Boston College School of Social Work, Ph.D. Program

Scholarship that Serves Communities

The Boston College School of Social Work (BCSSW) is a global leader in social work education, dedicated to finding solutions to the pressing social issues of our time through pioneering practice and research.

Grounded in Boston College’s 160-year tradition of service, BCSSW pursues the highest standards of intellectual rigor alongside a deep commitment to social justice, training scholars engaged in translational research to improve the lives of others.

Groundbreaking Research that Informs Practice

BCSSW prepares tomorrow’s faculty scholars and researchers to advance the field of social welfare and social work practice through a highly individualized PhD program that promotes original research and the creation of new knowledge.

Our curriculum strengthens analytical and quantitative skills through 45 credit hours of coursework, which encompass research methodology, data analysis, statistics, and a wide range of electives. You’ll also work closely with a faculty mentor to complete a research internship, which will help you achieve your scholarship and publishing goals. The program’s teaching practicum and teaching assistantship offer a strong foundation for a faculty career, and you can take advantage of adjunct teaching opportunities in our top-ranked MSW program starting in your second year.

As a PhD student, you can also take advantage of BC’s numerous research centers and eight campus libraries as well as the Boston Consortium, which allows students to participate in courses and other learning opportunities at area universities, including Brandeis University, Boston University, the MIT Women’s Consortium, and Tufts University.

Greater Boston and Beyond

Pursue Your Research in the Right Setting

Students in the BCSSW PhD program benefit from its proximity to Greater Boston’s many teaching, medical, and social service institutions. The School of Social Work is located on Boston College’s main campus in Chestnut Hill, only six miles from downtown Boston and easily accessible by public transportation. As an R1-designated research university, Boston College has abundant connections and affiliations that catalyze research partnerships with human service providers (such as health care institutions, community organizations, nonprofits, schools, and government offices) throughout Greater Boston and in Mexico, Venezuela, Rwanda, India, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Nepal.

New students per doctoral cohort

Total PhD students across all cohorts

PhD Program by the Numbers

Since being accepted to BCSSW, I’ve felt that the faculty has respect and genuine care for my professional and personal needs. One of the best traits of our school is that our faculty are quite diverse in terms of their training. Currently, I work with a neuroscientist, an epidemiologist, and a theologian/ social worker. Having this team as my advisors is a privilege: I am constantly challenged intellectually, which enhances my theoretical and methodological potential.

AHANA students

(African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian American/ Pacific Islander, Native American)

Rica R do d iego Suá R ez Roja S , Ph d ’25

Faculty

Renowned Researchers. Lifelong Mentors.

Our PhD students partner with BCSSW faculty and their doctoral cohorts on myriad shared research interests and research projects. Current faculty members conduct research that promotes maternal and child well-being, reduces mental health disparities, and improves our understanding of how policies and public services impact low-wage workers, refugees, and immigrants. Their expertise spans areas such as food security in resource-poor households, parenting and male caregiving, the effects of longer working lives, social-behavioral responses to environmental changes, and more.

8 M in grant expenditures

27 Required courses

Elective courses 45 Credit hours

4 Years to complete the PhD program

During your PhD, you will work closely with faculty mentors to complete a foursemester research internship. This formative experience cultivates the essential skills you’ll need to become an independent scholar capable of identifying and helping to solve complex societal problems at the local, national, and global levels.

Students also collaborate with faculty and doctoral students from other divisions within Boston College, such as the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, the Connell School of Nursing, the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Theology and Ministry. These interdisciplinary investigations, which are typically conducted in addition to one’s doctoral commitments, strengthen research competencies and frequently lead to published articles and conference presentations.

On average, our doctoral students publish eight articles and present at six conferences during their time in the program. We also provide doctoral program funds for travel, training, and professional development to help offset costs.

8-10

Professional development sessions and workshops a year

Resources and Community

Thrive in a Supportive Environment

In addition to its world-class faculty, the BCSSW PhD program is noted for its supportive administrative team. The close personal attention you’ll receive as a student here will help you complete your academic studies within four years of entering the program.

The PhD program’s three-year residency requirement fosters a robust student community animated by clubs and talks, professional development doctoral lunches, dissertation boot camps, and specialized training with visiting faculty. In addition, the Doctoral Outreach and Community (DOC) group coordinates social outings for students, community dinners, and more.

The Social Work PhD program at Boston College has afforded me lifelong connections, strengthened my analytical skills, and taught me the meaning of asking a purposeful question. Within the program, I’ve been challenged for the better, given access to progressive resources, and provided great networking opportunities. Thanks to the seeds Boston College planted within my research, I will be able to make an impact within every community I collaborate with.

