Ph.D. Program
The Ph.D. program is designed for social
workers who want to assume leadership positions in teaching, research,
policy and administration. Upon completion of the program, graduates
obtain competence in the following areas:
- Ability to conduct research using a range of paradigms
and methods which span quantitative - qualitative approaches and which
inform and advance social work knowledge and performance in areas of
direct practice, community intervention, and policy development.
- A broad understanding of the major practice and policy issues in social welfare and the profession of social work.
- Substantive
knowledge of a field of social work (defined by students' research
interests), including questions in that field which need to be
addressed empirically.
The Ph.D. Program is administered
by the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of
Toronto. A Coordinator of the Ph.D. Program, appointed by the Dean, is
responsible for ensuring that the program objectives are met within the
guidelines of the School of Graduate Studies of the University of
Toronto. A Ph.D. Studies Committee, which is a committee of the Faculty
Council of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, is charged
with the task of addressing matters of policy which affect the Ph.D.
Program.
The Ph.D Program is interdisciplinary in character.
Most students take several courses outside of the Factor-Inwentash
Faculty of Social Work. The University of Toronto provides a rich array
of resources which the students are encouraged to explore. Most Thesis
Committees are interdisciplinary. The students, in consultation with
their supervisors, are responsible for selecting courses and
instructors that are most relevant to their educational objectives.
The
Ph.D Program is designed to facilitate a plan of study which focuses on
a well-defined substantive area of research in social work. Three
research courses and a Thesis Seminar are required of all students; for
the remaining five course credit requirements, each student has the
maximum opportunity to select those courses which best address the
questions to be pursued in her/his identified area of research. Each
student is expected to consult her/his supervisor to ensure a match
between identified research questions and course selections.
In addition, a thesis seminar is required in the second year of the program.
The
Ph.D. Program in Social Work resides in a University which has a
tradition of scholarly excellence based on the quality of the research
knowledge, competence, and output of its faculty and graduate programs.
Thus students in the Ph.D. Program in Social Work are expected to
acquire a basic grounding in quantitative and qualitative research
methods as well as specialized competencies in the methodological
skills necessary for productive scholarship in the substantive area of
their chosen research.
By its very nature a Doctoral Program
requires that each student is able to work independently. While
assistance and support is available from course instructors, fellow
students, and the supervisor, the responsibility for developing a
coherent, scholarly research program is the students.