About the School of Social Work

The School of Social Work at UW–Madison is consistently ranked among the best schools of social work in the country. Faculty prepare social work professionals at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. Through the preparation of social work practitioners, scholars, and educators, faculty and students explore and seek to understand the nature of social problems, their impact on vulnerable populations, and ways to critically analyze and promote the achievement of a just, equitable, healthy, and productive society.

Social work faculty are noted for their scholarly work in developing a conceptual understanding of social work practice and policy, and in producing research in important social problem areas. For example, faculty took a leadership role in the development of the generalist model of practice now used by most social work programs. Faculty members have made valuable research contributions in the fields of aging, child welfare, developmental disabilities, and family and intergenerational caregiving, as well as in educational attainment and life-course decision-making, end-of-life care for older adults and palliative care, health disparities, homelessness, poverty, social policy, welfare reform, and child support. Drawing on strong faculty, excellent students, and the resources of a world-renowned university in a community rich with social and human service programs, there is much to offer prospective students: individualized, faculty-taught field education for master's students, nationally renowned faculty with a strong interdisciplinary focus, and hands-on research training in a highly individualized program of study for doctoral students.

The school offers unique opportunities for students to receive state-of-the-art professional training through its field education program. Student practice opportunities range from experiences in institutional and community-based settings to working with families and other significant caregivers, with individuals and groups, and in policy and service delivery issues.

Mission: The mission of the School of Social Work is to enhance human well-being and promote social and economic justice for people who are disadvantaged to achieve an equitable, healthy, and productive society. The school aims to:

• Create, advance, strengthen, and integrate interdisciplinary knowledge for students and the profession through research, scholarship, and practice.
• Educate students to become highly skilled, culturally competent, and ethical practitioners who will provide leadership for the profession of social work within the state of Wisconsin and nationally.
• Promote change at levels ranging from the individual client to national, including empowering communities and populations that are disadvantaged and developing humane service delivery systems.
• Create and disseminate knowledge regarding the prevention and amelioration of social problems.

The School of Social Work is one of five professional schools in the College of Letters & Science. As part of the college, the school maintains relationships with the other social studies and professional schools within the university system through interchange of faculty and students and through joint research and publication endeavors.

Admissions

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.

Graduate Admissions Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Fall Deadline	December 1
Spring Deadline	The program does not admit in the spring.
Summer Deadline	The program does not admit in the summer.
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations)	Not required but may be considered if available
English Proficiency	Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241 and Social Welfare's higher requirements: TOEFL (iBT): 100 IELTS: 7.0 IELTS Indicator: 7.0 Duolingo English Test: 130
Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT)	n/a
Letters of Recommendation Required	3

School of Social Work PhD Admissions Committee requires:

• An undergraduate grade-point average of at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours.
• A completed statistics course and 30 semester credits of social science courses.
• Evidence of research interest and potential for scholarship in a relevant social problem area. This is demonstrated in a carefully thought-out Statement of Reasons for Graduate Study, and other application materials. See the PhD Application page for details.

Applicants must complete an online application. 

Funding

Graduate School Resources

The Bursar’s Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student. Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum degree requirements and policies, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Major Requirements

Mode of Instruction

Mode of Instruction

Face to Face	Evening/Weekend	Online	Hybrid	Accelerated
Yes	No	No	No	No

Mode of Instruction Definitions

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

Curricular Requirements

University General Education Requirements

Requirements	Detail
Minimum Credit Requirement	51 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement	32 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement	43 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244.
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement	3.00 GPA required. This program follows the Graduate School's policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203.
Other Grade Requirements	Students must pass all courses with a grade of B or better. A student must retake any required course in which a lower grade than B is received, except for the statistics sequence where a grade of BC or C may be offset by a grade of A or AB in another statistics course.
Assessments and Examinations	Doctoral students are required to complete a comprehensive preliminary/oral examination after they have cleared their record of all Incomplete and Progress grades (other than research and thesis). Deposit of the doctoral dissertation in the Graduate School is required.
Language Requirements	n/a
Graduate School Breadth Requirement	Students are not required to complete a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate.

Required Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Core
SOC WORK 675	Topics in Contemporary Social Welfare 1	2
SOC WORK 708	The Field of Social Work 1	2
SOC WORK 711	Human Behavior and the Environment 1	2
SOC WORK 946	Faculty Research Seminar	1
SOC WORK 947	Student Research Seminar (taken twice for 1 credit each)	2
Proseminar
SOC WORK 948	Proseminar (Quantitative Research Methods)	3
SOC WORK 949	Proseminar (Quantitative Research Methods)	3
SOC WORK 950	PhD Proseminar (Social Policy Seminar) 2	3
SOC WORK 951	PhD Proseminar (Applied Theory Seminar) 2	3
Students must complete one of the following for a second time:		3
SOC WORK 950	PhD Proseminar
or SOC WORK 951	PhD Proseminar
Students must complete one of the following courses at least once: 3		3
SOC WORK 952	PhD Proseminar (Applied Data Analysis)
or SOC WORK/​ED PSYCH  945	Evaluation Research
Electives
Social Science Theory 4
Students must complete 3 credits of Social Science Theory elective. This course must not be a Social Work (SOC WORK) course and should be taken outside of the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work.		3
Substantive 4
Students must complete 6 credits of Substantive electives, including 3 credits outside of Social Work (SOC WORK) and taken outside of the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work.		6
Statistics		6-8
Statistics/Methods 4		6
Research
Students enroll in the following course while working on their dissertation and complete sufficient credits to satisfy the minimum credit requirement.		3
SOC WORK 990	Thesis-Research
Total Credits		51

¹

Students entering with a BSW and/or MSW degree earned within the last ten years may use prior coursework to satisfy requirement.

