PhD Program
| Fall 2026 Application Deadline |
|---|
| PhD in Social Work applicants must submit all materials to the Graduate Admissions Office by December 1, 2025. Applications submitted after December 1, 2025 will be considered on a space-available basis. |
The LSU School of Social Work believes that doctoral education in social work must involve first and foremost a passionate commitment to learning, and a specific commitment to the pursuit of new knowledge that can improve the lives of our client populations. The PhD in Social Work Program prepares the next generation of social work educators, researchers, administrators, and policy-makers to contribute to the creation of the knowledge base of our profession.
PhD Program Mission
The PhD Program at the LSU School of Social Work equips the next generation of social scientists to conduct rigorous transdisciplinary research to contribute to the knowledge of issues facing individuals and community systems, advance the profession, and further efforts toward social justice. If developing new knowledge for the social work profession sounds appealing to you, please email Dr. Catherine Lemieux, PhD Program Director, to get more information about our program before you apply.
Educational Outcomes
At the conclusion of the PhD in Social Work Program, doctoral students will be able to:
- Articulate the historical and contemporary contexts of social science and social work research
- Differentiate between social research methods to answer research questions or test hypotheses
- Conduct original research, including developing research questions or hypotheses, analyzing, synthesizing, and interpreting relevant data, and producing manuscripts for publications, presentations, and reports
- Translate research findings to policy, practice, and education, and;
- Design and deliver effective and research-informed instruction in the field of social work.
Program Overview
Doctoral studies are characterized by three major phases of work: coursework (completion of a minimum of 39 credit hours of coursework); the General Examination (an intense period of self-guided study and examination directed by a doctoral advisory committee), and the dissertation (the student’s original research, guided by a primary mentor and two other faculty committee members, minimum of 15 credit hours). It is expected that the period of study for the doctoral degree in social work will be three to five years, but not exceeding seven. The minimum total credit hours for the degree is 54.
Research
LSU is home to the only independent social work doctoral program in Louisiana. It is an interdisciplinary degree in which students are expected to explore diverse areas and traditions of inquiry and use a variety of research methods, all the while keeping a sharp focus on the need for information to inform social work practice. It is important to note that ours is not an advanced clinical (DSW) program. The course of study in our doctoral program is completely oriented toward mastering the skills needed to design and conduct empirical social work research. Our students work very closely with faculty mentors, oftentimes directly with them on their on-going research. Our student body includes individuals from many backgrounds including some from other countries.
Admission Requirements
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with typical liberal arts, social sciences, introductory statistics, and human biology courses
- An acceptable grade-point average in undergraduate course work (as evaluated by the School of Social Work and the Graduate School)
- A master's degree in social work from a CSWE accredited program or a closely related discipline. Preference will be given to applicants with the MSW. Graduate students without the MSW will be required to enroll in 3 hours of the social work course: SW 7004 Human Diversity & Oppression.
- A GPA in graduate studies of at least 3.00
- Completion of a graduate introductory research course with a grade of “B” or better
- Other materials as required in the application instructions, inclusive of the applicant's individualized Statement of Purpose: Plan of Doctoral Study
Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores are not a requirement for admission to the PhD in Social Work Program.
How to Apply
Admission to graduate study is a two-step evaluation process:
- The Office of Graduate Admissions determines eligibility for admission to LSU, and
the academic department or college determines admissibility to the degree program. - Final admission to the University is subject to approval by the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Prospective applicants to the PhD in Social Work program must submit the following documents:
- official transcripts
- a completed Application for Admission to the PhD in Social Work Program
- a completed Statement of Purpose: Plan of Doctoral Study
- a resume/CV
- three (3) letters of reference, one of which is academic
- two (2) scholarly professional writing samples that best illustrate your capacity for analytic and critical thinking
PhD in Social Work applicants must submit all materials to the Graduate Admissions Office by December 1st. Applications submitted after December 1 will be considered on a space-available basis.
LSU Graduate School: Application Checklist
LSU Graduate School: Complete your Application
LSU Graduate School: Information for International Applicants
International Applicants are encouraged to establish equivalency of the institutions from which they graduated with U.S. institutions, via the Council on Social Work Education's International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Service, before submitting an application.
Our Faculty
Our faculty is well-equipped to effectively mentor doctoral student research. Major areas of research and scholarship expertise that our current faculty mentors provide our doctoral students include:
- Child welfare/child maltreatment/trauma
- Substance misuse & interventions across the lifespan
- School social work
- The personal and social circumstances of families receiving government support
- Social capital and poverty
- Vulnerable families
- Populations and communities excluded from opportunities
- Youth risk and resilience
- Bullying & victimization
- Gerontology/aging
- Intimate partner violence
- Behavioral health & interventions
- Infant & child mental health
- Experiences of undocumented immigrants/refugees
- Health disparities
- Social development
- Disasters and crises
- Changes/trends in family demographics
It is a good time to pursue a doctoral degree in Social Work. The profession increasingly demands evidence-based knowledge and expertise in research and evaluation. Recently, the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work, a national/international consortium of Social Work PhD Program Directors, completed a national study that found that Social Work Programs at virtually all levels in the U.S. face a tremendous shortage of doctoral-trained academicians in the coming years to fill the ranks of the social work programs in our colleges and universities. We need more social workers who are passionate about pursuing the answers to important questions affecting our client populations and eager to take on the challenges to improving social work practice and the well-being of our clients.