Application deadline: December 15. Admission decisions are made by the PhD Committee Faculty Review Team.
The minimum requirements for admission to The University of Texas at Austin Graduate School and to the doctoral program at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work are as follows:
A master’s degree from an accredited school of social work. Exceptions are sometimes made for students with a master’s degree in a related field who have extensive experience in human services.- A grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or comparable grade point average in upper-division work (junior- and senior-level courses) and in any graduate work already completed.
- A minimum grade of “B” on a statistics course taken either as an undergraduate student, graduate student or independent study (transcript required). Research Methods courses do not fulfill this requirement.
- The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) requirement is waived for fall 2021 applicants. Applicants can choose to submit GRE scores if they desire; however, GRE scores are not required and applicants will not be penalized if they choose not to submit GRE scores for fall 2021 admission. If applicants do decide to submit GRE scores, the scores will be considered. However, GRE scores will not be tracked on “My Status.” Applicants will be able to see their GRE scores listed under the “Done” section.
- International applicants: International students whose native country’s primary language is not English must also submit scores for both the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE), or the TOEFL-iBT. TOEFL scores for the four sections should sum to at least 100, and it is preferable to score a minimum of 25 in each section. We do not accept IELTS in lieu of TOEFL scores
- Applicants are expected to show capacity for advanced academic work and potential for scholarship. The development of competence to design and carry out rigorous research studies relevant to social work is a critical expectation of the PhD program.
- As part of the application process, applicants are expected to demonstrate excellent writing skills, analytic skills and show evidence of research capabilities and interests.
Download a fact-sheet (PDF) with quick facts about previous PhD applicants and current student cohort.