The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work established the first social work doctoral program in the western United States in 1953. Today, we continue to welcome highly motivated, self-directed individuals interested in university research and teaching. Students admitted to the Ph.D. program pursue an in-depth, customized course of study in an atmosphere of careful mentoring and respect for scholarship.
Our doctoral curriculum is highly interdisciplinary, with the intent of producing graduates who are capable of original research and passionate about advancing the profession’s knowledge base. Course work and independent study opportunities within the school and across the university offer intellectual grounding in:
- Comparative social science theories
- Advanced research methods and statistics
- Global issues
- Policy analysis and advocacy
- 21st-century challenges