Change your world and the world of those around you as you reach a new level of achievement in your career and make significant contributions to your profession and to society. Walden’s online PhD in Social Work program can help you enhance your role as an advanced social work scholar, researcher, and leader in the field.1

Why earn your PhD in Social Work online from Walden?

Walden’s PhD in Social Work online degree program helps you prepare to practice at the highest level of the social work field as a researcher, college-level educator, or administrative leader. A challenging curriculum enables you to analyze advanced theory and explore some of the most pressing and cutting-edge issues in social work today. Align your studies with your interests by choosing one of eight specializations, such as Addictions and Social Work, Medical Social Work, or Clinical Expertise. Four face-to-face academic residencies support the learning experience by giving you the opportunity to collaborate with professors and colleagues, build your social and professional community, and enhance your ability to effect positive social change.

A Master of Social Work (MSW) is a prerequisite for the PhD in Social Work program. As a graduate of this program, you can become a lifelong contributor to the profession through research, scholarly writing, and thought leadership.

Aligned with Walden University’s mission of social change, the PhD in Social Work program allows you to:

  • Learn from nationally recognized experts in the profession.
  • Focus your studies in a relevant specialization that aligns with your interests.
  • Gain strategies and skills for publishing and presenting research.
  • Enhance your professional development by participating in a residency program.
  • Acquire an understanding of how diversity shapes the human experience.
  • Design, implement, and analyze your own research related to the social work profession.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this online PhD in Social Work degree program will be prepared to:

  1. Utilize current research, best practices, and theory to promote prevention and intervention strategies that address social problems and needs of social groups.
  2. Employ various research and statistical tools to gather data used to address the etiology and dynamics of social problems and social needs.
  3. Evaluate the role of research and evaluation in social work in improving social interventions and advancing theory development.
  4. Critically evaluate the history of social work, its mission, and its core values.
  5. Promote social change by collaborating with leaders, agencies, and universities to advocate for policies and programs that advance the economic and social well-being of culturally diverse clientele.
  6. Assess the role of diversity in characterizing and shaping the human experience.
  7. Apply ethical decision-making and practices in social work.

Career Impact

Walden University’s online PhD in Social Work program can help you gain the skills needed to address social issues through research or to teach in a university setting. Whichever path you choose, this doctoral degree program will prepare you to work in a variety of professions in the public or private sectors.

Enter a High-Growth Field

  • Opportunities for social work professionals are expected to grow by 25% from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all other occupations.2
  • Employment opportunities for college professors are expected to grow by 17% between 2010 and 2020.3

Expand Your Career Options

A PhD in Social Work can provide you with greater opportunities to move your career forward as a:

  • Social worker
  • Researcher
  • Evaluator
  • Agency leader
  • Policy analyst
  • Educator/professor/faculty member
  • Supervisor in the social work field
  • Program director

Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program.

in-it-together

Earn Your PhD in Social Work While Balancing Priorities.

At Walden, we understand that you likely work full time and may care for children or other family members. Explore our support services designed to help you balance family commitments with your work and school responsibilities. We’re all in it together.

Meet Our Students and Faculty

A Social Worker’s Charge

Adrien Green
PhD in Social Work student Adrian Green shares her insight on struggles and opportunities within child protective services.
Learn more

Practicing with Purpose

Renata Hedrington-Jones
Social work is often described as challenging and frustrating, but it's also rewarding to see the difference social workers make in people's lives and communities.
Learn more

A Passion for Special Needs Kids

Kailee Bauman
MSW student Kailee Bauman hopes to advocate for and raise awareness of special-needs kids.
Learn more

Testimonials

Bernadette Marson

Bernadette Marson

PhD in Human Services Graduate
The amount of support, resources, and assistance available to students is phenomenal.
I hope that with the degree I’ve obtained from Walden I can help individuals, organizations, and policymakers develop policies and plans to benefit children and youth.
I knew from earning my master’s degree that Walden fit my schedule as an intervention counselor, trainer, and single parent.
Kahla D. LaPlante PhD in Health Services Student
Kahla LaPlante
Mildred Peyton PhD in Human Services Graduate
Mildred Peyton
Tomica Buford MS in Mental Health Counseling Graduate
Tomica Buford

1Career options may require additional experience, training, or other factors beyond the successful completion of this degree program. Find detailed information for this program, including possible occupations, completion rate, program costs, and median student loan debt.

2Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012–13 Edition, on the Internet at www.bls.gov/ooh/Community-and-Social-Service/Social-workers.htm/#tab-6 (viewed online June 29, 2013). National long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual employment.

3Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012–13 Edition, on the Internet at www.bls.gov/ooh/Education-Training-and-Library/Postsecondary-teachers.htm#tab-6 (viewed online June 29, 2013). National long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual employment.

Note: Time to completion and cost are not estimates of individual experience and will vary based on individual factors applicable to the student. Factors may be programmatic or academic, such as tuition and fee increases; transfer credits accepted by Walden; program or specialization changes; unsuccessful course completion; credit load per term; part-time vs. full-time enrollment; writing, research, and editing skills; use of external data for the doctoral study/dissertation; and individual progress in the program. Other factors may include personal issues such as the student’s employment obligations, caregiving responsibilities, or health issues; leaves of absence; or other personal circumstances.

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Questions about our PhD in Social Work?
Questions about our PhD in Social Work?
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