PhD Program In Social Welfare

Standard Track, for those with an MSW

Students entering the PhD program with an MSW will follow the Standard plan of study.  Visit The Guide to see the current plan of study for Standard track students (scroll to the bottom of the page)

Course Descriptions

View descriptions of the required PhD courses offered by the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. Syllabi are also available for the current and past terms.

Application Process

Like all PhD Program applicants, Standard track applicants are required to have completed a statistics course and 30-semester credits of social science courses prior to acceptance into the PhD program. Prospective students interested in the Standard track must apply to and be accepted by the PhD Program using the PhD application. 

See the PhD Application Page for admissions information and requirements.   

FAQ

Learn more about the Social Welfare PhD Program by visiting our FAQ page:  https://socwork.wisc.edu/faq-phd/

Joint MSW/PhD Track, for those wishing to obtain an MSW

Applications for the Joint MSW/PhD Track are currently paused.  For the Fall 2024 admissions cycle, open September 6th-December 1, 2023, we will NOT accept PhD applications for the Joint MSW/PhD Track.  We welcome applicants without an MSW to learn more about the PhD-Only Track.

Applicants interested in being considered for the MSW Program if they are NOT admitted to the PhD Program should apply to BOTH the PhD Program under the PhD-Only track, and the MSW Full-time program, by selecting Social Welfare PhD AND Social Work MSW-Full Time MSW under the Program Select tab of the Graduate School Admission Application.  Applicants that do not select MSW in the Admissions Application will ONLY be considered for the PhD Program. 

Course Descriptions

View descriptions of the required PhD courses offered by the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. Syllabi are also available for the current and past terms.

Application Process

See the PhD Application Page for admissions information, requirements, and instructions for applying.   

FAQ

Learn more about the Social Welfare PhD Program by visiting our FAQ page:  https://socwork.wisc.edu/faq-phd/

PhD-Only Track, for those that do not wish to obtain an MSW

We do not require a BSW or an MSW for entry into the doctoral program.  The PhD-Only option is for students applying to the PhD program without a BSW or MSW, that wish to obtain only the PhD degree. The first two years of study are comprised of 42 credits in required coursework following the Standard track sequence in addition to 6 credits of MSW coursework: two courses from the Professional Foundation sequence of the MSW program, and a social work internship.  These requirements provide doctoral students without a social work degree an understanding of the basic knowledge, values, and skill base of the social work profession.

See The Guide for this track’s suggested plan of study (scroll to the bottom of the page).

Note: Although an MSW is not universally required for faculty hires across schools of social work, the MSW is required to teach social work practice courses. In addition, the Council on Social Work Education requires educators to have at least two years of post-BSW or post-MSW social work degree practice experience to teach practice courses.

Course Descriptions

View descriptions of the required PhD courses offered by the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. Syllabi are also available for the current and past terms.

Application Process

Like all PhD Program applicants, PhD-Only track applicants are required to have completed a statistics course and 30-semester credits of social science courses prior to acceptance into the PhD program. Prospective students interested in the PhD-Only option must apply to and be accepted by the PhD Program using the PhD application. 

For Fall 2024, applicants interested in being considered for the MSW Program if they are not admitted to the PhD Program should apply to both the PhD Program under the PhD-Only track, and the MSW Full-time program, by selecting Social Welfare PhD AND Social Work MSW-Full Time MSW under the Program Select tab of the Graduate School Admission Application.

Applicants that do not select MSW in the Admissions Application will ONLY be considered for the PhD Program under then PhD-Only Track.

See the PhD Application Page for admissions information and requirements.   

FAQ

Learn more about the Social Welfare PhD Program by visiting our FAQ page:  https://socwork.wisc.edu/faq-phd/

Graduate Assistantships

Social Welfare PhD students are generally guaranteed a minimum funding package consisting of a 33.4%, 9-month appointment for a minimum of five years, if they are in good academic standing, make satisfactory progress in their coursework, perform acceptably in their appointed position, and remain in residence. While many appointments or combinations of appointments can go above 33.4%, and may include summer appointments, the guarantee of funding is only 33.4% for 9 months for five years.

