PhD Program in Social Welfare
Dear Prospective PhD Student,
Choosing a doctoral program can be an exciting but challenging decision.
I am delighted to introduce you to Penn’s PhDProgram in Social Welfare.
The School of Social Policy & Practice offers an interdisciplinary PhD
program that prepares students to be educators, researchers, and leaders in the field of social welfare. This doctoral program highlights the development of an individualized educational plan that builds on the student’s area of interest
and our faculty expertise. The course requirements for the PhD Degree are
challenging and foster critical thinking skills. To learn about admission
requirements and detailed information about the program, I welcome you to
explore the information that follows.
The PhD in Social Welfare is an interdisciplinary program that prepares students to be scholars, researchers, and leaders in the field of social welfare. The program emphasizes the development of an individualized educational plan that builds on areas of faculty expertise and student interest and advances the knowledge development needs of the field.
Each year, the program accepts between three and eight students who have a proven record of academic excellence.
The goal of the program is to train scholars, and it is geared for people interested in the pursuit of intellectual and scientific inquiry.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants for admission to the PhD program must submit GRE scores (Institutional Code: 2926, Department Code: 5001). For those whose first language is not English, a minimum TOEFL score of 600 is required (Institutional Code: 2926, Department Code: 95). Applicants must also submit two academic references, and one employment reference. All applicants must also submit a sample of their written work and a written statement of their academic goals. Students are required to have a masters degree in social work or a social science field before they can enter the PhD program. Full-time work toward the PhD degree is expected.
The deadline for applications for Fall admission is December 15.
Contact Information
Mary Mazzola, MSW, LCSW
Director of Admissions and Recruitment
Tel: 215.898.5550
Email: mmazzola@sp2.upenn.edu
Course Requirements for the PhD Degree
The course grid provides a guide to the full time doctoral curriculum, in a suggested sequence. This sequence may be altered depending on course offerings. After completing the first six core courses (SW 803, 811, 852, 855, plus SOCI 535 and 536 or an approved equivalent sequence of introductory statistics courses) students must take the preliminary exams. Beyond these first 6 core courses, students are required to take SW 861, 968, 903 and 904. The year-long integrative seminar, SW 903 and 904, is the last set of courses taken in the program. Throughout this coursework, students are working with an academic advisor to develop an individualized plan, which also includes six electives. Individual focus of papers and projects in the core courses combined with the strategic selection of electives across the University provide an opportunity for deep study in the theoretical and empirical aspects of an area of specialization.
A minimum of four electives must be completed in appropriate graduate divisions/departments of the University other than the School of Social Policy & Practice, in accord with the student's approved individualized educational plan.
Dissertation Committee
With the assistance of their faculty advisor, students select a Dissertation Chair who advises them on the selection of a Dissertation Committee. The Committee consists of a minimum of three persons: two members of the Graduate Group in Social Welfare and one member of the standing faculty from another department/school of the University of Pennsylvania. The Chair of the Dissertation Committee must be a member of the Graduate Group. The Dissertation Committee is responsible for approving the candidate's plan of dissertation research and determining the acceptability of the completed dissertation.
Dissertation Topics (2001-2005)
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN SOCIAL WELFARE
August 6, 2004
Hwa-Ok Bae
Understanding the Dynamics of Child Maltreatment RecurrenceJill Witmer Sinha
African American Youth and Communities of Faith: Capitalizing on Compassion, at Risk for GreatnessDecember 22, 2004
Robert P. Fairbanks II
Communal Re-Appropriation of Blighted Spaces: Governmentality and the Politics of Everyday Life in the Kensington Recovery House MovementMay 16, 2005
Janis Lynn Goodman
Identity Formation Within a Multicultural Context: A Field Study of Early Adolescent African-American Girls Set in an Inner-City Community in North PhiladelphiaNicole Lamb Ives
Understanding Bosinian Refugee Integration and How it Differs by Country of Resettlement: Denmark and the United States of America
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN SOCIAL WELFARE
May 17, 2004
Nancy Koppelman
Defying Dependence: Learning from Women in Recovery and Service ProvidersAugust 8, 2003
June Mann Averyt
Determinants of Adverse Departures from Supported Housing
DOCTOR OF SOCIAL WORK
August 8, 2003
Laura George
Compliance with Medication and Directly Observed Therapy in the Treatment of TB
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN SOCIAL WELFARE
MAY 19, 2003
Katrina Baum
Karen Beach Fattorosi
The Reciprocal Family System: School and Home with a Severely Emotionally Disturbed ChildTammy M. White
An Evaluation of the Impact of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 on Permanency –Related Outcomes for Foster Children in Six U.S. StatesDecember 20, 2002
So-Young Min
Linkage to Services and Public Shelter Utilization among Homeless Persons with Serious Mental Illness: An Examination of the Role of Case ManagementHoward L. Nemon
Challenges for Community Economic Development in Distressed Urban Neighborhoods: A Case Study of the Philadelphia Empowerment ZoneJung Min Park
Living Arrangement, Support Resources, and Single Mothers’ EmploymentAugust 9, 2002
Vanmala Sunder Hiranandani
Experiences of Middle-Aged Adults with Physical Disabilities in Medicaid Managed Care
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN SOCIAL WELFARE
May 13, 2002
Stephanie Clintonia Boddie
One More River to Cross: African-American Congregations at the Dawn of a New MillenniumSusan C. Kinnevy
Restructuring Child Welfare Services: An Analysis of Four Child Welfare Models in FloridaPeter Szto
The Accommodation Of Insanity In Canton, China: 1854-1935August 10, 2001
Maribeth DeLorenzo
American Dreams: Latino Immigrants’ Homeownership Experiences in the Nation’s CapitalKaren Beth Hirschman
Sick Role Theory and Breast Cancer: An Exploration of the Impact of the Sick Role on Women with Breast CancerDecember 21, 2001
David Latham Eldridge
The Making of a Courtroom: Landlord-Tenant Trials in Philadelphia’s Municipal Court
Doctoral Advising
Upon entering the PhD program, each student is assigned a doctoral advisor. At the end of the first year of study, the student may choose another advisor from among the Graduate Group faculty. The advisor assists the student in course selection, in the preparation of an Individualized Educational Plan, in becoming familiar with the array of educational resources available within the School and the University, and in forming a dissertation committee which includes one or two other members of the Graduate Group in Social Welfare. Students are responsible for initiating conferences and meetings with their advisors and committee members at regular intervals.
