Programs of Study

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MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Boston University confers the degree of Master of Social Work (MSW) on candidates recommended by the faculty of the School of Social Work and approved by the President and Trustees of the University. The faculty’s recommendation is based on the candidate’s development of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential for social work practice and on the student’s commitment to the values and the ethical base of the social work profession.

A degree candidate must complete 65 semester credits as indicated below. For students not continuously enrolled, all degree requirements must be completed within six years of initial enrollment.

To view sample program plans, please visit Office of Student Services.

Social Welfare Policy I and II (6 cr)

Human Behavior in the Social Environment I and II (6 cr)

Research I and II (6 cr)

Implications of Racism for Social Work Practice (3 cr)

Social Work Practice Ethics (3 cr)

Methods (concurrent with fieldwork) (15 cr)

Required electives (6 cr)

Guided electives (6 cr)

FULL-TIME STUDY

The full-time program includes two years of full-time study in residence. The usual program in the foundation year includes 27 semester credits in class work and 6 semester credits in field education. The advanced-year program includes 24 semester credits in coursework and 8 semester credits in the field. To view sample full-time program plans, please visit Office of Student Services.

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PART-TIME STUDY

Charles River Campus—Boston

The School offers an on-campus, extended Part-time Program to incoming students each year. Part-time students fulfill the degree requirements in either three years (plus summers) or four years (without summers). Students take two to three courses per semester.

The first year of study consists of academic coursework only. (Most foundation courses offer a class section scheduled in the 4 to 6 p.m. and/or 6 to 8 p.m. time blocks.) In subsequent years, two field placements are required in conjunction with the academic course curriculum. During Fall and Spring semesters, students must have time available during the regular workweek for both field placement and coursework. Students must be available (during regular weekday hours) for 16 hours a week for their first field placement and 24 hours a week for their second placement. (For their second placement, students may choose the option in some field settings of a 16-hour/week placement for a full year.)

If there is sufficient interest (this fluctuates from year to year), part-time students who have had previous social work experience and for whom the plan is considered educationally sound, may meet the requirements of the first field experience in a summer block placement after their first year.

To view sample Part-time Program plans, please visit the Office of Student Services.

Off-Campus Programs

Please note: Admission and degree requirements for the off-campus programs are the same as those for the Charles River Campus in Boston. Applications for the Fall River and the Tyngsboro campuses are accepted each year. Applications for the Cape Cod campus are accepted every other year.

Boston University School of Social Work’s off-campus programs (OCP) offer a graduate clinical social work education in a non-traditional structure. Part-time, weekend off-campus programs are located in Tyngsboro and Fall River, and on Cape Cod. The off-campus sites are geographically situated to provide accessible, more affordable graduate education to individuals within their community. Students complete their Master of Social Work (MSW) degree in three years. Classes are held on Friday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Students take one course at a time. Although classes are held on weekends, the field internships occur during the week.

The School of Social Work has more than twenty years of off-campus teaching experience using the cohort model of graduate education. These programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and provide the same quality education as the programs offered at our main campus. Consistent with its urban mission, the programs’ goals are to further social and economic justice in the urban environment; to offer opportunities rooted in each community; to provide internships in students’ geographic areas; and to enhance support tailored to adult learners.

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Off-Campus Program Structure

Classes are held on Friday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Courses are taken sequentially, each lasting for five weekends. The first year of study consists of academic work. Students have a foundation field placement (16 hours/week) during the second year in the program, and an advanced field placement (24 hours/week) during the third year in the program. Although classes are held on weekends, the field internships occur during the week. Field internships are available throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, and Vermont. Students can fulfill all the requirements for the MSW degree by taking courses at the off-campus sites and doing the field internship within their community.

Off-Campus Program Sites

Students from southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island can pursue a Master of Social Work degree in Clinical Social Work Practice at the Fall River campus. This program was established in 1982 and is housed in the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Professional and Continuing Education Center in Fall River. Both the Standard Program Plan and the Advanced Standing Program Plan are available at this site.

