dissertation, which are laid out in the formal document of the dissertation proposal.

After receiving faculty approval on their proposals, students begin working on their dissertation. Each student is assigned a faculty adviser who assists the student throughout this process. For most students, it takes three years to complete the dissertation.

The second year also includes preparation for career pathways. Following the acceptance of the Plan of Study, students take one of two courses--Administrative Practice or Social Work Education. Students may also take the second set of courses (Administrative Practice or Social Work Education) as electives.

Dissertation Requirements

Preparation and approval of the dissertation is required in order to receive the PhD degree.

A dissertation adviser is assigned to the candidate upon acceptance of the dissertation proposal. The adviser serves as the chair of the dissertation committee. The director of the doctoral program appoints the other members of the committee, with input from the faculty adviser and student. Professionals in the field of practice that is the focus of the study who are not members of the faculty serve on such committees at the invitation of the director of the doctoral program. Such professionals will possess an earned doctorate in social work or a related field.

• Personal Statement
  This is your opportunity to tell us about yourself, your interests and your experiences that have led you to choose a graduate social work education. It is a very important component of your application and will be evaluated for content and the quality of your writing. Please make sure to answer all three of the required questions. The complete document should consist of a maximum of five double-spaced pages.
• Three letters of reference
• References should be from persons who know you well enough to evaluate your potential for the field of social work. One of the three letters should come from your most recent job or volunteer supervisor. If you are currently a student, one reference should be from a faculty adviser or instructor. All references should know you in a professional context.
• You may submit your letters of recommendation online or via regular mail. The online method usually expedites our receipt of the recommendation. Downloadable letter of recommendation request forms are provided. If sent by regular mail, please indicate your retention or waiver of your right to access before giving this form to those providing references. The recommender must seal the envelope and sign across the seal before submitting.
• Transcripts
  Please submit sealed copies of official transcript(s) of all previous colleges you have attended. Transcripts should be mailed to Yeshiva University, Wurzweiler Office of Admissions, 2495 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10033.
• Advanced Standing Program
  Submit final field work evaluation from your BSW program. In addition, one of your three letters of reference should be from the director of your BSW program or your faculty adviser addressing your readiness for advanced standing.
• Transfer Student
  Transfer applicants need to provide all of the regular required materials, but one of the three reference letters should be from a current or former MSW program faculty adviser addressing the transfer applicant's academic standing. In addition, transfer applicants must provide their final field work evaluation. Transfer students from an accredited MSW program can receive a maximum credit for up to one full year (28 credits).
• International Students
  Application Fee
• The $50 application fee may be submitted online  by credit card. Please note that this fee is nonrefundable.

Scholarships

Merit scholarships are awarded on the basis of outstanding academic achievement, outstanding achievement in the social service arena, and outstanding volunteer work.