Dual Degree Program (MSW/PhD)
A limited number of applicants are accepted into a program of study that leads to both a Master of Social Work and a PhD in Social Welfare. This program is designed for applicants whose long-range goals and past experience are consistent with the aims of both programs and who wish to accelerate their education.
Applicants for the dual degree are first admitted into the masters program. There is a separate review process for the PhD portion of the program. It is possible for an applicant to be accepted into the MSW and not the PhDprogram.
Students already enrolled in the masters program may apply for admission to the PhD program after they have completed all first-semester requirements. The decision on their doctoral applications is usually made near the end of the first year of study in the MSW program. Once accepted, the student must complete the second year of the masters program. The dual degree program allows students to substitute doctoral-level courses for some MSW requirements.
Examinations/Presentations to Faculty
Upon completion of the first six core courses, all students must take a preliminary exam. Passing all sections of this exam is a prerequisite for continuation in the program.
After completion of required coursework and passing preliminary exams, students become a candidate for the degree upon successful defense of a dissertation proposal.
A defense of the dissertation is the final examination. Passing this defense completes the requirements for the degree.
Funding
Funding is available for full tuition with a stipend during the first three years of study. Financial support is available through a range of resources including research assistantships, graduate fellowships, and teaching assistantships.
PhD Dissertation
The dissertation which the PhD candidate must complete is the product of careful and searching inquiry into a significant problem or issue in the field of social welfare. It must be judged to be of publishable quality according to the best current standards in the field. An open defense of the dissertation, required when the manuscript is nearly complete, is followed by a private oral examination. Final approval of the dissertation is voted by the Dissertation Committee. The Doctoral Dissertation Manual is available on-line.
Scholarship Resources
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
1012 14th Street, NW
Suite 301
Washington , DC 20005
(202) 783-1907 Fax: (202) 783-1908
Email: avh@bellatlantic.net Internet: http://www.humboldt-foundation.de
Research fellowships to support joint research projects for study in Germany between American and German scholars.
Career Development Grants/ American Fellowships
American Association of University Women Educational Foundation
2201 N. Dodge Street, Dept. 98
Iowa City, IA 52243-4030
(319) 337-1716 ext. 98 Fax (319) 337-1204
Deadline: January 5/November 17
CSWE Ethnic Minority Doctoral Fellowship
1600 Duke Street,
Suite 300
Alexandria , VA 22314-3421
(703) 683-8080 Fax: (703) 683-8099
http: //www.cswe.org
For students interested in pursuing a career in mental health research.
Applications must be postmarked February 27
Eileen Blackey and Jane Baerwald Aron Fellowships
National Association of Social Workers
750 First Street, NE,
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20002
(800) 638-8799 x211
Attn: Billie Joy Langston, Development Office
Awarded to candidates whose dissertation focuses on welfare or health policy and practice. - Request a copy of the fellowship proposal announcement, which lists the criteria for proposal submission, deadline dates, and additional information.
Social Science Research Council
810 Seventh Avenue
New York , NY 10019
(212) 377-2700 Fax #: (212) 337-2727
Sponsors pre-doctoral fellowships and advanced research grant programs. Requirements and deadlines vary; write or call for an information pamphlet.
Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship s
The Spencer Foundation
875 North Michigan Avenue,
Suite 3930
Chicago, IL 60611-1542
(312) 337-7000
http://www.spencer.org
Some thirty fellowships of $20,000 are awarded each year to support doctoral candidates in a variety of fields whose dissertations promise to contribute fresh perspectives to the history, theory, or practice of education.