The program at the Tyngsboro campus is ideal for individuals who live and work in northeastern Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. Established in 1985, this program is housed at the Boston University Tyngsboro Campus, which is located minutes from Lowell, Massachusetts and Nashua, New Hampshire. Both the Standard Program Plan and the Advanced Standing Program Plan are available at this campus.

The School’s newest off-campus site was established in 2002 to serve under-resourced communities on Cape Cod and the Islands. Courses are offered at the Cape Cod Community College in Barnstable.

Additional information regarding off-campus programs is available via the web. Sample Program Plans (standard and advanced program plans) for off-campus programs are available via the School’s Office of Student Services at Office of Student Services.

ADVANCED STANDING

The School offers an Advanced Standing Program for graduates of an undergraduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. A minimum undergraduate academic average of 3.0 (B) is required for admission. (The Bachelor of Social Work degree must have been received within six years before entry into the program.)

The Advanced Standing Program consists of eleven courses, plus advanced fieldwork (24 hours a week, which is usually scheduled for three days per week). However, students who pass a written examination exempting them from the first required research course take ten courses to complete the program. Full-time students spend two semesters and the following summer fulfilling the degree requirements. Part-time advanced standing students can complete the program in four semesters plus the summer between the academic years. Summer school tuition is not included in the academic year tuition (September to May). It is separate and additional.

Those interested in this program should contact the Admissions Office for detailed information on the application procedure.

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SOCIAL WORK METHODS

Students specialize either in clinical social work practice with individuals, families, and groups, or in macro social work practice.

Clinical Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups

Clinical Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families The major objectives of this curriculum are education for restoration and enhancement of human functioning in urban contexts and prevention of maladaptive behaviors, via individual, dyadic, familial, and contextual modes of direct service.

Person-in-environment theories are primary knowledge bases for the curriculum because they emphasize individual, family, and community resources as well as reciprocity between people and their environments. Four frameworks for differential assessment and intervention are introduced: psychodynamic, systemic, cognitive, and behavioral. The values of direct practice are strongly based in client empowerment and participation.

Basic skills taught include the purposeful use of oneself as a therapeutic or change agent; listening and communication skills (written and verbal); interviewing; relationship building; advocacy; skill modeling and rehearsal; education; and activation of institutional and community resources in demanding urban environments. Emphasis is placed on the importance of both natural networks and connectedness with others in facilitating wellness and social change.

Clinical internships provide opportunities for the application of classroom learning and for reciprocity between the classroom and the field in a variety of residential and community settings, both public and private.

Offerings such as the Mildred A. Flashman Family Therapy Certificate Program strengthen family systems practice. A group work specialization supports advanced mastery of group theory and practice. As part of the Louis Lowy Certificate in Gerontological Studies, the School’s curriculum includes policy and practice with aging populations. Urban practice electives also examine methods relevant to effective work with poverty and diversity. Elective courses include family therapy; cognitive and behavioral treatment; advanced practice with adults, children and adolescents, and the elderly; alcohol and drug abuse; brief treatment; and culturally competent practice.

Dual degrees with the Schools of Education, Public Health, and Theology enable students to enrich their knowledge and skills in specialized areas of clinical practice.

Clinical Social Work Practice with Groups Individuals can meet their basic needs only with and through other people. Social work utilizes the collective power and the mutual aid of groups to help people grow, heal, and bring about social change.

Group work at the Boston University School of Social Work is part of the Clinical Practice sequence. This method of practice, however, is a bridge between the individual and larger systems. Group work concepts and skills can be applied in organizations and communities, as well as in groups for education, support, recreation, and therapy. Social workers lead groups with diverse populations and in a variety of settings.

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Examples of group work include an after school, ethnic arts group for children; an early recovery group for women in prison; a hospital support group for patients with cancer; a therapy group for couples with relationship problems; and a task group to develop more green space in the city.

