Information request form

Admissions requirements

To be considered  for admission to the Doctoral Program, applicants must have:

1.  A master's degree in social work from:

• A school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
• Or a master's degree in a related discipline
• Or exceptional undergraduate academic performance in social or behavioral science research.

2.  Evidence of strong academic ability.

3.  Evidence of commitment to the values, goals and purposes of the social work profession.

4.  Evidence of two years of work experience in human services (may be waived in special circumstances).

5.  Evidence of a direction for and commitment to social intervention research.

Currently, we are not accepting applications to the MSW/PhD Continuum Program. Instead, we encourage interested applicants to apply to our MSW program, and later to our PhD program following completion of the MSW degree.

Application deadline

The Doctoral Program admits students only once each year. The application is currently scheduled to open August, 2013 for Fall 2014 admittance. To be considered for admission, application materials must be submitted by early January 2014 (deadline to be announced), after which time the application system will be closed. The Admissions Committee will only review completed applications. The Admissions Committee begins making admissions decisions the first week of January. Once the Committee has determined which applicants are eligible for admission, qualified applicants will be nominated for University fellowships or other University financial assistance. The Admissions Committee will work to make all admissions decisions by mid-March.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The deadline for submitting all application materials is early January. However, if you wish to be considered for a UNC Graduate School fellowship, you should apply by mid-December 2013. The Admissions Committee will begin screening applicants for these award recommendations at this time. 

Application requirements

Early applications are encouraged. Applicants must complete and submit a Graduate School application online. To apply online, please click here  http://gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/  to go to the Admissions portal.

Applicants are required to submit the following:

• Application Fee: check or money order if not paid by credit card when applying online ($85.00)
  
• Residency Form, if claiming N.C. residency for tuition
• GRE Exam Scores: Required for all applicants. No more than five years old (ETS Institutional Code 5816, DEPT 5001).
• TOEFL Score: for international applicants
• Statement of Purpose
• Curriculum Vitae
• Letters of Recommendation - Minimum of three - (Recommendation Form)
• Sample of Professional Writing
• Official Transcripts of all undergraduate and post-graduate study
• International Financial Certificate: If you are a foreign applicant

The Admissions Committee will review only completed admission files. Applicants will be notified, via e-mail, if materials are missing from their application packet and will receive confirmation once their application is complete.

For more information, please visit UNC's Graduate School website.

Telephone Information Sessions

You may request a telephone information session with the Associate Dean for Doctoral Education to discuss your research interests, get answers to specific questions, and get an overview of the program.  

If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact the Doctoral Program Coordinator.

Contact information 

Brenda Vawter
Doctoral Program Coordinator
(919) 962-6477
bvawter@email.unc.edu

Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD
Kenan Professor, Schools of Social Work and Public Health
Associate Dean for Doctoral Education, School of Social Work
(919) 962-6417
Sheryl_Zimmerman@unc.edu

Please include "Doctoral Program" in your email subject line.