The Doctor of Social Work or PhD in Social Work or PhD in Social Policy and Social Work is a higher academic degree for social workers who wish to further their careers. The PhD candidate gains experience at doctoral level in education, training in advanced practice, teaching, supervision, research and/or policy analysis and development. The Doctor of Social Work degree or DSW is usually advanced clinical practice or research with emphasis on some specialized fields. The DSW degree also allows current practitioners to gain specific knowledge or receive more specialized training in an area of practice. The curricula of the courses differ from country to country and from university to university. It can be a professional degree where the PhD candidate is interested in being a more qualified social worker or a research degree (probably the most common) in which s/he is probably more interested in research settings in social work practice, education, research and development. The degree typically leads to academic teaching and research or to more leadership roles in practice and policy developments at a local or international level.
Universities that provide PhD programs in social work
University of California, Berkeley
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
Columbia University
New York University
University of Connecticut
Fordham University, the Jesuit University of New York
University of Pittsburgh
University of Iowa
Barry University
University of Houston
University of Maryland
University of Missouri
University of South Carolina
University of Illinois
University of Texas
University of Kansas
University of Utah
Capella University
University of Denver
University of Tennessee
University of Alabama
Indiana University