Joint PhD Program in Social Work and Social Science Graduates

Spring 2026

Vibrant magenta bee balm flowers in sharp focus in the foreground with white flowers visible to the right, green foliage on both sides, and the Rackham Graduate Library building softly blurred in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

The School of Social Work offers two distinct PhD programs. 

The Joint PhD in Social Work and Social Science is the only one of its kind in the United States and  has a long and illustrious history of trailblazing and producing extraordinary scholars. It pairs education and training in social work with disciplinary training in anthropology, psychology, or sociology. 

The PhD in Social Work and Social Welfare provides a transdisciplinary approach to identifying and studying societal problems, with the aim of proposing and developing solutions. The focus on societal interventions and solving problems is core to the new PhD in Social Work and Social Welfare at the University of Michigan.

The School is thrilled to welcome our two latest PhD graduates in the Joint PhD program! 

Brittani Symone Parham

Brittani Parham

Dissertation title: “Compounded Disadvantage: Exploring the Intersection of Race, Sex, and Child Welfare in Juvenile Justice”

Joint PhD in Social Work and Developmental Psychology

Charles E. Williams

Charles E. Williams II

Dissertation title: “Healing Balm: Black Women, Black Churches, and Du Boisian Pathways to Health Equity”

Joint PhD in Social Work and Sociology