Admission to the Ph.D. program requires a Master of Social Work degree with a grade-point average of at least 3.3; three years of successful post-M.S.W. professional experience; and evidence of capacity to engage in doctoral study. Promising candidates are interviewed by a member of the doctoral faculty.

Exceptions to these requirements will be considered when applicants demonstrate equivalent attainments or compensating strengths. For example, an applicant has not yet completed three years of post-master’s professional experience but has made a contribution to social work knowledge in professional publications. Applicants who do not fulfill the typical admission requirement may be required to complete additional course work beyond the 51 credit hours.

The School of Social Work considers the following criteria when evaluating applicants for acceptance into the doctoral programs:

• Intellectual capacity
• General professional competence
• Knowledge of critical issues in social work
• Strength of commitment to doctoral study
• Adequacy of plans for financing doctoral study
• General capability (e.g. time) to pursue research on a doctoral level
• A high score on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is required of international students to demonstrate sufficient proficiency in language skills to engage in doctoral study.

Application Procedure
Applicants for admission should:

1. Secure and fill out the "Application for Admission to Graduate Studies" form;
2. Arrange for three letters of reference, using the provided forms, and send them to the Office of Graduate Admissions (see below);
3. Include a personal essay describing professional experience, interests, and reasons for doctoral study and how it fits into their professional career history and future career plans;
4. Submit examples of their professional work (papers, articles, grant applications);
5. Include the required, non-refundable application fee ($50) in the form of a check or money order made payable to Adelphi University;
6. Mail the completed application form, personal essay, professional samples, and application fee in the return envelope provided with the application form to:
   
   
   Office of Graduate Admissions
   Adelphi University
   Levermore Hall
   1 South Avenue
   P.O. Box 701
   Garden City, New York 11530-0107

When the application is complete (all the above items have been received), the director of the doctoral program will communicate with promising applicants to set up an admissions interview with a member of the doctoral faculty on Adelphi’s Garden City campus.

Application Deadline
It is preferable that applications be completed by April 1 for admission the following September. Admissions interviews will be held as completed applications are received. Applications received after the deadline will be considered if seats are still available.

Relationship to University Admissions
The decision to admit a student rests with the Doctoral Committee of the School of Social Work. The relationship with the Office of University Admissions is consultative and procedural. For example, in the instance of international applicants or applicants attending special undergraduate programs in the United States, the Office of University Admissions can provide help in evaluating the equivalency of academic course work to the M.S.W. curriculum in the United States. The following materials are sent to applicants by the University:

School of Social Work Cover Letter
Application (including reference letter forms)
Data Card

The Office of University Admissions, upon notification by the director of the doctoral program, sends official letters of acceptance or rejections.