100 %

Job placement within a year of graduation

Recent Employers

Arizona State University

Brown University

Harvard University

Ohio State University

University of Maryland

University of Pittsburgh

University of Washington

Ty B. Tucke R , Ph d ’23

Research Faculty Directory

Theresa Betancourt, ScD, Salem Professor in Global Practice; Director, Research Program on Children and Adversity | Expertise: Social and Economic Inclusion, Gender-based Violence, Global Practice, Immigrants and Refugees, Innovations in Research Methods, Mental Health, Poverty, Social Determinants of Health, Trauma

Jessica Black, PhD, Associate Professor; Chair of the Children, Youth, & Families Field of Practice | Expertise: Child Welfare, Mental Health, School Social Work, Spirituality, Neuroscience, Trauma

Karen Bullock, PhD, Ahearn Endowed Professor | Expertise: Aging, Black Communities, Clinical Practice, Mental Health

William Byansi, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Global Practice, Mental Health, Poverty, Social and Economic Inclusion, Innovations in Research Methods, Evaluation

Rocío Calvo, PhD, Associate Professor; Founding Director, Latinx Leadership Initiative | Expertise: Disparities, Immigrants and Refugees, Latinx Communities

Thomas Crea, PhD, Professor; Assistant Dean of Global Programs, Chair of Global Practice | Expertise: Child Welfare, Global Practice, Humanitarian Services, Immigrants and Refugees, Innovations in Research Methods, Mental Health, Spirituality, Evaluation

Kirsten Davison, PhD, Donahue and DiFelice Endowed Chair, Associate Dean for Research | Expertise: Disparities, Evaluation, Child Welfare

Scott Easton, PhD, ACSW, LMSW, Associate Professor; Chair of the Health and Mental Health Fields of Practice | Expertise: Aging, Clinical Practice, Global Practice, Immigrants and Refugees, Mental Health, Stress and Health at the Workplace, Trauma

Vincent Fusaro, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Disparities, Poverty, Social Service Policies and Practice Effectiveness, Social and Economic Inclusion, Macro, Child Welfare, Community Development and Organizing, Social and Economic Inclusion, Systemic Inequities

Cal Halvorsen, PhD, Assistant Professor; Affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work | Expertise: Aging, Social and Economic Inclusion, Macro, Social Service Policies and Practice Effectiveness, Systemic Inequities, Evaluation, Stress and Health at the Workplace

Summer Sherburne Hawkins, PhD, Associate Professor | Expertise: Health, Social Determinants of Health, Social Service Policies and Practice Effectiveness

Whitney Irie, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Health, Mental Health, LGBTQ+ Communities, Black Communities

Praveen Kumar, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Environmental Justice, Global Practice, Innovations in Research Methods

Robert O. Motley, Jr., PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Black Communities, Mental Health, Trauma, Social and Economic Inclusion, Societal Determinants of Health, Innovations in Research Methods

Thomas O’Hare, PhD, Associate Professor | Expertise: Clinical Practice, Mental Health, Substance Misuse, Trauma

Alejandro Olayo-Méndez, S.J., PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Global Practice, Immigrants and Refugees, Innovations in Research Methods, Latinx Communities, Mental Health, Poverty, Spirituality

Shanta Pandey, PhD, Professor | Expertise: Child Welfare, Poverty, Macro

Tyrone Parchment, PhD, LCSW, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Clinical Practice, Global Practice, Mental Health, Child Welfare, Innovations in Research Methods

María Piñeros Leaño, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Gender-based Violence, Global Practice, Immigrants and Refugees, Innovations in Research Methods, Latinx Communities, Mental Health, Social Determinants of Health

Maggi Price, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Child Welfare, Clinical Practice, Gender-based Violence, LGBTQ+ Communities, Mental Health, School Social Work, Systemic Inequities, Trauma

Erika Sabbath, ScD, Associate Professor | Expertise: Aging, Disparities, Innovations in Research Methods, Stress and Health at the Workplace

Christopher Salas-Wright, PhD, Professor; Assistant Dean, Doctoral Program | Expertise: Substance Misuse, Child Welfare, Immigrants and Refugees, Latinx Communities

Indrani Saran, ScD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Disparities, Global Practice, Child Welfare

Catherine Taylor, PhD, Professor; Boston College Institute of Early Childhood Policy (IECP) Leadership Team | Expertise: Child Welfare, Evaluation, Macro, Social Service Policies and Practice Effectiveness, Trauma

Samantha Teixeira, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Disparities, Environmental Justice, Innovations in Research Methods, Macro

Carolina Vélez-Grau, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Mental Health, Latinx Communities, Clinical Practice

Ed-Dee G. Williams, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Mental Health, Black Communities, Social Determinants of Health, Innovations in Research Methods, Evaluation

Gautam N. Yadama, PhD, Professor, Dean | Expertise: Environmental Justice, Global Practice, Poverty

Application Deadline: December 1

For information and to learn how to apply, visit bc.edu/sswphd-apply McGuinn