PhD Social Work at University of Illinois Chicago

Programme overview

The Jane Addams College of Social Work offers work leading to the Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work. The college cosponsors the Interdepartmental Graduate Concentration in Violence Studies with the Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In addition, interdepartmental concentrations in Black Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, Survey Research Methodology, and Violence Studies are available to doctoral students.

Faculty: Jane Addams College of Social Work | Study mode: full-time | Location: Chicago, IL, United States

What you will study

Minimum 96 semester hours required. Required courses include Research Methods in Social Work I; Research Methods in Social Work II; Qualitative Methods in Social Work Research; Analysis of Social Work Practice Approaches; Social Welfare Policy Analysis and Development; Social Statistics and Data Analysis.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Prior degree: Master’s degree required. Most applicants have a Master of Social Work degree; applicants with advanced training in other human service professions or in related social sciences are also eligible for consideration. GPA: At least 3.00/4.00 in the final 60 semester (90 quarter) hours of undergraduate study and for all work beyond the baccalaureate. Tests: None. Letters of recommendation: Three letters of recommendation required, ordinarily including former instructors and work supervisors. Contact the Jane Addams College of Social Work for more information. Personal statement: Required. Applicants must submit a statement of their interest in social work, their long range career goals and scholarly interests, and how those fit with the mission of the college.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate and professional programmes admit for Fall, Spring and Summer terms depending on the programme; applications for Fall 2027, Spring 2028 and Summer 2028 are expected to open on August 1, 2026.

Graduate and professional application deadlines are set per programme, with separate deadlines for domestic and international applicants for most non-online programmes; optional earlier priority, recommended or fellowship dates apply to both.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.uic.edu/admissions/

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