In group work classes, students study theories of small groups, utilizing systems, cognitive-behavioral, psychoeducational, and psychodynamic frameworks. They learn to conceptualize and develop groups and to engage members around a common task, using verbal and activity-based approaches. Field education agencies often provide opportunities for students to observe and practice the group method.

Specialization in Group Work The Boston University School of Social Work is one of a handful of graduate schools in the country that offer a group work specialization. The specialization allows students to concentrate on small group theories and to develop competence in the method, drawing from work with groups in the urban environment. Some of the most innovative and effective programs in communities today are group-based. The specialization prepares students for such work.

In addition to taking the required courses (SSW CP 759 Introduction to Social Work Practice and SSW CP 760 Differential Social Work with Groups), group work specialists take SSW CP 762 Advanced Group Work and must have significant, supervised practice in leading, co-leading, and developing groups. Augmenting the specialization is SSW CP 764 Group Dynamics, a course based on experiential learning, and independent studies with faculty. All group work courses are open to all graduate social work students.

The Mildred A. Flashman Family Therapy Certificate Program The field of family therapy has grown and diversified in the last three decades. Building on its traditional interest in the family as a basic unit of service, social work has made significant contributions to the development of both theory and practice in the field of marital and family therapy. Social workers are among the contemporary leaders in the field of family and marital therapy.

Boston University School of Social Work offers  The Mildred A. Flashman Family Therapy Certificate Program (FTCP) as part of the advanced curriculum. The program is named after Professor Emerita Mildred A. Flashman, in recognition of her many contributions to the teaching and practice of family therapy. Dr. Flashman was instrumental in the establishment of the program.

The Family  Therapy Certificate Program offers specialized courses, colloquia, and a field placement geared toward understanding and treating children, families, couples, and individuals in a systemic context. The program allows students to focus on family-centered practice with populations of their own interest, with an emphasis on working with families in an urban environment.

A maximum of 20 students may be accepted to the program each year, with applications considered after admission to the School. Full-time students apply to the FTCP after one semester in the School. On- and off-campus part-time students who are following the standard program plan submit applications during their second year. Off-campus students must be able to enroll in courses and attend colloquia on the Charles River Campus in Boston. The student’s grade point average must be 3.0 or above, with two positive references: one from the first field placement supervisor, and one from either an instructor or the faculty advisor.

The Certificate Program requires three clinical courses in family therapy. The courses are SSW CP 785 Family Therapy (fall), SSW CP 791 Seminar in Family Therapy (spring), and SSW CP 787 Couples Therapy (spring) or SSW CP 794 Clinical Practice with Children and Adolescents (spring). In addition to the clinical courses, coursework on the family is required in social policy and human behavior. The second-year field placement takes place in a setting that includes working with families and receiving family systems supervision. FTCP students also are expected to participate in colloquia and meetings scheduled on Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the academic year. The School will award a certificate of completion to students who take the required courses and complete the second-year family therapy field placement.

Certificate Program in Clinical Social Work and Behavioral Medicine The Boston University School of Social Work, in conjunction with the Boston University School of Medicine, is offering a new specialty program in Clinical Social Work and Behavioral Medicine. This certificate program offers a small group of MSW students the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies derived from the growing field of behavioral medicine. New roles for clinicians are evolving in settings that require a strong grounding in the behavioral aspects of complex ­illnesses and disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, the addictions, and HIV/AIDS.

In addition to majoring in clinical social work, students in this program will take courses in neuroscience, psychopharmacology, health psychology, and mind/body interventions.  A “behavioral medicine” field component is built into the second- year field placement.

Students can complete the program of study in two years, with two summer courses required between first and second year.

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Macro Social Work Practice

This method includes education in those areas of practice that call for intervention to bring about change in large systems. It encompasses a broad spectrum of practice, involving planning, organizing, and managerial skills. The curriculum prepares students whose academic and career interests are aimed at finding solutions to social problems affecting population groups at the community, regional, and national levels.

