Oct 31, 2025  
Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
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Fall 2025 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Social Welfare, PhD

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Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy in Social Welfare

Dean and Interim Program Director: Shari E. Miller, Health Sciences Center, Level 2, Room 093 (631) 444-2139

School of Social Welfare Website

The PhD program in the School of Social Welfare prepares the next generation of scholars and educators grounded in advanced data collection methods, with an emphasis on the social determinants of health, research on ameliorating racial, ethnic, and identity-based disparities in access to quality treatment, and policy-based solutions.

Admission Requirements

The application can be found at graduateadmissions.stonybrook.edu/apply. If you have any questions, you may contact ssw_phdadmissions@stonybrook.edu.

Degree Requirements

  1. One year in residence
  2. Satisfactory completion of all required and elective courses (54 credits)
  3. Satisfactory completion of research and teaching practicum
  4. Satisfactory performance on the comprehensive qualifying exams
  5. Advancement to candidacy by vote of the doctoral committee upon successful completion of all course work and the comprehensive exam
  6. Completion of a dissertation
  7. Successful defense of the dissertation

A program summary booklet is available describing the Ph.D. program in detail, its curriculum and requirements for admission. To receive a copy of this booklet , contact the School of Social Welfare’s Ph.D. program office at (631) 444-3142.

Program Structure and Content

The structure of this program consists of 14 required courses (42 credits) as follows:

Notes:

Also required are four electives (12 credits), a comprehensive exam and the production and defense of a scholarly dissertation. Fifty four credits are required for graduation. In the first three years, students take three courses each semester. The full-time program is designed to be completed in a minimum of four years.

Once all coursework and the comprehensive exam have been completed successfully, students select a preliminary dissertation chair and committee and develop an approved dissertation proposal. The student is then advanced to candidacy and begins dissertation research. The fourth year is spent on completion of the dissertation and defense.

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