Typically, students do not receive funding after their 5th year in the program, though some exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis depending on funding availability and the fit between a student’s skills and faculty/departmental needs with regards to TA, PA, RA, and teaching appointments. Refer to the Graduate School Explorer data tools, available at grad.wisc.edu (click “Data” in the upper right), for historical information on how the Program’s students have been funded. Or, click here: https://grad.wisc.edu/data/graduate-student-funding-data/

Graduate assistantships appointed at 33.3% or higher (>13 hours/week) provide multiple benefits:

• monthly stipend;
• remission^* of both resident and non-resident tuition (students will still need to pay segregated fees, roughly $726/semester); and
• eligibility for health insurance (health insurance options for a reasonable premium are among the country’s best group health insurance plans)

Appointment Types

• Teaching Assistantships (TA): Instructional positions that could include lecturing, grading papers, supervising laboratories, leading discussion sections, or developing course curriculum
• Project Assistantships (PA): Project-related assignments such as coordinating programs, organizing events, analyzing data, or supporting student services
• Research Assistantships (RA): Research under the guidance of a faculty member
• Lecturer, Student Assistant (LSA): Instructional position leading a course in place of faculty or instructional academic staff

For more details on TA, RA, and PA, positions, including stipend levels, please visit: https://grad.wisc.edu/funding/graduate-assistantships/

Support Funding

Support is available for current PhD students seeking conference, dissertation research activities (e.g., data collection costs, participant incentives, transcription), or emergency funding. Examples of conferences that we have supported students attending in the past includes SSWR, APPAM, SRCD, APHA, GSA, Gatlinburg Conference, WAIMH, and more.

Awards

As part of our admissions process, the PhD Committee considers all incoming students for available awards, including;

• Graduate Research Scholar fellowships (also called GRS or AOF)
• IRIS Area and International Studies Awards for Incoming Graduate Students
• Kemper Knapp Fellowship
• Lois Palmer Shimpa Memorial Scholarship

In the spring, the PhD Committee awards current students PhD Scholarships and Awards including;

• Alfred Kadushin Dissertation Research Award
• Arthur P. Miles School of Social Work Scholarship
• DEI Leadership Award

• Exceptional Service Award
• Irving Piliavin Award
• Doctoral Research Paper Award
• Dorothy M. Pearson Graduate Fellowship
• Sheldon D. Rose Memorial Scholarship
• Teaching Excellence Award

The UW- Madison International Student Services (ISS) Office offers information on scholarships and grants for International graduate students, as well as educational loan options.  See more here: ISS: https://iss.wisc.edu/funding-scholarships/

Additionally, we recommend applying for outside awards and funding.  The Wisconsin Scholarship Hub, or WISH, is a great place to start the graduate scholarship search.  Visit the site here: https://wisc.academicworks.com/

Application Process

See the PhD Application Page for admissions information and requirements.

FAQ

Learn more about the Social Welfare PhD Program by visiting our FAQ page:  https://socwork.wisc.edu/faq-phd/

The PhD Program in Social Welfare at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is proud to announce our current job market candidates. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of further assistance in your faculty recruitment.

Please visit the PhD Students and Alumni on the Job Market page.

PhD Program Warrant Request Form

Use this form to request your MSW (Joint MSW/PhD), Prelim, or PhD Warrant

GSTS Advisement Report

PhD Program Handbook (Guidelines)

The PhD Program in Social Welfare Guidelines have been developed by the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work, and cover the policies and expectations of our PhD Program, in accordance with the UW-Madison Graduate School Academic Policies and Procedures.

These guidelines are updated annually. Each doctoral student is expected to adhere to the policies and expectations in the Guidelines applicable to their year of entry into the program.

Guidelines are available for the past several years:

• PhD Program Guidelines 2023-24
• PhD Program Guidelines 2022-23
• PhD Program Guidelines 2021-22
• PhD Program Guidelines 2020-21
• PhD Program Guidelines 2019-20
• PhD Program Guidelines 2018-19
• PhD Program Guidelines 2017-18