Students may focus on, or choose courses from, one of the three areas: community organizing, social planning and program development, and human services management. Macro students are required to take a minimum of four courses from these areas.

The curriculum begins with a foundation course required of all first-year students: SSW MP 759 Communities and Organizations: Analysis and Intervention. Following this course, macro students are required to take SSW MP 781 Community Organizing, SSW MP 783 Planning and Program Development, and SSW MP 773 Human Services Management. These courses stress the analytical and interactional skills and bases of knowledge on which the different types of macro practice build.

Macro practitioners are trained to become community organizers for local action groups, health and welfare planners for the private and public sectors, program developers and directors, consultants and policy analysts for state and federal agencies, and managers and supervisors.

Clinical social work practice students who are interested in macro social work practice as a secondary method may pursue a Macro Sub-specialization Certificate. They are required to:

1. take any two of the following advanced macro courses: SSW MP 773 Human Services Management, SSW MP 775 Strategic Management, SSW MP 781 Community Organizing, SSW MP 783 Planning and Program Development, SSW MP 795 Applied Macro Skills; and

2. develop a substantive macro practice project as part of the advanced field ­placement.

Core social work activities such as assessing resources and needs, increasing community involvement and ownership, developing indigenous leadership, designing and implementing new programs, creating democratic structures, staffing committees, conducting effective meetings, action research engaging in issue campaigns, negotiating working with the media, lobbying elected officials, developing governance boards, and establishing participatory evaluation processes all draw directly and heavily on community ­organizing.

Students develop analytical, strategic, tactical, and interactional skills to work more effectively with diverse groups. The primary goal of the acquisition and enhancement of these skills is to strengthen efforts toward social and economic justice, institutional and organizational accountability, democratic participation, and consumer/community empowerment.

Social Planning Social planning draws on both analytical and political skills in attempting to remedy the multiple social problems affecting a community. Courses on social planning and program development stress the importance of using community assets and development of capacity enhancement interventions in work with communities and agencies. In addition, they also are grounded in the use of a generic set of planning theories and principles. The student will develop and work with a set of concrete tools and skills necessary for the planning process.

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In keeping with the philosophy of the School of Social Work, the program prepares advocate managers—leaders who are deeply committed to social action, progressive social change, and institutional reform. As competent and tenacious as their counterparts in the business world, advocate managers are social work leaders first and managers second. With a primary focus on the needs and interests of the client, the advocate manager is prepared to make difficult trade-offs when responding to management imperatives of efficiency, effectiveness, and equity.

The program seeks to be especially responsive to women and other minority groups who are preparing for management roles. Through classroom discussion, field education, and special colloquia, students examine the institutional barriers faced and the strengths brought by members of minority groups.

The foundation year of the program is the same as for all other macro students. Students then specialize in advanced coursework that includes financial management, human services management, organizational behavior, marketing, strategic planning and management, and evaluation research. Some of these courses are offered at the Boston University Graduate School of Management in cooperation with the School of Social Work. Most management courses are conducted in a discussion/seminar format using the case method.

An application process is required in the spring of the first year. Interested students should have a minimum of two years full-time experience in a human service ­organization.

SOCIAL WORK KNOWLEDGE AREAS

Students take courses in the social work knowledge areas of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Social Welfare Policy, Research in Social Work, and Social Work Practice Ethics.

Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HB/SE)

Social work practice of any kind requires an understanding of the factors that may enhance or handicap the optimum development and functioning of the individual and society.

The courses in this curriculum area teach human growth and development throughout the life cycle. The major objective of these courses is to enable students to acquire empirical and theoretical knowledge about individuals, groups, organizations, and other collectives so that, as social work practitioners, they can apply this knowledge analytically across diverse client systems and fields of practice.