²

Each course must be taken once.

³

SOC WORK 952 OR SOC WORK/​ED PSYCH  945 must be taken once (1). SOC WORK 952 AND SOC WORK/​ED PSYCH  945 can both be taken once, in which case, either SOC WORK 952 or SOC WORK/​ED PSYCH  945 can satisfy a statistics/methods course requirement. SOC WORK 952 may be taken twice, in which case it can satisfy a statistics/methods course requirement.

⁴

With PhD Program Chair approval, students may register for an independent reading course (SOC WORK 999) with faculty to fulfill the social science theory (must be a faculty member outside of the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work) or a substantive or statistics/methods elective requirement for a maximum of 6 credits. This requires developing a proposed learning plan, identifying a faculty member with expertise in the area of interest, and requesting supervision. All plans must be approved by the PhD Program Chair before enrolling.

Graduate School Policies

The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures serve as the official document of record for Graduate School academic and administrative policies and procedures and are updated continuously. Note some policies redirect to entries in the official UW-Madison Policy Library. Programs may set more stringent policies than the Graduate School. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Major-Specific Policies

Prior Coursework

Graduate Credits Earned from Other Institutions

Students may transfer up to 6 credits of social work coursework from a Masters of Social Work (MSW) program.

Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison

Students may transfer up to 6 credits of social work coursework from a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program.

Credits Earned as Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)

Credits earned as a Professional student at UW-Madison are not allowed to transfer.

Credits Earned as a University Special Student at UW-Madison

Students may transfer 6 credits of social work coursework earned as a University Special student. 

Probation

Refer to the Graduate School: Probation policy.

Advisor/Committee

Refer to the Graduate School: Advisor and Graduate School: Committees (Doctoral/Master’s/MFA) policies.

Credits Per Term Allowed

15 credit maximum. Refer to the Graduate School: Maximum Credit Loads and Overload Requests policy.

Time Limits

Coursework earned more than 10 years prior to admission to the PhD program may not be used to satisfy degree credit minimums.

Refer to the Graduate School: Time Limits policy.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Hostile and Intimidating Behavior Policies and Procedures
  • Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office Student Assistance and Support (OSAS) (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

L&S Policy for Graduate Student Academic Appeals

Graduate students have the right to appeal an academic decision related to an L&S graduate program if the student believes that the decision is inconsistent with published policy.

Academic decisions that may be appealed include: 

• Dismissal from the graduate program
• Failure to pass a qualifying or preliminary examination
• Failure to achieve satisfactory academic progress
• Academic disciplinary action related to failure to meet professional conduct standards

Issues such as the following cannot be appealed using this process:

• A faculty member declining to serve as a graduate student’s advisor.
• Decisions regarding the student’s disciplinary knowledge, evaluation of the quality of work, or similar judgements. These are the domain of the department faculty.
• Course grades. These can be appealed instead using the L&S Policy for Grade Appeal.
• Incidents of bias or hate, hostile and intimidating behavior, or discrimination (Title IX, Office of Compliance). Direct these to the linked campus offices appropriate for the incident(s).

Appeal Process for Graduate Students

A graduate student wishing to appeal an academic decision must follow the process in the order listed below. Note time limits within each step.

1. The student should first seek informal resolution, if possible, by discussing the concern with their academic advisor, the department’s Director of Graduate Studies, and/or the department chair.
2. If the program has an appeal policy listed in their graduate program handbook, the student should follow the policy as written, including adhering to any indicated deadlines. In the absence of a specific departmental process, the chair or designee will be the reviewer and decision maker, and the student should submit a written appeal to the chair within 15 business days of the academic decision. The chair or designee will notify the student in writing of their decision.
3. If the departmental process upholds the original decision, the graduate student may next initiate an appeal to L&S. To do so, the student must submit a written appeal to the L&S Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Academic Affairs within 15 business days of notification of the department’s decision.
   1. To the fullest extent possible, the written appeal should include, in a single document: a clear and concise statement of the academic decision being appealed, any relevant background on what led to the decision, the specific policies involved, the relief sought, any relevant documentation related to the departmental appeal, and the names and titles of any individuals contributing to or involved in the decision.
   2. The Assistant Dean will work with the Academic Associate Dean of the appropriate division to consider the appeal. They may seek additional information and/or meetings related to the case. 
   3. The Assistant Dean and Academic Associate Dean will provide a written decision within 20 business days.
4. If L&S upholds the original decision, the graduate student may appeal to the Graduate School. More information can be found on their website: Grievances and Appeals (see: Graduate School Appeal Process).

 Other

n/a

Professional Development

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate understanding of social welfare problems, theories, policies, and programs.
2. Conceptualize and analyze approaches to improving social welfare problems, theories, policies, and programs.
3. Apply advanced quantitative and/or qualitative methodology for social welfare scholarship.
4. Develop knowledge and skills to teach and/or present social welfare-related material in professional contexts .
5. Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct.
6. Create research, scholarship, or programing that enhances social welfare.