Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social Work
Advance your expertise in social work through rigorous research, critical analysis, and leadership development to drive meaningful change in policy, practice, and education.
Overview of the Program
The title of the programme is Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Social Work. Its inception aligns with the insurmountable need to influence both local and global social policies. Influencing social policy nevertheless, requires protracted endeavours in order to strengthen the global and local efforts for poverty alleviation and promoting social justice especially in low-income contexts. This Ph.D programme is an expression of our understanding that the commitments towards national development as encapsulated in Vision 2040 and other National Development Plans can only be realised if critical cadres are available with super-specialization in poverty alleviation, social change and social economic transformation. Hitherto, Uganda is experiencing shortage of highly specialized human resources with advanced social work knowledge in both academia and social agencies to meritoriously launch, support, and or deliver poverty alleviation campaigns and promote social justice. Therefore, this programme supports the national and global development efforts through training highly specialised work force with the right attitude, knowledge, skills and intrinsic motivation to transform the human society.
The highlight of the central features of this program are summarised as follows:
- This is a full-time programme that is pursued within a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 6 years.
- The program is delivered largely as a private program and or with assistance from development partners, if any.
- It is a taught PhD programme with coursework and seminars (workshops) given at planned and regular intervals. All students are required to attend course lectures, seminars and deliver assignments as stipulated.
- Student(s) who complete all courses, coursework, seminars and related assignments are assessed using the programme assessment guidelines before qualifying for graduation.
- A PhD candidate must submit for examination a PhD dissertation that is half published (a minimum of two articles), and the remaining part of the work should be publishable as determined by two senior mentors.
- Examination of the PhD dissertation shall be done in accordance with the Kyambogo University regulations.
Admission to the PhD in Social Work by coursework and research programme is done in accordance with the University’s procedures and regulations. In addition, the candidate is eligible for admission to the programme on meeting the following minimum requirements: (add: Minimum requirements by NCHE & then add these specific requirements).
a) A relevant master’s degree in any of the following disciplines: social work, social administration, social policy, social development, sociology, psychology, anthropology, development studies, pastoral studies, and health related disciplines, that is, public health and nursing, from a higher institution of learning recognised by NCHE.
b) Research synopsis spelling out the applicant’s area of research interest for the PhD in Social Work research project. The synopsis should highlight: the title of the proposed study, the research questions and or objectives to be investigated, statement of the problem, brief literature review, preliminary thoughts on the methodology to be used, the potential contribution of the study, claim of originality, and potential supervisor. The synopsis should not be more than 7 pages, 1.5 spacing, and font size 12, Times New Roman.
c) Two writing samples to demonstrate the capacity of applicant to write in a scholarly or professional style. The writing sample can be previously published work as a first or sole author, or a chapter from the MA. thesis, a paper submitted as an MA assignment, or a policy paper. Applicants can also write a fresh paper on a social work issue in a scholarly format, such as APA or any other format, to demonstrate their writing capacity.
d) Passing of the PhD in Social Work pre-entry oral interview with at least 60 per cent conducted by the department’s PhD admission committee. The interview will assess the applicant’s motivation for doctoral study, their knowledge of the proposed study, their career plans, and their general potential for doctoral study.
e) Two letters of reference, one from the employer and another from the former academic Institution or from a person who can competently comment on the applicant’s intellectual and research potential.
f) A personal statement (Max. 2 pages, 1.5 spacing, font size 12, highlighting the reasons for pursuing a PhD in social work, readiness for the doctoral study, past social work experiences, future career plans or goals and the reasons for choosing Kyambogo University.
(a) The Ph.D in Social Work has 8 taught course units with varying credit units as shown in the table below:
| Course Code | Course Name | LH | PH | CH | CU |
| Year I Semester I | |||||
| LSW 9101 | Philosophy of Science in Social Work | 60 | 0 | 60 | 4 |
| LSW 9102 | Theory and Theorising in Social Work | 60 | 0 | 60 | 4 |
| LSW 9103 | History and Philosophy of Social Welfare | 60 | 0 | 60 | 4 |
| LSW 9104 | Social Work Intervention Models | 60 | 0 | 60 | 4 |
| Total | 16 | ||||
| Course Code | Course Name | LH | PH | CH | CU |
| Year I Semester II | |||||
| LSW 9205 | Research Methods in Social Work | 60 | 30 | 75 | 4 |
| LSW 9206 | Advanced Social Policy Analysis | 60 | 0 | 60 | 4 |
| LSW 9207 | Contemporary Debates in Social Work | 60 | 0 | 60 | 4 |
| LSW 9208 | Scientific Writing and Publishing | 30 | 30 | 45 | 3 |
| Total | 15 | ||||
| Year II & Year III | |||||
| Doctoral Workshops and Seminars | 9 | ||||
| LSW 9309 | Dissertation (Research) | 0 | 1800 | 900 | 60 |
| Total Credit Units | 100 | ||||
b) Ph.D Workshops
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social Work – Workshops
| SN | Name of Ph.D Workshop | Year to be Offered | LH | PH | CH | CU |
| 1 | LSW 9310: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Social Work Research | Year II semester I | 15 | 30 | 30 | 2 |
| 2 | LSW 9311: Qualitative Data Analysis and Software | Year II Semester I | 15 | 30 | 30 | 2 |
| 3 | LSW 9412: Quantitative Data Analysis and Software | Year II Semester II | 15 | 30 | 30 | 2 |
| 5 | LSW 9413: Teaching in Social Work | Year II Semester II | 30 | 30 | 45 | 3 |
| Total Workshop Credit Units | 9 CU |
By the end of this programme, the graduates of the PhD in Social Work should be able to:
- Analyse and critique social work knowledge, including theoretical, policy, and practice knowledge.
- Engage in theorising about social work practice and the social work body of knowledge.
- Examine and develop innovative and effective ways of teaching social work in a dynamic world.
- Articulate why specialist social work practice is important to the profession, and also devise ways of improving specialist social work practice.
The Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work by coursework and research is an advanced academic programme that creates enormous opportunities to our graduates in the notable fields of teaching, policy, practice, and research in social sectors, government agencies, non-profit organisations and industry.
A candidate shall pay tuition and other charges as may be determined from time to time by the Kyambogo University Council. In addition, candidates will fund their research projects. Ugandans and other East African nationals and foreigners shall pay tuition, including registration, library fees, etc., according to the University fee structure.