After completing the courses, students are expected to be able to solve social work practice problems based upon knowledge drawn from the social, biological, and behavioral sciences. Students are also expected to be able to evaluate the utility of various theories and identify gaps in knowledge. Each student is required to take a two-semester HB/SE foundation course in the first year.

Students are also required to take a course on the implications of racism for social work practice. This course seeks to analyze and evaluate the social, cultural, political, economic, and intrapersonal contexts of racism that affect our current policies and institutional arrangements.

Social Welfare Policy

Courses in social welfare policy comprise conceptual, substantive, and analytical material.

Students are exposed to multiple understandings of urban social problems and approaches to addressing them through public policy, as well as to the current constellation of policy interventions affecting particular populations and problems. They also study different ways of analyzing and appraising social policies in their formation and implementation stages.

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Research in Social Work

The research curriculum is designed to foster students’ understanding and appreciation of a scientific, analytical approach to evaluating clinical, programmatic, and policy interventions. The goal is to prepare students for the role of “practition­er-­researcher.” A practitioner-researcher applies research concepts, methods, and findings to inform practice and is capable of adding to the knowledge base of the profession.

The curriculum examines both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Emphasis is placed on the appropriateness and importance of both methods of inquiry to social work practice. Critical discussion is also undertaken regarding ethical standards in the conduct of research on human subjects, the importance of culturally sensitive research, and the role of research in combating or perpetuating stereotypes, discrimination, and oppression.

In the master’s degree curriculum, six credits are required in research. The program consists of a one-semester, three-credit introductory research methodology course, SSW SR 743, followed by a one-semester, three-credit data analysis course, SSW SR 744.

Social Work Practice Ethics

The social work practice ethics course is an integrative capstone seminar which serves as a bridge to professional practice. The course requires that students confront the demanding values and complex roles of social workers and examine potential conflicts with societal, organizational, and their own personal values. In addition, students look at ethical theory, licensing, and professional and legal codes and obligations for social work. This practice course provides concentration and depth in debate about ethical dilemmas presented by urban settings with concentrations of people with diverse needs and values, by contradictory systems of service delivery and by clashes of responsibilities and loyalties. It ­presents approaches for thinking about ethical dilemmas and models for decision making.

LOUIS LOWY CERTIFICATE IN GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORK

Students enrolled in the master’s degree program at the Boston University School of Social Work who have successfully completed 16 credit hours of courses with a gerontological focus are eligible for the Louis Lowy Certificate in Gerontological Social Work. Dr. Lowy was a professor emeritus of the School of Social Work and an internationally renowned gerontologist. For information, contact Robert B. Hudson, PhD, Professor and Chair, Social Welfare Policy Department (rhudson@bu.edu; 617-353-3748).

Boston GEM (Geriatric Education Model) Consortium

The Boston GEM Consortium is a Practicum Partnership Program (PPP) funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation through grants awarded by The New York Academy of Medicine, with additional funding provided by The Atlantic Philanthropies. This project provides an innovative master’s-level social work training program, focused on preparing social work students to meet the unique needs of the aging population.

The Boston GEM Consortium is based on a collaborative partnership between Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) and a number of health and social service organizations serving elders in the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, and the South End. BUSSW students may participate in the project for either their foundation or advanced field placements and each student receives a stipend of $5,000.

The Boston GEM Consortium project has two core educational components: (1) an internship comprised of a primary placement as well as an enrichment experience for 2–4 hours per week in a second participating agency and (2) a monthly Integrative Seminar, co-taught by BUSSW faculty and Consortium agency field instructors on themes of critical importance in geriatric social work practice.

Underlying the Boston GEM Consortium project is the belief that MSW students trained in this model will develop a sophisticated understanding of the needs of older clients and their families, the services available to meet those needs, and the complexities of providing client-centered care within multiple health and service systems.

