From time to time, when faculty and student interests and availability coincide, and also when distinguished visiting faculty are visiting the school, a number of different special topics courses (SOWK 699) are offered, such as social and cultural aspects of behavior, theories of adult life span development, divorce and remarriage, political and legislative systems, etc. Students may enroll in SOWK 699 Special Topics in Social Work by petitioning the doctoral committee in writing. The decision to grant or deny admission will be based on each applicant's learning and research interests and permission of the instructor.
The usual program includes two years of full-time course work, plus an additional period for completing the qualifying examinations and dissertation. Students who are not able to take the full-time program because of employment may spread course work out over three years. They must, however, have the equivalent of full-time study in residence for at least one year.
Students should specify whether they are applying for the full-time or part-time program at the time they apply to the program. Part-time students usually carry two courses per semester during the academic year. They may wish to accelerate their progress by enrolling in appropriate courses when available during the summer session.
The time limit for completing all requirements for the Ph.D. degree is eight years from the first course taken at USC to be applied toward the degree. Students who have completed an applicable master's degree at USC or elsewhere (almost all students in the social work doctoral program) must complete the Ph.D. in six years.
The written examination is comprehensive in nature and necessitates independent study beyond course requirements. It is designed to test mastery of knowledge and scholarly skills as well as to test the students' readiness to undertake independent research.
The qualifying examination is written by a committee of five faculty members, one of whom must be from another university department or school. The qualifying examination is related to the student's specialized, individualized course of study and will ascertain the student's mastery of knowledge about a field of practice and its attending policies and comparative practice theories, comparative explanatory theories, and appropriate research methodology as they relate to that field of practice. Each examination is individually prepared for a specific student and has four parts. The examinations are approved by the chair of the doctoral committee.
To allow students time to think constructively, synthesize knowledge, organize thoughts and present their best possible work, the qualifying examination is in a take-home format. Students are given two weeks to complete the examination (typed, with appropriate citations). The student is limited to 20 typed pages per examination section. Each of the four sections of the examination is graded either high pass, pass or fail. If all portions of the examination are graded as high pass, students pass the examination "with distinction."
Students are required to retake only those parts of the examination which they fail and will be given four days in which to complete any failed section. The retake takes place no less than six months and no more than one year after the first examination.
Within two weeks of passing the written examination, students complete their oral examination, which is conducted by the committee that prepared the written examination. Orals focus on areas examined in the written examination but may go beyond this content as long as the material is consistent with the student's individually designed reading list. In addition to testing knowledge of specific areas, the oral examination determines the student's readiness to undertake the dissertation. Oral examinations are graded in the same manner as the written examination.
In accordance with university policy, since the two portions of the qualifying examination are considered part of a single examination, only one retake of either portion of the examination is permitted. When the oral examination has been passed, the student is formally admitted to candidacy.
Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995