The USC School of Social Work established the first social work doctoral program in the western United States in 1953. Today we continue the tradition of admitting highly motivated, self-directed individuals interested in a career in university teaching and research. Students pursue their own in-depth course of study within an active research environment that emphasizes growth.

Highlights

• Close faculty-student mentoring relationships
• National visibility for students through publications and funding for conference presentations in the U.S. and abroad
• A faculty that ranks in the nation’s top three for funded research
• Our own independent research institute, the Hamovitch Center for Science in the Human Services
• A curriculum focused on understanding issues from a global perspective
• Two research labs dedicated entirely to doctoral students
• Financial aid for all students, making USC among the most generous of any social-work doctoral program