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DUAL DEGREE PROGRAM IN SOCIAL WORK AND PUBLIC HEALTH

The dual degree program in Social Work and Public Health, established at Boston University in 1981, is a three-year course of study leading to both the Master of Social Work (MSW) and the Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees. The program may be pursued on a full- or part-time basis.


The program is based on the recognition that many social workers are involved in the health care delivery system and are interested in taking a broader, population-based look at the system. In addition, new roles are evolving for social workers in the health sector. These include social work in the administration of health delivery systems and participation in the health policy process at local, state, and national levels.

Students are admitted to one of the two Schools and complete that School’s basic coursework. Before the end of the first year, application is made to the other School. Students in each School are held to the same admission standards as other students. Tuition and financial aid are based on the School in which the student is taking the majority of credits (the current primary School of residence).

DUAL DEGREE PROGRAM IN SOCIAL WORK AND THEOLOGY

Please note: The GRE is required of all students applying to the School of Theology for the dual degree program.

The School of Social Work (SSW) and the School of  Theology (STH) offer three joint degree programs:

1. MSW/MTS (Master of Theological Studies): approximately 3 1/2 years of coursework including some summer work.
2. MSW/MDiv (Master of Divinity): approximately 4 1/2 years of study.
3. MSW/DMin (Doctor of Ministry): Requires a prior MDiv degree with three subsequent years of community ministry or chaplaincy before applying. Six years maximum are allowed to complete this program.

The overall purpose of these dual degrees is to add a faith dimension to professional social work practice, and to add an urban clinical or macro practice dimension to theological studies.

Students may apply initially to either SSW or STH, or may simultaneously apply to both Schools. Tuition and financial aid are based on the School in which the student is taking the majority of credits (the current primary School of residence).

A GPA of 3.0 or better is required for admission to and continuance in the dual degree programs. The programs are not open to students who have already completed one of the joint degrees at another graduate school.

DUAL DEGREE PROGRAM IN SOCIAL WORK AND EDUCATION

Please note: The GRE is required of all students applying to the School of Education for the dual degree program.

The dual degree program in Social Work and Education was established at Boston University in 1988 in the recognition that both social workers and educators are deeply involved in working with children and families who are at risk. The goal of the program is to enable students to develop skills in both professional arenas and to take leadership in designing and administering creative programmatic responses to the changing needs of schools, families, and communities.

The program is a multifaceted course of study leading to the dual master’s degree—Master of Social Work (MSW) and Master of Education (EdM)—or to an MSW and a doctorate in Education (EdD). Interested students may concentrate in either special education or administration, training, and policy studies in education. Teacher certification may also be obtained with additional coursework.

Applicants may use either of two methods to apply to the dual degree program. Applicants are encouraged to apply to the School of Social Work or the School of Education through the normal channels and, at the end of the first semester of matriculation, apply to the second School.

A grade point average of 3.0 or its equivalent in previous undergraduate or graduate coursework is required. The most recent grades (i.e., the last two years of undergraduate study) or recent graduate study will be given priority. Students applying to the MSW/EdD degree must have at least three years’ experience in education or a related field. Tuition and financial aid are based on the School in which the student is taking the majority of credits (the current primary School of residence).

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PHD IN SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIAL WORK

The PhD in sociology and social work is a doctoral program of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. It is directed primarily to master’s level social work professionals who wish to enhance their professional competence through further study at the doctoral level. The primary goal of the program is to prepare scholars of social welfare, who will assume leadership positions in universities, governmental agencies, and voluntary organizations.

Central to the program’s mission is promoting research and scholarship that link social work’s professional concerns with sociological theories and methods. Core theory material in the program addresses classical and contemporary sociological theories, the organizational dynamics of the social work profession, and perspectives on American social policy and programs. Courses in research methods address both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Advanced doctoral students choose specializations in both sociology and social work. The research and teaching interests of the social work and sociology faculties span a wide range of theoretical, methodological, and substantive areas, including urban studies, substance abuse, mental health, gerontology, child welfare, family studies, medical sociology, deviance, political economy, institutional analysis, race and ethnic relations, social stratification, and policy analysis.

