PhD Program Overview

The program is open to students who have obtained a master’s degree in social work (MSW) and have demonstrated leadership and scholarly potential. A limited number of persons with advanced degrees in other human service professions or in related social sciences are also considered for admission. Persons admitted without the MSW degree are required to complete all requirements for the master’s degree before beginning doctoral courses.

Apply to the PhD Program outlines admission and other program requirements. An admissions committee of social work faculty oversees the admissions process, reviews applications, and recommends students for admission to the program. A minimum average of 3.00 GPA (A=4.00) for the final 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) of undergraduate study and for all graduate work is required for consideration. Acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination are also required. Applicants are expected to have had coursework in both basic social research and statistical methods within the seven years prior to application.

The total number of credits required for graduation is 96. Students receive 32 hours of credit toward that total for the MSW and, thereafter, at least 64 additional credits are required for graduation. These additional credits include required courses within Jane Addams College, successful completion of a qualifying examination, required coursework outside the college, elective coursework and dissertation credits.

Required coursework within Jane Addams College includes:

SocW 508: Models of Social Work Scholarship & Knowledge Development I – 3 credit hours
SocW 509: Models of Social Work Scholarship & Knowledge Development II – 3 credit hours
SocW 578: Qualtiative Methods in Social Work Research – 3 credit hours
SocW 590: Analysis of Social Work Practice Approaches – 3 credit hours
SocW 591: Social Welfare Policy Analysis and Development – 3 credit hours
SocW 593: Quantitative Methods in Social Work Research (or equivalent) – 3 credit hours
SocW 594: Dissertation Proseminar in Social Work – 3 credit hours
SocW 597 Proseminar in Advanced Statistics – 3 credit hours

Required elective coursework:

Students must complete courses totaling at least 18 hours of graduate level credit. At least 3 must be in research methods and at least 9 must be in a single substantive area that is supportive of planned dissertation work. A statement describing the identified focus of study, signed by the adviser, must be placed in the student’s file prior to the proposal hearing.

Qualifying Examination:

Students demonstrate basic knowledge and competence to pursue their dissertation research by successfully passing qualifying examinations. All students take a research examination and select a second examination in either social policy or social work practice. The examinations are administered as a take-home format during the summer.  Students take the examinations once they have completed SocW 508, 509, 590, 591, 593, and 597. Students may not register for SocW 594 if they have not passed the qualifying examinations. More information about the examinations is provided in the Doctoral Student Handbook.

Dissertation research hours:

Students who are working on their proposals or dissertations will enroll in SocW 599 (dissertation research). Students must register for at least 22 hours of dissertation research credit prior to graduation. Following completion of all credit requirements and the proposal hearing, students may petition to register for zero hours through the doctoral office. The petition, which must also be approved by the graduate college, must be submitted prior to the beginning of the term in which zero hours registration is desired

Doctoral Program Typical Timeline
The doctoral program usually involves a minimum of three years of study. The major emphasis in each year is summarized below and presented in detail in the sections that follow:
Year 1
• Complete required social work courses except SocW 594 Dissertation Proseminar (full-time students)
• Complete Qualifying Examinations in summer before 2nd year coursework (full-time students)
• Complete 12 credit hours of required social work courses (part-time students)
Year 2
• Complete coursework (full-time students)
• Complete 12 credit hours of coursework (part-time students)
• Complete Qualifying Examinations in summer before 3rd year coursework (part-time students)
Year 3-4
• Proposal hearing and dissertation research (full-time students)
• Complete coursework and proposal hearing (part-time students)
Year 5-6
• Completion of research and dissertation defense (all students)
Year 7 (if necessary)
• Completion of research and dissertation defense (all students)

More information is available on the Current PhD Students page.

Stages of Study

Doctoral study is divided into three stages. The first stage generally covers work leading to the Master of Social Work. Persons admitted without the Master of Social Work must enroll full-time and complete all requirements for the Master of Social Work degree before beginning doctoral coursework.

Students who already hold the MSW are granted 32 credits toward the PhD and start at the second stage of doctoral work. Requirements include 24 credits of social work doctoral coursework and 18 hours of elective coursework. Successful passing of the written qualifying examinations and the approval of a dissertation proposal complete this stage.

The third stage of doctoral work involves the design, completion and final defense of the dissertation during which the student earns at least 22 SocW 599 Thesis Research credits.  Completion of at least 96 total course credits is required for graduation.

Full-time and Part-time Study

A full-time student enrolls for a minimum of 12 semester hours per semester and completes coursework in two years. Summer registration is not required. The option of beginning the program on a part-time basis is available to holders of the Master of Social Work. Initially, a part-time student may take less than 12 hours of credit per term, usually 6 per term and completes coursework in three years. There are no special course offerings in the College of Social Work for PhD students in the summer session.

Selection of Courses

The program is interdisciplinary and has a strong research emphasis. Anthropology, economics, education, sociology, psychology, women’s studies, public health, urban planning, law, industrial and labor relations, political science and business management are among the areas that often are of particular interest to students pursuing advanced education in social work. Students may take courses at both campuses of the University of Illinois system-Chicago and Urbana-Champaign. The PhD program also participates in the Chicago Metropolitan Exchange, a collaboration between Northwestern University, University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Jane Addams College of Social Work offers a number of required core doctoral courses. Beyond these courses, faculty advisers will help students to select specific courses inside and outside of the college in order to provide a unified plan of study based on the substantive interests and career goals of the students.

PhD course descriptions are on the Current PhD Students page.

Graduate Tuition and Fees 

The PhD program assesses the University established tuition and fees for full-time study (12 or more credit hours) and part-time study (less than 12 credit hours)

Click on the following link to see the tuition and fees per semester:

UIC Graduate tuition and fees

Embarking on the journey towards a doctoral degree is obviously a major decision and has associated costs.  There are a number of ways to fund your education including the following:

1. University-based Fellowships.  These are the most competitive and most generous awards that include four years of funding of approximately $22,000 per year plus a tuition waiver.  To be eligible for consideration for one of these awards PhD Program applications must be submitted by December 15.
2. JACSW-based Research Assistantships (RA).  These awards come from the College of Social Work and provide a stipend as well as a tuition waiver.  The amount of the stipend depends on the extent of the RA appointment (25% time or 50% time).  The RA is assigned to assist a faculty member with his/her research for either 10 or 20 hours per week depending on the size of the appointment (25% = 10 hours; 50% = 20 hours).  These students are hired and funded by the College, but then assigned to work with a faculty member.
3. Faculty-grant-based Research Assistantships.  The terms of these appointment are identical to what is described above but the source of the funding is the faculty member’s research grant and the student is hired and supervised by the faculty member with the grant.
4. Teaching Assistantships:  These assistantships are available to students who have passed the Qualifying Examinations. Subject to the needs of the MSW program, doctoral students are eligible to be considered to teach in the program. These opportunities are very popular with doctoral students because it enables them to add teaching experience to their academic portfolio–an important asset when on the job market.
5. Tuition Waivers:  The Graduate College has some full- and part-time tuition waivers for PhD students.  These cover most of the cost of tuition (some fees are still the responsibility of the student) and carry no service requirement of the student. These waivers are assigned by the Director of the PhD Program.
6. External funding:  Some PhD students secure external funding from various foundations and/or organizations.  Some students who are working may receive financial support from their employer.  These sources vary widely.

More information about funding opportunities for graduate students is available on the UIC Graduate College website.

General information about student financial aid including how to apply for student loans can be found at the UIC Student Financial Aid Office.