Doctor of Philosophy Program Requirements
Program Requirements
Full-time Option
- Satisfy program requirements within six years of initial registration, including completing at least 5.0 full-course equivalents (FCE) generally within two years of registration.
- Complete the following required research FCE (each is equivalent to 0.5 FCE): SWK 6301H, SWK 6302H, SWK 6307H, SWK 6308H. Students may be exempt from these research courses but will substitute alternate elective courses for each exempted course. SWK4506H (0.5 FCE) is a prerequisite for SWK6301H or an equivalent competency exam must be passed by all incoming students with a grade of a least B+.
- 2.5 graduate level elective FCE, including at least one 0.5 FCE from Social Work and at least 0.5 FCE from another graduate unit and with the approval of the PhD Director.
- SWK 7000H Doctoral Thesis Seminar (0.5 FCE) is required during the fall session of the second year of the program.
- Following completion of course work, students are required to satisfactorily complete a comprehensive paper followed by a thesis proposal and thesis which constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the field of social work and finally, an oral thesis defence.
- Students are expected to complete their course work, Comprehensive Paper, and have their thesis proposal approved by the end of August of the third year of the program. The research, writing, and oral examination of the thesis are typically completed by the end of the fifth year of the program.
- Students must have an adequate knowledge of a language other than English if an additional language is deemed essential for satisfactory completion of research for the thesis. The Faculty is responsible for ensuring that an acceptable certificate of language competence is deposited with the School of Graduate Studies.
Flexible-time Option
- The flexible-time PhD differs only in design and delivery. All requirements are the same as those for the full-time PhD students.
- The flexible-time option is offered to practicing professionals who can demonstrate their employment or other professional work is related to their intended field of study and research interests. Students who are considering the flexible-time PhD should ensure that they will have adequate time on campus to attend classes and to fulfil the academic requirements of a PhD program.
Courses
SWK4506H Applied Quantitative Data Analysis
SWK 6005H Theoretical Foundations of Social Work
SWK 6006H Theory and Practice of Teaching Social Work
SWK 6101H Critical Evaluation of Social Work Practice Theories
SWK 6106H Family Mediation: Research and Practice
SWK 6203H Comparative Social Welfare Systems
SWK 6205H Social Planning in Social Welfare
SWK 6208H Advanced Principles of Social Policy Analysis
SWK 6301H Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis (Prerequisite: SWK 4506H or pass a competency exam)
SWK 6302H Epistemology and Social Work Research
SWK 6307H Designing and Implementing Qualitative Social Work Research
SWK 6308H Designing and Implementing Quantitative Social Work Research
SWK 6401H Sociocultural Issues in Social Work
SWK 6406H Housing Theory and Research Methods
SWK 7000H Doctoral Thesis Seminar (Credit/No Credit)
These courses are designed to provide seminars or tutorials according to the particular interests of students enrolled:
SWK 6501H,Y Special Studies 1
SWK 6502H,Y Special Studies 2
SWK 6503H,Y Special Studies 3
SWK 6504H,Y Special Studies 4