About PhD Program,
The PhD Program has a tradition of scholarly excellence based on the quality of the research knowledge, competence, and output of its faculty. Doctoral graduates are practice leaders and faculty members throughout the world.
Future students are invited to visit the Admissions section of our website to learn more about admission requirements, information sessions and how to apply.
The Doctor of Philosophy program at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work is available on a full-time basis. Minimum period of registration is 12 academic sessions of full-time enrolment (Fall, Winter, Summer sessions). The program is structured to support the completion of all degree requirements within four years. However, if required, students can register up to a cumulative total of six years following their admission into the program to complete their degree requirements. Students have three major milestones to accomplish in the program: required course work, the Comprehensive Paper OR Comprehensive Exam, and the Thesis.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA
students can take an equivalent statistics competency exam in early September of the first year. Students who elect to take the competency exam must earn a minimum grade of A (4.0 GPA) in order to fulfill this prerequisite.
Doctoral students complete ten graduate level half-credit courses in addition to two social work seminars as a requirement 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.
- The two required PhD seminars include:
- First-Year Doctoral Colloquium (no course code)
- SWK 7000H – Thesis Seminar
PhD Funding Coverage,
FIFSW offers a minimum level of financial support for PhD students who are engaged in full-time studies during the first five years of study in the PhD program. This funding package is part of FIFSW’s ongoing commitment to support students to be successful and is intended to offset the costs of graduate education. In the 2023 – 2024 academic year, the value of the FIFSW minimum base funding package is equivalent $19,600* after tuition and fees.
The funding package generally consists of a combination of University of Toronto and FIFSW awards and fellowships, funding from major/external awards (e.g., SSHRC, CIHR, OGS), and employment income in FIFSW (e.g., research and teaching assistantships). International students also receive funding for the University of Health Insurance Plan.
To maintain eligibility for the base funding package, students must be registered as a fulltime student in good standing. Additionally, students must apply for major/external awards (e.g., SSHRC, CIHR, OGS) for which they are eligible. External awards are considered part of the financial support package however, additional “top-up” departmental funding for some awards is provided.
Application Requirement,
To apply to a graduate program, you must complete the online admissions application form available from the program’s admission requirements page. Please carefully read the instructions, requirements and deadlines provided by the program’s website as the application fee is non-refundable.
Most programs accept unofficial transcripts at the time of application. These can be scans of paper transcripts or a PDF of your academic record. A few programs require official transcripts at the time of application. All programs require official transcripts if an offer is made.
If official transcripts are required, applicants should ask each university attended to send their academic transcripts directly to the graduate unit to which they are applying in a sealed and, preferably signed envelope. The envelope should be signed and stamped by the registrar or by an authorized official of your school/college/university.
Do not send transcripts to the School of Graduate Studies.
French and English are both official languages of Canada. We therefore do not request English translations of transcripts written in French.
SGS requires two letters of reference; however, you should review your program-specific list of admission requirements to determine if additional letters of reference are required.
Applicants may monitor the status of their application by logging into the online application.
Application Deadline,
Jan 11, 2025
Application Fee,
There is a CDN $125 application fee. This fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.
