PhD Viewbook

Scholarship that Serves Communities

The Boston College School of Social Work (BCSSW) is a global leader in social work education, dedicated to finding solutions to the pressing social issues of our time through pioneering practice and research.

Grounded in Boston College’s 160-year tradition of service, BCSSW pursues the highest standards of intellectual rigor alongside a deep commitment to social justice, training scholars engaged in translational research to improve the lives of others.

The PhD Program

Groundbreaking Research that Informs Practice BCSSW prepares tomorrow’s faculty scholars and researchers to advance the field of social welfare and social work practice through a highly individualized PhD program that promotes original research and the creation of new knowledge.

Our curriculum strengthens analytical and quantitative skills through 45 credit hours of coursework, which encompass research methodology, data analysis, statistics, and a wide range of electives. You’ll also work closely with a faculty mentor to complete a research internship, which will help you achieve your scholarship and publishing goals. The program’s teaching practicum and teaching assistantship offer a strong foundation for a faculty career, and you can take advantage of adjunct teaching opportunities in our top-ranked MSW program starting in your second year.

As a PhD student, you can also take advantage of BC’s numerous research centers and eight campus libraries as well as the Boston Consortium, which allows students to participate in courses and other learning opportunities at area universities, including Brandeis University, Boston University, the MIT Women’s Consortium, and Tufts University.

11

Ranked school of social work, U.S. News & World Report 2022

BCSSW by the Numbers / 2023–24 Academic Year

24

PhD students

32

Full-time faculty members

87

Part-time faculty members

Greater Boston and Beyond

Pursue Your Research in the Right Setting Students in the BCSSW PhD program benefit from its proximity to Greater Boston’s many teaching, medical, and social service institutions. The School of Social Work is located on Boston College’s main campus in Chestnut Hill, only six miles from downtown Boston and easily accessible by public transportation.

As an R1-designated research university, Boston College has abundant connections and affiliations that catalyze research partnerships with human service providers (such as health care institutions, community organizations, nonprofits, schools, and government offices) throughout Greater Boston and in Mexico, Venezuela, Rwanda, India, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Nepal.

PhD Program by the Numbers

4 -5

New students per doctoral cohort

24

Total PhD students across all cohorts

Since being accepted to BCSSW, I’ve felt that the faculty has respect and genuine care for my professional and personal needs. One of the best traits of our school is that our faculty are quite diverse in terms of their training.

Currently, I work with a neuroscientist, an epidemiologist, and a theologian/ social worker. Having this team as my advisors is a privilege: I am constantly challenged intellectually, which enhances my theoretical and

54

AHANA students (African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian American/ Pacific Islander, Native American)

methodological potential.

Ricardo Diego Suárez Rojas, PhD ’25

Faculty

Renowned Researchers. Lifelong Mentors.

Our PhD students partner with BCSSW faculty and their doctoral cohorts on myriad shared research interests and research projects. Current faculty members conduct research that promotes maternal and child well-being, reduces mental health disparities, and improves our understanding of how policies and public services impact low-wage workers, refugees, and immigrants. Their expertise spans areas such as food security in resource-poor households, parenting and male caregiving, the effects of longer working lives, social-behavioral responses to environmental changes, and more.

8M

in grant expenditures

27

Required courses

18

Elective courses

45 Credit hours

4

Years to complete the PhD program

During your PhD, you will work closely with faculty mentors to complete a foursemester research internship. This formative experience cultivates the essential skills you’ll need to become an independent scholar capable of identifying and helping to solve complex societal problems at the local, national, and global levels.

Students also collaborate with faculty and doctoral students from other divisions within Boston College, such as the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, the Connell School of Nursing, the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Theology and Ministry. These interdisciplinary investigations, which are typically conducted in addition to one’s doctoral commitments, strengthen research competencies and frequently lead to published articles and conference presentations.

On average, our doctoral students publish eight articles and present at six conferences during their time in the program. We also provide doctoral program funds for travel, training, and professional development to help offset costs.

8-10

Professional development sessions and workshops a year

Resources and Community

Thrive in a Supportive Environment In addition to its world-class faculty, the BCSSW PhD program is noted for its supportive administrative team. The close personal attention you’ll receive as a student here will help you complete your academic studies within four years of entering the program.

The PhD program’s three-year residency requirement fosters a robust student community animated by clubs and talks, professional development doctoral lunches, dissertation boot camps, and specialized training with visiting faculty.

In addition, the Doctoral Outreach and Community (DOC) group coordinates social outings for students, community dinners, and more.

10 : 1

Student-to-faculty ratio

48

Faculty diversity

9 , 286 Alumni

The Social Work PhD program at Boston College has afforded me lifelong connections, strengthened my analytical skills, and taught me the meaning of asking a purposeful question. Within the program, I’ve been challenged for the better, given access to progressive resources, and provided great

100 %

Job placement within a year of graduation

networking opportunities. Thanks to the seeds Boston College planted within

Recent Employers

my research, I will be able to make

Arizona State University

an impact within every community I collaborate with.

