While the academic job market continues to be strong for social work doctoral graduates relative to graduates of other fields, there has been relatively little guidance for students and their mentors on how to prepare for and obtain these positions. Research in doctoral education across disciplines shows that students need help transitioning from…

To understand recent changes in the social work academic job market, we gathered information on both open social work tenure-track positions and doctoral candidates' experiences on the academic job market to provide an approximation of the overall 2017-2018 academic market in social work. About two-thirds of both PhD and DSW candidates on the job…

Female doctoral students with children face significant barriers to successful program completion, leaving programs at higher rates than students without children. This qualitative study (N=28) explored female doctoral students' experiences with institutional and programmatic supports during their pregnancy and transition to parenthood within…

Pursuing a doctoral degree represents a major life change for students, is incredibly demanding, and the process is complex. Although surviving the PhD process is difficult, it can be done. The authors are both recent graduates of a social work doctoral program and have compiled a brief list of inter- and intra-personal tips that they believe…

A diverse faculty is a goal of all social work programs. However, recruiting and retaining diverse faculty is often a struggle. In this article, narratives of 3 recent doctoral graduates are analyzed to identify the role that diversity played in their academic job searches. Autoethnographic analysis revealed 2 broad themes: identity and…

Recognizing the growing need for social workers with specialized training in aging, the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education (HPPAE) has developed as a nationwide initiative to enhance aging education for master's-level social work students. This study presents a content analysis of answers to 2 open-ended questions in a national…

This research evaluated the effectiveness of the Public Child Welfare Certification Program, a specialized child welfare program delivered in bachelor of social work (BSW) curricula across the state of Kentucky. This evaluation gathered data for 10 years on satisfaction with the program, preparation for work in the state's child welfare agency,…

Interdisciplinarity in doctoral education currently is strongly advocated by governments and universities as important in developing knowledge useful in addressing significant public problems. However, the efficacy of these claims has not been subject to empirical investigation. Using longitudinal data covering a 13-year period, this research…

As frontline mental health care providers, social workers need to be prepared to confront and properly manage substance abuse issues in practice. This study examined predictors of recent master of social work (MSW) graduates' perceptions of preparedness to practice in the area of substance abuse. A cross-sectional design was used, and 232 recent…

Analysis of a 1-year sample of advertisements for faculty positions in social work examined (1) the number of positions available in 2001-2002, (2) the nature of these positions and their settings, and (3) the qualifications sought in applicants. Findings suggest there were more academic jobs available than there were doctoral graduates seeking…