PhD in Social Work

Boston College’s academic work addresses practical problems with broader human consequences. Economists Tayfun Sönmez and Utku Ünver developed a donor exchange system that supported the largest liver transplant exchange in history at Turkey’s İnönü University. Chemistry research led by Dunwei Wang focuses on using the field to make the world better, while engineering students have worked with a Maine goat farm on a feeding solution. These examples sit within nine schools and colleges, including four undergraduate divisions covering arts and sciences, education and human development, management, and nursing.

Jesuit and Catholic identity remains central to the Boston College experience. Formative education extends beyond classroom performance to intellectual, social, and spiritual growth, with attention to contributions to the wider community. Community service is part of student life, with 71 percent of students participating in service or volunteer work during their time at BC. The institution’s mission also connects research with people and issues on a global scale.

The campus is in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, at 140 Commonwealth Avenue. Students encounter spaces including Gasson Hall, Bapst Library, John T. Hayden Hall, McElroy Commons Dining, and Stokes Lawn, alongside activities in arts, culture, music, theatre, and football. BC has 9,677 undergraduate students representing all 50 states and 81 countries. International students join a broad community while engaging with a university whose academic and campus life includes service, research, and religious formation.

The PhD in Social Work program prepares scholars, researchers, and educators to advance social work and social welfare. It emphasizes close faculty mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and social justice to develop research expertise and leadership. Students gain mastery in research methods, theoretical perspectives, teaching, intervention research, and communication skills, with opportunities for academic publishing and teaching.

The program requires 45 credit hours, comprising 30 required and 15 elective credits, typically completed over four years. The first two years focus on coursework, research methods, and internships, while the third and fourth years are dedicated to dissertation preparation and research.

Graduates pursue careers as faculty, researchers, policymakers, and leaders at academic institutions and other organizations.

The programme totals about 45 credit hours. Full-time, typically four years. For international students, tuition is well above the median for US programmes. The institution admits about 16% of applicants.