2003-2005 - Graduate School - The University of Alabama

School of Social Work4534. A dissertation showing the student’s ability to conduct independent research thatadds to the knowledge of the profession (includes a minimum of 24 hours of dissertationcredit)5. Completion of all courses with a grade point average of “B” or betterThese requirements are minimum standards. Additional work may be required, de pend ingon the student’s preparation and career interests. Doctoral study must be completedwithin seven years.Residency requirements. The minimum period in which the Ph.D. degree can beearned is three academic years of full-time graduate study (or the equivalent in a setof shorter segments). Both the fall and spring semesters of either the second or thirdacademic year of study must be spent in continuous residence as a full-time student (asan alternative, the full-time residence may be completed by full-time en roll ment duringa summer session, including both summer terms, preceded or followed by a regularsemester). Full-time residence study is defi ned as an academic load of 9 semester hoursor more during a period when the student’s principal activity is academic work. Plannedpart-time study is possible.Ph.D. program. The purpose of this program is to prepare persons who hold themaster’s degree in social work, or related discipline or profession, for scholarly rolesby advancing their knowledge and increasing their skills in theory-building, researchmethods, and the critical evaluation of social work policies and practice.The doctoral program builds on a base of professional knowledge and practice insocial work. It provides all students with advanced knowledge of research, social policy,and practice. In addition to a grounding in research methodology, the program offersstudents the opportunity to develop a comprehensive understanding of a selected areaof con cen tra tion and, through the dissertation, contribute to knowledge developmentin that area. To supplement this concentration area, students may select a minor areain a single academic discipline or develop a comprehensive interdisciplinary minor. Assoon as they enter the program, students are assigned to a Ph.D. faculty adviser forprogram planning and guidance.The program is notable among social work doctoral curricula for the range and depthof its research foundation courses and electives. Exceptional opportunities are availablefor students interested in research in mental health, aging, and child welfare. Thereare opportunities for overseas experience as well as for collaboration with the Institutefor Social Science Research, the Program in Rural Services and Research, with othercolleges and de part ments of the Uni ver si ty, and with various units of The University ofAlabama at Birmingham (UAB).Obtaining information. Inquiries about the program and requests for applicationmaterials should be made to: The University of Alabama School of Social Work, Ph.D.Program Offi ce, Box 870314, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0314; telephone (205) 348-3946;fax (205) 348-9419.Financial aid. Some fi nan cial aid is available from the School of Social Work, suchas the Ben Avis Orcutt and the Leslie J. Shellhase endowed scholarships, which aread min is tered by the Ph.D. program. For information on fi nancial aid from other sources,see p. 47.Financial aid commonly takes the form of graduate teaching or research as sis tant ships,special grants or fellowships, tuition scholarships, student loans, work-study, and/orpart-time em ploy ment in a local agency.Course Descriptions* (SW)SW 600 Social Work and the Welfare State. Three hours.Prerequisite: Admission to the doctoral program or permission of the instructor.Analysis of historical, social, and philo soph i cal bases of the welfare state, and an exami na tion of the social work profession’s role in the welfare state, as well as currentissues.___________*Subject to modifi cation without advance notice