PhD in Social Work and Social Welfare

Congratulations to the following PhD students on their recently received honors:

PhD student Brittney Barros is featured in the PBS documentary “Rebecoming Me,” which profiles five individuals who grew up in Colorado’s foster care system. The film won a 2025 Heartland Emmy Award.  

The PhD in Social Work and Social Welfare is designed for students who already have their Master of Social Work (MSW) degree and are looking for a career focused on social justice, equity, and rigorous research.  This program provides a transdisciplinary approach to identifying and studying societal problems for the purpose 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.

It is November 18, 2024.

The program will accept 5 students and place a few on the waitlist to yield a cohort size of approximately 5 each academic year.

The best thing you can do is begin planning early to submit a complete and high-quality application. This means doing research about faculty in the School of Social Work, identifying faculty you are interested in working with, and thinking about how their interests line up with yours. You should take the time to reach out to them by email and tell them something about yourself and why you are interested in working with them. Also, if you are an international student, prepare well for the TOEFL test and leave yourself enough time for a retest if you feel you have not done your very best.

We expect Social Work and Social Welfare PhD program graduates to experience success on the job market given the high ranking of the School of Social Work and its highly respected faculty body.

No. Unlike the Joint Program, to apply and be accepted into the Social Work and Social Welfare program you must already have your MSW degree.

• TOEFL (iBT, including the Home Edition and Paper Edition): 100 range with section scores 23+ in listening & reading and 21+ in speaking and writing.
• TOEFL Essentials: 10 range with section scores 10+
• IELTS / IELTS Indicator: 7.0 range with section scores 6.5+
• ECPE: Certificate with all sections at least a C

Yes, you are eligible for the funding package described here. You are not eligible for certain fellowships and scholarships offered at the University of Michigan, or for training grants supported by the federal government.