2004 - 2005 Calendar
Associate Professor and Director
S. Birnie-Lefcovitch
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
The degrees of Master of Social Work and Doctor of Philosophy are offered
in Social Work.
Course work commences in the Spring Semester and is completed over five
semesters. The program includes two Spring Semester residencies, at which
time students must attend ON A FULL-TIME BASIS, and Fall and Winter semester
courses which can be taken on or away from campus.
1. An applicant for admission to the Ph.D. program in Social Work must
hold a Master's degree in social work, or equivalent professional social
work degree as determined by the Graduate Studies Committee of the School
of Social Work. All applicants should also have a minimum of three years
post-B.S.W. practice experience.
2. All Ph.D. students in the social work program must complete at least
24 credit hours in regulation graduate courses. These include:
- 6 credit hours in foundation courses (Social Work
7010 and Social Work 7020)
- 6 credit hours in advanced practice courses (Social
Work 7310, Social Work 7320); or 3 credit hours in advanced practice courses
(Social Work 7310) and 3 credit hours on social work education (Social Work
7510)
- 9 credit hours on research (Social Work 7411, Social
Work 7421, and Social Work 7431)
- 1 internship chosen from the Internships on Advanced
Social Work Practice (Social Work 7910), Social Work Education (Social Work
7920), or Applied Social Work Research (Social Work 7930).
3. Comprehensive Examination
a) A candidate registered in a Ph.D. program in Social Work shall normally
take the Comprehensive Examination in the fifth semester of the program and
under no circumstances no later than seven semesters into the program. Failure
to meet the above requirements will result in the candidate being required
to withdraw from the program (See General Regulation H). Prior to
proceeding to the Comprehensive Examination, candidates will normally have
completed all required course work and must have completed 7010, 7020, 7411,
7421, and 7431.
b) The Examination Committee shall be appointed by the Dean of Graduate
Studies on the recommendation of the Director (School of Social Work). It
shall consist of:
i. the Director or delegate who shall occupy the Chair
ii. the candidate's Supervisor
iii. the Dean of Graduate Studies or delegate
iv. three other members recommended by the Director
(School of Social Work) and including one member from a social work-related
field.
Including the Supervisor, no more than two members of the Examination
Committee may be nominated from the candidate's Supervisory Committee. All
members of the Examination Committee, including the Chair, but excluding the
Dean of Graduate Studies or delegate, shall be voting members.
c) The Ph.D. Comprehensive in Social Work will consist of a written examination
on two essay questions, developed by the Examination Committee in the subdiscipline
of the student's program (see General Regulation H.2.c.).
One question will concern applying critical thinking to social work theory
within the context of the profession's history. The second question will
concern a consideration of either the candidate's subdiscipline of social
work practice or social work education within the context of theory, research,
and social development.
d) The Ph.D. examination procedure shall be initiated by the candidate's
Supervisor who will notify, in writing, the Director (School of Social Work)
of the candidate's readiness. The candidate's Examination Committee will
then be appointed according to section 3.b (above). The date of the meeting
to determine the essay questions and the scheduling of the written examination
will be determined by the Dean of Graduate Studies. The candidate will receive
a written notice of this meeting and of the scheduled date for the examination.
During the written examination, candidates will be given three hours to respond
to each question.
e) The Examination Committee shall meet in camera to arrive at
its conclusions. Evaluation of the candidate's response to questions will
be based on the following criteria:
i. demonstration of knowledge of social work theory,
research, and issues relevant to the essay topic
ii. coherency of presentation (i.e., cogent argumentation,
sufficient referencing of statements, clear writing style).
f) The Chair shall report the results of the Examination to the Dean
of Graduate Studies. The report will consist of one of the following decisions:
i. the candidate has passed with distinction.
ii. the candidate has passed.
iii. the candidate should be permitted to attempt a
second examination within six months of the first, according to General Regulation
H. The Examination Committee may recommend that the candidate be re-examined
orally or in writing. The student may state a preference for an oral or
written re-examination.
iv. the candidate has failed and will be required to
withdraw from the program.
4. Ph.D. Thesis
a) A Supervisory Committee will be appointed for each student (see General Regulation I).
b) The candidate must submit a thesis proposal to the Supervisory Committee
based on her/his own interest, and normally the proposal must be approved
by the sixth semester of the program. The proposal will be circulated to
the Supervisory Committee for critical evaluation. The Chairperson of the
Supervisory Committee will inform the candidate within one month of its acceptance,
rejection, or acceptance with recommended changes.
c) If the proposal is not acceptable, the candidate will normally be
permitted a second attempt. The revised proposal must be submitted within
a semester. Failure to resubmit within this time period will lead to termination
of the candidate's program.
d) The thesis shall give evidence of the candidate's ability to carry
out independent and original research, develop the necessary theoretical
and methodological framework and analyses and present the findings in a scholarly
manner.
COURSES
The following courses that are offered during the spring semester residency
will be offered every other year, as far as the resources of the School will
allow:
7010. Philosophical and Historical Base of Social Work Practice (S*)
7020. Critical Thinking for Social Work Practice (S)
7310. Tutorial on Field of Practice (F** or W***)
7320. Tutorial in Advanced Social Work Practice (S)
7411. Philosophy of Science and Research Design (S)
7421. Qualitative Data Analysis (S)
7431. Quantitative Data Analysis (S)
7510. Social Work Education (S)
7910. Internship on Advanced Social Work Practice(F)
7920. Internship on Social Work Education (F)
7930. Internship on Applied Social Work Research (F)
*S = Spring Semester
**F = Fall Semester
***W = Winter Semester
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