Graduate students may also benefit from resources available at many of the specialized centers of Boston University. These include the Institute for Geriatric Social Work, Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Center for Addictions Research and Services, Health and Disability Working Group, African Studies Center, and Gerontology Center. Students also have access to the Social Work Computer Laboratory and the Sociology Audiovisual Laboratory for the conduct of their own research projects.

Application and Admission Admission is open to those who hold a Master of Social Work degree or who hold a master’s degree from an allied discipline or profession and who have practice-related experience relevant to the objectives of the program. Applicants are required to submit the results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT). Applicants should have a background in basic inferential statistics. Applicants are accepted for September admission. Completed applications for admission and financial aid should reach the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences office no later than January 15.

Financial Assistance Financial support is available to both incoming and continuing students. The Graduate School awards graduate student fellowships on a competitive basis. Research assistantships are frequently available through grants awarded to members of the program faculty. Teaching fellowships are awarded to students who have demonstrated competence in areas of the curriculum where teaching assistance is needed.

Curriculum and Course Requirements Students must meet all University and program requirements for the PhD. Full-time residence for all three semesters’ coursework is recommended. A minimum of 12 courses (48 credit hours) is required for the post-master’s PhD degree, as indicated below.

Core Program All students must complete two courses in sociological theory—GRS SO 701 Advanced Sociological Theory (Classical) and GRS SO 708 Contemporary Sociological Theory—and two courses in social work theory—SSW WP 901 Sociology of the Social Work Profession and SSW WP 903 Perspectives on Social Welfare Policy. All students must complete three courses in research methods/statistics—GRS SO 702 Proseminar in Research Methods, GRS SO 709 Field Research, and CAS MA 684 Multivariate Analysis.

Specializations Specialized study is required in two fields, with one to be an established area of concentration in sociology and the other to be a related area in social work. Students must complete two courses (8 credit hours) in their sociology specialization and three courses (12 credit hours) in their social work specialization. Sociology concentrations may be selected from the substantive specializations in the Department of Sociology, including deviance, social stratification, and urban studies, among others. Social work specializations may be selected from social welfare policy or from clinical research, and substantive foci may include aging, child and family welfare, and substance abuse, among others.

Language Requirement Demonstration of reading proficiency in one foreign language is tested by written examination. Every student must petition to have a language recognized. Approval of the language should be sought before the end of the first semester of coursework.

Qualifying Examinations and Critical Essay There is a written examination requirement in social work theory. A critical essay is also required. The essay is to be an assessment and synthesis of the student’s two specialized subfields within sociology and social work. Upon completion of the essay, the candidate must pass an oral examination in the indicated specializations.

Residency Requirement Each student must satisfy a residency requirement of a minimum of two consecutive regular semesters of full-time graduate study at Boston University. Full-time study in this context is full-time commitment to the discipline as determined by the department. Without necessarily implying full-time course enrollment, this commitment permits access to libraries, laboratories, instructional staff, and other academic facilities of the University, including the department of concentration. Doctoral students holding appointments as teaching fellows or research assistants are considered full-time students for purposes of the residency requirement provided that the time beyond that required by their appointments is devoted fully to their graduate program. In order to graduate, students must be registered part or full time in the semester or summer term in which they complete degree requirements, as well as in the preceding semester.

Dissertation Program approval of the dissertation proposal is obtained through a prospectus consultation examination. Two or more members of the affiliated program faculty supervise the candidate during preparation of the dissertation. This written document is to be a scholarly contribution to knowledge, presented clearly, precisely, and in good literary style. Candidates are encouraged to publish selected parts of their dissertation in professional journals and the entire dissertation as a book.

Final Oral Examination Candidates, upon completion of the dissertation, present themselves for a final oral examination before a committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The examination is based primarily on the dissertation and related issues in the field of concentration.

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18 September 2007
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