Coursework & Program Requirements

Doctoral students complete ten graduate-level half-credit (0.5 full-course equivalent or FCE) courses and two social work seminars as requirements of the PhD program in Social Work.

The ten graduate half-credit courses are comprised of:

five required courses in social work (one of which has a pre-requisite) and
five elective courses

Program Prerequisite

Successful completion of coursework for the doctoral program requires knowledge of statistics at an introductory level. All incoming students to the PhD program are, therefore, required to take SWK4506H, Applied Quantitative Data Analysis for Social Workers (typically offered during the fall session of year 1 in the PhD Program).

Alternatively, students can take an equivalent competency exam (to be scheduled at the start of the fall session). Students must obtain a grade of B+ or higher on the exam to be exempt from taking SWK4506H.

NOTE: If a student takes SWK4506H, the course will not count towards PhD courses requirement. The grade for SWK4506H will, however, be included in the calculation of the overall GPA.

Required Courses in Social Work
Elective Courses
Course Enrollment Procedures

Enrolling in MSW courses
Enrolling in Reading/Research Courses
Enrolling in Courses in other Departments
Enrolling in Courses in other Universities

Required Courses in Social Work

The 5 required PhD courses are:

1. SWK6301H: Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis (0.5 FCE)
*Prerequisite: Passing grade in SWK4506H or statistics competency exam

2. SWK6302H: Epistemology and Social Work Research (0.5 FCE)

3. SWK6307H: Designing and Implementing Qualitative Social Work Research
(0.5 FCE)

4. SWK6308H: Designing and Implementing Quantitative Social Work Research
(0.5 FCE)

5. First Year Doctoral Colloquium: Required/Non Credit

Elective Courses

Elective courses provide students the opportunity to choose among methodological, theoretical, or substantive courses to support their individualized learning goals. Elective courses may be taken within the graduate courses offered the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) or from graduate-level courses offered in other departments of the University of Toronto. Students may also request to take courses offered at another university.

Requirements for the five half-credit elective courses:

At least one elective must be taken at FIFSW
At least one elective must be taken outside FIFSW (i.e., another graduate department at the University of Toronto).
Up to two independent reading courses may count towards the elective course requirements.

Elective courses offered at FIFSW are listed on the PhD Timetable and the MSW Year Two and Advanced Standing timetable. MSW courses are not typically available to PhD students to count as electives for the PhD Program.

Students are encouraged to review course offerings in related departments at the University of Toronto, including collaborative programs. Students may also inquire with the PhD Program Assistant (phdprogram.fifsw@utoronto.ca) for a list of courses in which PhD students in social work have previously enrolled.

Course Enrolment Procedures

Enrolling in a PhD course offered in FIFSW

Students will use ACORN to enroll in PhD courses offered in the Faculty.

Enrolling in an MSW course offered in FIFSW

PhD Students are not permitted to enroll directly in MSW courses through ACORN unless the course is cross-listed with the PhD Program. PhD students who are interested in enrolling in an MSW course must first obtain permission and signatures from the course instructor and the PhD Program Director using the Add/Drop Course form. Completed forms should be submitted to the FIFSW Registrar’s Office.

Procedure to Request an Exemption from a Required Course

1. Students who wish to seek an exemption from taking a required course must have taken course(s) previously, for another degree, that demonstrate competency in the area of the required course. Course instructors will determine competency, and the student will need to substitute an alternate graduate-level elective course for each exempted course. This is done in close consultation with the PhD Program Director. Transcripts will note exemptions.

2. The student is expected to contact the PhD Program Director and provide evidence of having covered the content previously (e.g., transcripts, course syllabus). The PhD Program Director will consult with the appropriate instructors to inform a decision.

3. If a course exemption is approved, the student discusses with the PhD Program Director a suitable course substitute. The course requirements for the PhD degree of at least ten half-credit courses are not reduced.

4. On the recommendation of the PhD Program Director, the student completes the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Transfer Credit and/or Course Exemption form. Please check the form for requirements.

The form is submitted to the PhD Program Director for their signature and is then forwarded to the FIFSW Registrar’s Office for further processing and forwarding to the School of Graduate Studies. A copy of the paperwork is kept in the student record at the Faculty. Please note that the School of Graduate Studies makes the final decision on whether to allow a course transfer/exemption or not.

Graduate Courses Offered in Other Departments

Most graduate departments do not allow students from other departments to enroll in courses through ACORN. Before attempting to add a course outside FIFSW, please check with the host department on availability and registration procedures. The Add/Drop Course(s) form should include a short course description and required signatures of the host department and the PhD Program Director. Please refer to the Course Enrolment Information page for more details.

Request for Independent Reading/Research Courses

Reading/research courses are intended to meet the needs or interests of a student. The course can be offered on a specific topic not covered in other approved courses at the Faculty and must not be offered in other graduate departments at the University. It could involve a student meeting periodically with an instructor to seek direction and feedback on the submitted assignments. We encourage student initiative in identifying course topics that will support the development of their comprehensive exam or thesis proposal.

To arrange for these courses, a student will need to contact the concerned instructor directly to develop the reading course’s learning goals, selected reading, assignments, and meeting frequency equivalent to those of a regular graduate-level course. A reading/research course may be developed in concert with one or more students. Students may work with any faculty at the University of Toronto who holds an appointment with the School of Graduate Studies or an equivalent appointment at another University; course instructors (PhD students) and sessional instructors cannot supervise a directed reading course. A maximum of two 0.5 credit courses will be accepted toward degree requirements. Students who work with a faculty member outside of social work will need to follow the course enrolment procedures for graduate courses in other departments or enroll by submitting the following to the FIFSW Registrar’s Office:

A request for Reading and/or Research Course form

An Add/Drop Course(s) form

A copy of the Reading Course Syllabus

Please enter course number SWK6501H, Special Studies 1 or SWK6502H, Special Studies 2 for course number and description. The forms are located on the SGS website under the Current Students/Registration & Enrolment section, or at the end of the Manual. Submit the completed forms with the instructor and PhD Program Director’s signatures to the FIFSW Registrar’s Office.

Approved Graduate-Level Courses in Other Universities

Students may take approved graduate-level courses from other universities in Ontario. They will need to complete the Ontario Visiting Graduate Student (OVGS) Agreement. This agreement form can be found on the SGS website within the Exchanges & Agreements section.

If you are considering taking a course at the graduate level outside Ontario, you will require permission from the PhD Program Director and the host University. Please contact the FIFSW Registrar’s Office for further information.

Collaborative Specializations

The Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work offers several interdisciplinary collaborative specializations. Information about each program is available on the Faculty website. Please review programs specific to PhD students. Students apply directly to these programs. Please note that students who take part in these interdisciplinary programs must meet all the requirements of the collaborative specialization in addition to the doctoral degree requirements in order to graduate.

Checking/Modifying Course Status

Students are responsible for the accuracy of their timetable through ACORN. Students may cancel or withdraw from individual courses using the web service up to certain dates. These deadlines are set annually by the School of Graduate Studies and published under the Dates and Deadlines page on the FIFSW website. Students are advised to consult with their Interim Academic Advisor or Thesis Supervisor before withdrawing from courses.

Final Grades

Final grades can be accessed through ACORN. The dates for viewing grades for a session are posted under Dates and Deadlines page. Students will be able to view their grades online approximately 6-7 weeks after the session ends. If a grade is not available, contact your instructor or the graduate unit offering the course.