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Program Requirements, Policies & Forms

Note: University regulations apply to all students at Laurier. If there is any discrepancy between the program or progression requirements outlined on this page and those in the university's academic calendars, the academic calendars are the official sources of information. The information below is from the latest calendar, and you may be following progression requirements from an earlier calendar. Students are responsible for checking the appropriate calendar. Contact your program coordinator should you notice any discrepancies.

Course Progressions

The curriculum requires that all students take eight half-credit required courses, including one required elective course.  Completion of coursework is followed by the comprehensive examination, approval of a dissertation proposal and the dissertation.

Please Note: Students in doctoral programs may identify themselves as degree candidates (PhD Cand.) only when they have been officially advanced to candidacy by completing all required coursework, passing the comprehensive examination, and having an approved dissertation proposal.

RELATED POLICIES 

FREQUENTLY USED FORMS

Term One (Fall)

  • SK790: Social Work Thought and Theory
  • SK791: Epistemology and the Nature of Social Work Knowledge

Term Two (Winter)

  • SK704: Applied Quantitative Research Methods
  • SK805: Applied Qualitative Research Methods

Term Three (Spring)

  • SK820: Doctoral Seminar 
  • SK894 Writing for Publication 

Term Four (Fall)

  • SK801: Advanced Qualitative Data Analysis
  • Required elective

Terms Five (Winter) & Six (Spring)

  • SK893: Comprehensive Examination 

Terms 7 –12

  • SK899: PhD Dissertation

The part-time PhD in Social Work program has been designed for individuals who wish to remain employed while they complete the PhD degree. Part-time students will follow the same curriculum as full-time students and attend classes with full-time PhD students. They must, therefore, plan to take courses in the terms in which the courses are currently offered.  Students interested in completing an average of two courses per term would completed the required coursework by the end of Year 2.

Criteria for admission to the part-time program is the same as the criteria for the full-time program. Please note that part-time students are not eligible for the minimum guaranteed funding package or for Ontario Graduate Scholarships, SSHRC or CIHR doctoral awards.

Students accepted into the part-time program should develop a plan of study that is discussed with the Associate Dean: PhD program prior to registering for the first term. Students must register in at least one course in all three terms of each year they are enrolled in the program. If circumstances arise that prevent students from remaining engaged in their academic work (e.g. illness, family emergencies, unexpected financial necessity that university funding cannot ameliorate, or career change), they may petition for inactive status (i.e. a leave of absence from their studies). Normally, inactive status will be approved for a maximum of two terms.

Year One Courses

  • SK790: Social Work Thought and Theory
  • SK791: Epistemology and the Nature of Social Work Knowledge
  • SK820: Doctoral Seminar (two-term course, held every other week)
  • SK704: Applied Quantitative Research Methods
  • SK805: Applied Qualitative Research Methods
  • SK801: Applied Qualitative Analysis
  • Required elective

Year Two Courses

  • SK894: Writing for Publication
  • SK893: Comprehensive Examination
  • Optional elective

Years Three and Four Course

  • SK899: PhD Dissertation