Program Overview for Social Work (PhD) in Canada:
Society needs high-level researchers more than ever, who have a deep understanding of diversity, justice, and tolerance, and who have the ability to criticize inequality and injustice. Our Ph.D. in Social Work allows you to learn about the social issues that are important to you.
We are looking for students who have successful practical experience and seek more than additional professional degrees. If you want to improve your already strong critical and analytical skills and cultivate your enthusiasm for social work research and learning, this plan is the ideal choice.
Why choose Laurier to study for a Ph.D.?
The School of Social Work provides opportunities to develop excellence in teaching and research. The university offers a supportive environment for five full-time Ph.D. students and one or two part-time Ph.D. students each year.
Research Focus
Our faculty members support a diverse range of research interests across all types of direct practice, public policy, international social work, disability, health and wellbeing, Indigenous issues, organizations, and community development. The Faculty of Social Work’s research centers, programs, and chairs include the Centre for Indigegogy, Walls to Bridges, the Lyle S. Hallman Chair in Child and Family Welfare, the Manulife Centre for Community Health Research, and the Social Innovation Research Group.
Career:
Graduates of our program have pursued successful careers in higher education, teaching, government, and the private sector.
Examples of jobs held by our graduates include:
- University professors at the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, York University, Ryerson University, and many other domestic and international universities and colleges.
- Senior policy roles with the federal and provincial governments and non-profit organizations.
- Private clinical practice.
- Research roles in government, non-profit organizations, and industry.
The eligibility for Social Work (PhD) in Canada for both domestic and international student is:
- A Master of Social Work (MSW) or equivalent with a minimum A- standing.
- Normally, we require a minimum of three years of social work practice experience, which would usually be post-MSW, but other combinations of practice and education may be considered.
- Applications are reviewed by the graduate program committee, which considers all prior university grades, a statement of research interests, and letters of reference.
- You may contact our Associate Dean or a prospective advisor before submitting your application.
- Please note, we do not require prospective students to pre-select an advisor as this is a process we believe best occurs when you come to know our faculty and are engaged in the program.
APPLICATION SUBMISSION AND ASSESSMENT
Applications will be considered until the program is full.
Research Advisor
Applicants do not need to find an advisor at the application stage, as students usually identify their advisors during Year 1 or early in Year 2. Feel free to share your interests with faculty members with whom you would like to study. Applicants are encouraged to identify any faculty members they would like to study in their Statement of Intent.
Visit our Graduate Admissions Toolkit for more information about applying.
APPLICATION CHECKLIST:
After you have submitted your OUAC application, paid the non-refundable application fee, and Laurier has received your application, you'll receive an email from gradadmissions@wlu.ca advising you to upload the additional required documentation to Laurier’s Online Registration & Information System (LORIS).
An application for admission to our Ph.D. program in Social Work must include:
- The Application Summary is generated after you complete your OUAC application (log back into OUAC to retrieve it).
- Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work.
- A completed statement of intent.
- A resume of your academic and work experience. Include a history of your publication and scholarly paper activity, and any other information you feel will interest the admissions committee. Distinguish between paid and volunteer positions and practicum and full- or part-time work.
- A sample of your scholarly writing (10-20 pages in length). This may be a chapter of your master's thesis or a paper written for a graduate course.
- Completed reference forms. Three academic references are required. Note: Reference forms are electronically submitted to Laurier by the referee and do not need to be uploaded.
Proficiency in written and spoken English is essential to graduate studies at Laurier. Applicants whose language of instruction during their previous postsecondary education was not in English must submit evidence of proficiency in English. If applicable, results from accepted testing services must be uploaded to LORIS.
N.B: Most universities have specific international admission requirements based on different education systems.
These are the test eligibilities for the Social Work (PhD) to qualify.
The English Language Proficiency (ELP) requirements for Social Work (PhD) in Canada: are:
- TOEFL(ibt): 89
- IELTS(academic): 7
The international student tuition fees and costs for Social Work (PhD) in Canada.
| Items | Costs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition Fees | CA$7,000.00 /year | ||||||
| Living Cost | CA$14,400.00/year (CA$1,200.00/month) |
||||||
| Student Earning | CA$17,920.00/year |
||||||
| You will earn CA$17,920.00/year by working 20 hours *4 weeks * 8 months * 14 CAD/h + 40 hours * 4 weeks * 4 months * 14 CAD/hour at minimum wage of CA$14.00/hour. | |||||||
The domestic student tuition fees and costs for Social Work (PhD) in Canada.
| Items | Costs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition Fees | CA$2,622.00 /year | ||||||
| Living Cost | CA$14,400.00/year (CA$1,200.00/month) |
||||||
| Student Earning | CA$17,920.00/year | ||||||
| This is just an estimate. You don't have any work hour limit. You will earn CA$17,920.00/year by working 20 hours *4 weeks * 8 months * 14 CAD/h + 40 hours * 4 weeks * 4 months * 14 CAD/hour at minimum wage of CA$14.00/hour. | |||||||
The tuition fees are based on the term(Not per academic year). Wilfred offers generous funding to its graduate students. Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), Research Assistant, Contract Teaching Faculty (CTF), Internal scholarships and awards and external funding are also available to support students. Some other funding includes:
- Winners of major external awards (OGS, QEII, and Tri-Council) may be eligible for top-up funding which includes the Dean's Graduate Scholarship (total value exceeds $10,000).
- Eligible domestic students admitted studying on a full-time basis receive an average of $14,500 a year. This support may be made up of teaching assistantships, internal/external scholarships, and/or faculty-funded studentships or research assistantships.
- A list of all funding opportunities available to Laurier graduate students, including information about OGS, QEII, and Tri-Council, is available on our graduate funding webpage.
CONTACT US:
Michael Woodford, Associate Dean, Ph.D. program
Peggy Freymond, Administrative Coordinator
Program Information Inquiry
Please sign up to send email directly to universities.
