PhD Program
Our rigorous PhD program prepares researchers, scholars, and educators to advance the field of social welfare and social work practice.
Research training is at the core of our program. Students develop mastery of:
A substantive area, providing the foundation for advanced social work research
Theoretical perspectives that furnish insight about social issues, social welfare, and social work practice
Research that identifies causes, dynamics, and outcomes of social work practice and interventions
Various research methods that enable the students to build and advance knowledge relevant to the field of social work and to excel as researchers and teachers at leading academic and social welfare institutions around the world
Teaching methods that actively engage the next generation of scholars and practitioners in building the social work knowledge base and in identifying effective, evidence-based practice
Communication skills that scholars use to raise awareness of important social issues and to disseminate findings of their own scholarship
- Mentorship is an important component of the doctoral program. Incoming students are matched with faculty members who share their research interests and can provide support in the areas of research, career preparation, and other areas throughout the doctoral program journey.
- The program recruited the most diverse incoming class for 2021-22 with more than 83% AHANA students.
- BC has a monthly program designed to bring together and support doctoral students of color from across campus.
- The Pinderhughes Fellowship offers additional financial support to Black doctoral students.
- Students are encouraged and financially supported to submit abstracts to national research conferences. 63% of the doctoral students had papers accepted for presentation at SSWR in 2020.
- Students have opportunities to participate in informal research groups with other SSW doctoral students across cohorts who share research interests.
- Students have co-authored articles and co-presented at conferences in areas such as immigration, aging, adoption, and food security.
- Students develop strong teaching skills through required teaching courses, teaching practicums, paid teaching assistantships, and adjunct teaching opportunities.
- Many of our doctoral students complete the Apprenticeship in College Teaching offered through BC’s Center for Teaching Excellence.
Class Profile
24
PhD students in BCSSW
54%
AHANA Students
(African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American)
94%
Of our recent grads over the last five years have secured employment as assistant professors, researchers, or post-doctoral fellows within a year of graduation
6
Countries of citizenship
PhD Curriculum Plan
PhD Students, Candidates, and Recent Alumni
Financial Aid
Applicants are fully funded with a doctoral fellowship valued at more than $200,000 over the course of four years.
Recent Employers
Alberto Hurtado University in Chile
Boston Children’s Hospital
Brown University
Harvard University
MIT AgeLab
The Ohio State University
Umeå University, Sweden (2021)
Universidad Loyola del Pacífico
University of Maryland
University of Pittsburgh
University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Washington