Ty B. Tucker, PhD ’23

Brown University Harvard University Ohio State University University of Maryland University of Pittsburgh University of Washington

Research Faculty Directory

Theresa Betancourt, ScD, Salem Professor in

Rocío Calvo, PhD, Associate Professor;

Global Practice; Director, Research Program on Children and Adversity | Expertise: Social and Economic Inclusion, Gender-based Violence, Global Practice, Immigrants and Refugees, Innovations in Research Methods, Mental Health, Poverty, Social Determinants of Health, Trauma

Founding Director, Latinx Leadership Initiative | Expertise: Disparities, Immigrants and Refugees, Latinx Communities

Jessica Black, PhD, Associate Professor; Chair of the Children, Youth, & Families Field of Practice | Expertise: Child Welfare, Mental Health, School Social Work, Spirituality, Neuroscience, Trauma Karen Bullock, PhD, Ahearn Endowed Professor | Expertise: Aging, Black Communities, Clinical Practice, Mental Health

William Byansi, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Global Practice, Mental Health, Poverty, Social and Economic Inclusion, Innovations in Research Methods, Evaluation

Thomas Crea, PhD, Professor; Assistant Dean of Global Programs, Chair of Global Practice | Expertise: Child Welfare, Global Practice, Humanitarian Services, Immigrants and Refugees, Innovations in Research Methods, Mental Health, Spirituality, Evaluation Kirsten Davison, PhD, Donahue and DiFelice Endowed Chair, Associate Dean for Research | Expertise: Disparities, Evaluation, Child Welfare Scott Easton, PhD, ACSW, LMSW, Associate Professor; Chair of the Health and Mental Health Fields of Practice | Expertise: Aging, Clinical Practice, Global Practice, Immigrants and Refugees, Mental Health, Stress and Health at the Workplace, Trauma

Vincent Fusaro, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Disparities, Poverty, Social Service Policies and Practice Effectiveness, Social and Economic Inclusion, Macro, Child Welfare, Community Development and Organizing, Social and Economic Inclusion, Systemic Inequities Cal Halvorsen, PhD, Assistant Professor; Affiliate of the Center on Aging & Work | Expertise: Aging, Social and Economic Inclusion, Macro, Social Service Policies and Practice Effectiveness, Systemic Inequities, Evaluation, Stress and Health at the Workplace

Summer Sherburne Hawkins, PhD, Associate Professor | Expertise: Health, Social Determinants of Health, Social Service Policies and Practice Effectiveness Whitney Irie, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Health, Mental Health, LGBTQ+ Communities, Black Communities

Tyrone Parchment, PhD, LCSW, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Clinical Practice, Global Practice, Mental Health, Child Welfare, Innovations in Research Methods María Piñeros Leaño, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Gender-based Violence, Global Practice, Immigrants and Refugees, Innovations in Research Methods, Latinx Communities, Mental Health, Social Determinants of Health Maggi Price, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Child Welfare, Clinical Practice, Gender-based Violence, LGBTQ+ Communities, Mental Health, School Social Work, Systemic Inequities, Trauma

Erika Sabbath, ScD, Associate Professor | Expertise: Aging, Disparities, Innovations in Research Methods, Stress and Health at the Workplace Christopher Salas-Wright, PhD, Professor;

Praveen Kumar, PhD, Assistant Professor |

Assistant Dean, Doctoral Program | Expertise: Substance Misuse, Child Welfare, Immigrants and Refugees, Latinx Communities

Expertise: Environmental Justice, Global Practice, Innovations in Research Methods

Indrani Saran, ScD, Assistant Professor |

Robert O. Motley, Jr., PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Black Communities, Mental Health, Trauma, Social and Economic Inclusion, Societal Determinants of Health, Innovations in Research Methods

Thomas O’Hare, PhD, Associate Professor | Expertise: Clinical Practice, Mental Health, Substance Misuse, Trauma Alejandro Olayo-Méndez, S.J., PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Global Practice, Immigrants and Refugees, Innovations in Research Methods, Latinx Communities, Mental Health, Poverty, Spirituality

Shanta Pandey, PhD, Professor | Expertise: Child Welfare, Poverty, Macro

Expertise: Disparities, Global Practice, Child Welfare

Catherine Taylor, PhD, Professor; Boston College Institute of Early Childhood Policy (IECP) Leadership Team | Expertise: Child Welfare, Evaluation, Macro, Social Service Policies and Practice Effectiveness, Trauma Samantha Teixeira, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Disparities, Environmental Justice, Innovations in Research Methods, Macro Carolina Vélez-Grau, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Mental Health, Latinx Communities, Clinical Practice

Ed-Dee G. Williams, PhD, Assistant Professor | Expertise: Mental Health, Black Communities, Social Determinants of Health, Innovations in Research Methods, Evaluation Gautam N. Yadama, PhD, Professor, Dean | Expertise: Environmental Justice, Global Practice, Poverty

Application Deadline: December 1 For information and to learn how to apply, visit bc.edu/sswphd-apply.

Connect with us @bcssw

McGuinn Hall 140 Commonwealth Avenue Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 617-552-4064 | phdsocialwork@bc.edu

bc.edu/ssw