Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work (Ph.D.) Admissions

The Ph.D. in Social Work is a research-focused degree.  We prepare students for positions as faculty in colleges and universities, research scientists, and policy analysts. This program does not prepare students for advanced clinical training or for going into private practice. The Ph.D. is a program of the School of Social Work and the Graduate School New Brunswick, Rutgers University. We enroll a cohort of about six to seven students each year. 

Until the open house, a succinct answer to the difference between programs is that the DSW program aims to develop you into a scholar-practitioner while the PhD aims to develop you into a researcher-academic. These are not mutually exclusive nor that simple, however, so if you are on the fence, please attend one of the virtual open houses listed above. See the short video here for a bit more discussion of the similarities and differences.

Learn more here! 

Our graduates hold jobs as faculty at colleges and universities across the country including: Boston College, University of New Hampshire, University of Connecticut, University of Pennsylvania, State University of New York, Rutgers University, University of Vermont, Fordham University, Wayne State University, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, Monmouth College, Clark-Atlanta University. Many of our graduates have accepted post-doctoral awards including positions at Brandeis University and Princeton. Others are research scientists at organizations such as Veterans Health Administration and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington D.C. Some work in policy and research such as Deputy Commissioner, N.J. Department of Human Services, and Special Assistant with the United Nations. 

There are two enrollment options:

1. Applicants may apply to both the MSW and Ph.D. programs at the same time; students take courses in both programs; 
2. Students may apply to the Ph.D. program during their first year in the MSW program, and begin taking Ph.D. courses in their second year while completing the MSW.

We admit 1 or 2 students per year into the combined MSW/Ph.D. program. 

We consider research interests and commitment to research, graduate and undergraduate GPA, GRE scores, reasons for pursuing a Ph.D., intellectual capacity, determination, and ability to pursue work independently. 

An MSW is not required for acceptance into the Ph.D. program. A Masters degree in a related science field is acceptable for admission; we do advise that applicants without an MSW consider the combined MSW/Ph.D. program. 

No, at this time GRE scores are not a requirement. Please join us for our next info session for further details on GRE scores. 

Our application deadline is December 15, 2024. All students enter the program in the fall of the academic year. 

There are no weekend or online course offerings for SSW Ph.D. courses. They are offered in small seminar style format, within in-person settings. 

Social Work Ph.D. classes are only offered on the New Brunswick campus. 

The full-time Ph.D. program consists of two years of coursework, followed by two years of predominately individual study (e.g., qualifying exams; development of dissertation projects; completion of dissertation thesis). It is reasonable to expect that students will finish the program within four to five years.  For combined MSW/Ph.D. students, it may take five to six years because they will need to complete their MSW course program requirements as well. 

The Ph.D. program is a separate program and requires a separate application. 

Tuition and fees are posted on the website of the Graduate School New Brunswick. The School of Social Work offers tuition remission and research and graduate assistantships to full-time admitted Ph.D. students.