The part-time summer doctoral program is designed to meet the needs of persons who are teaching in accredited social work programs and who would like to obtain a Ph.D. degree while keeping their current faculty position. The program enables students to complete their Ph.D. course work over three summers in residence at The University of Texas at Austin. Elective courses and dissertation work can be completed at The University of Texas at Austin, the college or university where the student teaches, or at another institution offering appropriate courses.
Students complete a qualifying exam during the second summer in the program.
Students in the part-time summer program should be able to complete all class requirements within three years following a typical program of work . Each summer semester begins during the first week of June and continues for 9 weeks. In addition, students will return to The University of Texas for a week-long intensive seminar in early January of each year. Initial work on the dissertation proposal usually begins at the end of the third full year in the program. However, students are encouraged to consider their dissertation topic as early as possible.