Social Work PhD: Online
Lead the evolution of social work
Help shape the future of social work. The Simmons University Online PhD in Social Work is designed for experienced practitioners who want to deepen their clinical skills and support evidence-based practice through research.
Take advantage of our long history of doctoral excellence, now offered fully online. Our faculty bring extensive expertise in online teaching, social work education, and interdisciplinary research.
Why pursue a PhD in social work at Simmons?
At Simmons, we’ve perfected the balance between academic tradition and modern flexibility.
- Study from anywhere: Maintain your professional and personal commitments without relocating.
- Expert Faculty: Learn from interdisciplinary pioneers who are as skilled at online pedagogy as they are at groundbreaking research.
- Interactive Community: Engage in a student-centered experience that fosters deep connection.
Your years of experience are an asset. We honor that foundation while challenging you to view social work through a scientific lens. Our research-intensive program is a laboratory for your scholarly development.
- Master the Tools: Gain high-level mastery in methodology, advanced statistics, and data analysis.
- Applied Research: Engage in a research practicum that moves beyond theory to improve the well-being of the populations you care about most.
- Collaborative Assistantships: Expand your network through research opportunities within and beyond the Simmons University ecosystem.
Through formal pedagogical training and hands-on teaching practicums, you’ll learn to inspire the next wave of social workers. Qualified students can even apply to our adjunct pool to teach in our prestigious School of Social Work.
Social Work PhD Program Format
Our online PhD program replicates the structure of the historic in-person program. All classes are synchronous, with select asynchronous content, and emphasize active interaction with faculty and peers.
In addition to coursework, you’ll complete teaching and research practicums and a dissertation. You are also welcome to come to campus to work with faculty, teach courses, collaborate on research, and take part in university events. Most students complete the program, including the dissertation defense, in 4 to 6 years.
PhD Candidacy and Dissertation
Prove your mastery through a comprehensive exam and the submission of an empirical manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal. As a PhD Candidate, you will have the option between a traditional dissertation or a three-paper format.
Spotlight on Social Work PhD Students and Alums
2025–26 Graduate Student Research Award Recipients
The Office of Research and Fellowships has announced the recipients of the 2025–2026 Graduate Student Research Award. This competitive, cross-disciplinary award provides up to $1,500 to five doctoral and master’s degree candidates to conduct research in the fields of mental health, social work, children’s literature, and archival preservation.
Integrating Forest Spirituality into a Social Work Mindset
Grant Pike ’18MSW ’24DSW shares how the vitality of nature can be combined with social work and social justice, with a positive impact on humans and the planet.
Simmons Social Work Doctoral Student Awards Kindest Kids in America
Jessie Hansen ’26DSW recently started the program The Kindest Kid in America, which awards young students who are exemplars of kindness. Hansen is a representative of Think Kindness, an organization that aims to promote acts of kindness in school and communities.
Breaking Ground with Qualitative Research in Hospice Care
Stephanie Wladkowski ’14PhD was a clinical social worker in hospice care when policy changes impacted her clinical practice. In a search for answers, Wladkowski began her PhD in Social Work at Simmons. Her dissertation, “Dementia Caregivers and Live Discharge from Hospice: What Happens When Hospice Leaves?,” has inspired further research in the field.
Nathan Brewer ’10MSW ’18PhD on Protecting College Students
Nathan Brewer ’10MSW ’18PhD is Director of the Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center (SARP) at Boston University (BU). After receiving his Master’s in Social Work from Simmons, he returned to the University to pursue his PhD in Social Work alongside his clinical practice. We spoke to Brewer about his experience in the program, and his current work at Boston University.
Wilfred Labiosa ’20PhD Continues the Simmons Tradition of Social Work in Puerto Rico
Wilfred Labiosa ’20PhD opened a series of Waves Ahead community centers in Puerto Rico, a nonprofit dedicated to working with marginalized and vulnerable people in Puerto Rico — most notably, LGBTQ+ elders.
Mbita Mbao ‘22PhD Offers Wisdom and Caring for an Aging Population
When Mbita Mbao ’22PhD was looking for a doctoral program in social work, Simmons met all of her requirements: a Boston location and the ability to take all of her in-person classes in one day per week. More important than these criteria, Simmons had professors she clicked with.
Broadening the Gender Perspectives of Eating Disorders
Kyle T. Ganson ’20PhD is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. As part of his studies at Simmons, he created the course “Social Work Assessment and Treatment of Eating Disorders,” to be taught in Spring 2024. We spoke to Ganson about his doctoral experience at Simmons and the inspiration behind the course.
Social Work Highlights at Simmons
1st
School of Clinical Social Work in the Country
The School of Social Work (SSW) is distinguished in many ways — with nationally acclaimed faculty, a strong emphasis on clinical practice, and our ideal Boston location among world-renowned teaching hospitals and research facilities.
125+
Years
For more than a century, Simmons has set the standard for clinical social work education and social justice advocacy.
Our Faculty
Instructors and Mentors
Joanna Almeida
Professor and Eva Whiting White Endowed Chair
Johnnie Hamilton-Mason
Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Development
Peter Maramaldi
Professor and Social Work Alumni Fund Endowed Chair
Kristie Thomas
Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Noelle C. Dimitri
Assistant Professor
Christina M. Sellers
Associate Professor, Jennifer Eckert ‘08SW School of Social Work Endowed Chair, and Director of the Center for Innovation in Behavioral Health Education and Research
Vanessa Robinson-Dooley
Professor and Director of the PhD Program
Renada Goldberg
Assistant Professor