New admissions to this track have been suspended effective Fall 2021. Prospective students interested in this track are encouraged to apply directly to the Public Affairs PhD program. Students are able to select or create specializations that best align with their research interests.
The Social Work Track in the Public Affairs PhD program prepares students for university faculty and research positions, as well as leadership roles in public, non-profit and private human service, health and community-based agencies, drawing upon research and evaluation skills.
The Social Work Track in the Public Affairs PhD program prepares students for university faculty and research positions, as well as leadership roles in public, non-profit and private human service, health and community-based agencies, drawing upon research and evaluation skills. The track is designed to: (1) to develop student learning and competencies for social work scholarship and research, incorporating disciplinary knowledge in interdisciplinary contexts, and (2) to foster student learning in domains relevant to social work research in the 21st Century; namely through the understanding and application of concepts and tools in knowledge translation, evaluation, evidence-based research, the design of innovative social ventures, and the development and testing of interventions for improving social service practice, social welfare and social policy. Students applying to this track must have a Master of Social Work (MSW) for consideration.
Students must complete 60 credit hours beyond the master's degree distributed in the following manner:
- a three-course, 9-credit required Public Affairs substantive core
- a six-course, 18-credit required Public Affairs methodological and statistical core
- a three-course, 9-credit required discipline-specific specialization
- a two-course, 6-credit unrestricted elective requirement
- one course, 3-credit required Public Affairs Community-based Research
- 15 credit hours of dissertation minimum
Total Credit Hours Required: 60 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree
Track Prerequisites
Applicants must hold a master's degree in Social Work from an accredited institution
Degree Requirements
Required Courses
60 Total Credits
Public Affairs Substantive Core
9 Total Credits
- Complete the following:
- PAF7000 - Foundations of Public Affairs: People, Places, Policies and Paradigms (3)
- PAF7230 - Strategic Change and Management for Public Affairs (3)
- PAF7317 - Social Inquiry and Public Policy (3)
Methodological and Statistical Core
18 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Complete the following:
- PAF7802 - Advanced Research Methodology for Public Affairs (3)
- PAF7804 - Advanced Statistics for Public Affairs I: Multivariate Analysis (3)
- PAF7805 - Advanced Statistics for Public Affairs II: Survey of Statistical Methods (3)
- PAF7820 - Qualitative Methods for Public Affairs (3)
- PAF7325 - Policy and Program Evaluation for Public Affairs (3)
- Complete at least 1 of the following:
- PAF7868 - Public Affairs Mixed Methods Research (3)
- PAF7856 - Applications of Structural Equation Modeling in Public Affairs (3)
Community-based Research
3 Total Credits
- Earn at least 3 credits from the following types of courses: PAF 7947 - Public Affairs Community-Based Research At the end of the required coursework, students will take the Community-Based Research course (PAF 7947). Led by a professor, the course provides the student with the opportunity to work within an interdisciplinary team to use their substantive learning and apply their methodological and statistical tools to a real community problem. This experiential learning brings the student out to the community while bringing the community into the university.
Track Specialization
15 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- Complete the following:
- SOW6383 - Social Work Administration (3)
- SOW7492 - Theory Building in Social Work and Applied Social Science Disciplines (3)
- SOW7494 - Conducting Evidence-based Practice Research in Social Work and Allied Fields (3)
- Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: Choose two additional courses from the following: SOW 7397 - Social Entrepreneurship in Public and Social Sectors 3 Credit Hours See adviser for appropriate methodological elective 3 Credit Hours Directed reading 3 Credit Hours Or other course that will add to the student's course of study. Requires approval of adviser. 3 Credit Hours
Dissertation
15 Total Credits
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: PAF 7980 Dissertation Research
Grand Total Credits: 60
Application Requirements
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
