Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work (PhD)

At the SSW, you will be joining a thriving and expanding school with wide-ranging areas of expertise and extensive research efforts. Our faculty are experts in their fields and will provide extensive mentorship and guidance as you embark on your academic journey. Learn about our faculty here.

Focused on identifying promising approaches to intervene on health disparities, our curriculum empowers you to analyze, understand, and address the social and policy factors that can create a healthier, more equitable world. Our program is committed to dismantling racial, ethnic, and identity-based disparities through research and education.

A PhD from SSW opens doors to a wide range of career opportunities in academia, research institutions, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

Personal Statement: A three-to-five page description of your research interests and career goals, including relevant prior experiences, how your research interests address social justice issues and align with our program's focus on social determinants, and your specific interests in our school and faculty. Please address any grade concerns or educational gaps in your history.

Writing Sample: Two examples of scholarly work, such as publications or other research papers, that demonstrate your individual writing ability.

Three Letters of Recommendation: Academic and professional reference letters should address your potential as an independent researcher.

Resume/CV: Academic resume/CV indicating your prior professional experiences, academic training, and any relevant scholarly work. 

Dissertations defended 2010-2024

• Kraig Knibb:  Reinventing the We’ll: US Born African and Latinx Middle School Students and the Project for Collective Achievement: 7/18/24

• Haylee Hebenstreit: They Don’t Talk About it: A Mixed-Methods Exploratory Investigation of the Food Security Assessment Experiences in Drug Courts: A Nationwide Survey & Interview Project: 5/1/23
  
  Arlene L. Mbonu: Understanding Medicaid Expansion Policy Impact Through a Case Study Examination of Diabetes Diagnosis Rates: 5/22
   
• Jeffrey A. Barnett: Validating Experiences, Sense of Belonging and College Persistence and Completion Among Public University Low-Income Students: 12/21
   
• Jennifer Hyk: Impoverished and Financially Insecure Aging in Place. Defense date: 5/10/21
   
• Kristen Colson: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Juvenile Justice Population and Mental Health Outcomes Within the Suffolk County New York Probation Department. Defense date: 4/30/21
   
• Elissa Friedman: A Quantitative Study of Caregiving for Community Dwelling Older Adults with Dementia and Frailty in New York State. Defense date: 5/11/20
   
• Alexander Hlavaty Glazebrook: Technology Acceptance and the Interplay of Social Interdependence Among a sample of Urban older Adults – An Exploratory Organizational  Case Study. Defense date: 5/1/20
   
• Amie Vedral Cohen: Service Learning Participation and Service-Oriented Campus Culture as Promoters of the Academic Success of Latinx/a/o Students at Four-Year Institutions of Higher Education. Defense date: 4/30/20
   
• Barbara Brennan: Siblings: The Hidden Casualties of the Opioid Epidemic: A Quantitative Study Investigating: What are the Relationships between Stigma & Support Systems and the Emotional Well-being of Siblings of Opioid Addicted Individuals? . Defense date: 4/2/20
   
• Alison F. Herrschaft: Trends in Drug Exposed Infants with a Hospital Referral to Child Protective Services: A Quantitative Study. Defense date: 3/23/20
   
• Theresa A. Fucigna: Perceived Organizational Support, Resilience and Police Stress: A Quantitative Analysis. Defense date: 12/6/19
   
• David Hornung:  Thinking Beyond “Boot Straps”: Conservative Intellectuals and The Attack on The Welfare State. Defense date: 11/22/19
   
• Jennie R. Sucilsky: Understanding Unregulated Sober Housing in Suffolk County. Defense date: 5/9/19 
   
• Gina M. Vanacore: Relationship Between Student Adaptation to College and Persistence for Students From Low Socioeconomic Status, At Public Institutions of Higher Education in the United States of America. Defense date: 5/2/19
   
• Inna Mogilevskaya: First-generation College Students: Academic Persistence after Academic Warning. Defense date: 4/25/19
   
• Jalana S. Harris: Adherence to the Strong Black Woman Archetype and Sexual Agency: An Intersectional Exploration of Sexual Assertiveness, Towards Deconstructing Black Women’s Sexual Health. Defense date: 5/4/18
   
• Kristina M. Veselak: Teachers' Beliefs About the Purpose of Education in a High-Stakes Testing Environment. Defense date: 4/26/18
   
• Theresa J. Amendola: Differences in the Analysis of Privatization of Resources in Three Different Disciplines. Defense date: 4/25/18
   
• Matthew J. Zisel: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Low-Income, First Generation Students' Transition to and Perceptions of Community College. Defense date: 4/9/18
   
• Cheryl Reeves: Mindfulness-Based Interventions in U.S. Schools: A Systematic Review. Defense date: 12/12/17
   
• Katherine Mitchell: Becoming Whole Again: A Qualitative Study of Veterans Return to Civilian Life. Defense date: 4/26/17
   
• Charmaine Clarke: Reentry Experiences of Elderly Ex-offenders: Wasted Lives. Defense Date: 4/18/2017
   
• Robin DeLuca-Acconi: The Power of Advocacy in Bridging the Ideological Divide: The Campaign for Human Rights and Corporate Responsibility in the Cocoa Industry, 2001-2014. Defense Date: 12/7/15
   
• Donna Barbara Riley: Lost and Found: Transgender Elders' Journey Toward Authenticity: A Constructionist Grounded Theory Study. Defense Date: 12/7/2015
   
• Laura Honegger: Predictors of Recidivism Among a Sample of Suburban Mental Health Court Participants. Defense Date: 5/18/2015
   
• Amy Phillips: The Resurrection of Self: How Deconversion from Religious Belief to Atheism Healed Rejection, Trauma, and Shame. Defense Date: 5/5/2015
   
• Jennette Allen-McCombs: Ready, Set, Change: An Explanatory Case Study of Readiness for Change within Five New York State Voluntary Child
  Welfare Agencies. Defense Date: 12/11/2014
   
• Elana Needle: You Are Not What You Eat: The Myth of School Food and Child Obesity. Defense Date: 5/20/2014
   
• Jennifer Wood: Acculturation Experiences of Latin Immigrants in Suffolk County, New York: A Grounded Theory Study. Defense Date: 4/30/2014
   
• Jerome Madumelu: Widowhood Practice in Two Igbo Communities of Nigeria: A Contextual Manipulation of Patriarchy. Defense Date: 3/25/2014
   
• Rana S. Gautam: Banking Crises & Human Rights: The Choices Leaders Make. Defense Date: 2/5/2013
   
• Eun-sil Lee: Condoms, HIV/AIDS, and Adolescent Men in Malawi: A Perspective. Defense Date: 12/14/2012
   
• Catherine Carballeira: Indigenous Identity on the Poospatuck Reservation: Implications for Culturally Grounded Social Work Practice and Policy. Defense Date: 5/10/2011
   
• Sylvia Diaz: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families in the Advent of Welfare Reform:  How Household Composition Impacts Participation in Public Assistance Programs. Defense Date  4/12/2011
   
• Carolyn Steinman: Alternatives for Youth:  A Mental Health Perspective. Defense Date  3/15/2011
   
• Amy Platt: Dissertation Title:  From Sin to Sickness:  A Qualitative Content Analysis of Four Major American Newspapers’ Representation of Alcoholism. Defense Date  11/23/2010