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PhD Program Courses

PhD Course Listings as they appear in the UT Graduate Catalog:

600 Doctoral Research and Dissertation(3-15 Credit Hours)
Grading Restriction: P/NP only.
Repeatability: May be repeated.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

601: Research for Social Work Practice I (3 credits)
Description: Epistemological foundations of, and methods for, quantitative and qualitative research for social work practice, including formation of research questions and hypotheses; basic measurement; sampling; research design; and introduction to the research proposal.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

602: Research for Social Work Practice II (3 credits)
Description: Intermediate methods for quantitative and qualitative research for social work practice, including applied measurement theory; reliability and validity; scale development; item analysis; differential item functioning; and research design and proposal writing.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 601.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

603: Research III: Funded Research and Grant Writing (3 credits)
Description: Funded research and grant writing: Sources of funding, including federal and private foundation, for social work research; writing a competitive grant proposal, including the narrative, budget, budget justification, and IRB review application.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 601.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

605: Analysis of Social Work Data I (3 credits)
Description: Univariate and bivariate descriptive statistics, foundations of null hypothesis significance testing (NHST), and applications of NHST, confidence intervals, and effect size estimates to testing, examining, interpreting, and presenting results concerning bivariate relationships with continuous and discrete variables.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

606: Analysis of Social Work Data II (3 credits)
Description: Conceptual understanding of fixed-effects linear regression models and ability to specify, test, interpret, and present results of linear regression models. Extension of linear regression to discrete dependent variables in the framework of the generalized linear model.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 605.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

608: Qualitative Research Methods (3 credits)
Qualitative research methods and their philosophical underpinnings are explored, including ethnography, grounded theory, case study, narrative, and phenomenology. The importance of reflexivity and critical awareness of one’s own worldview will be discussed. Qualitative data collection, analysis, and dissemination skills will be developed. The special topics of mixed methods and community-based participatory research are also covered. 
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – doctorate.

626: Critical Thinking for Science and Research (3 credits)
Description: Within a students substantive area, identification of assumptions and premises upon which an argument is based. Application of concepts within a particular model and the development of a statement of a predicted research outcome and/or research hypothesis that test the empirical validity of the model.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

628: Critical Review of Research Literature (3 credits)
Description: The formulation of a researchable problem relevant to professional social work. Carrying out a systematic, comprehensive search of relevant databases. Writing a systematic review of the literature that is suitable for publication in a scholarly journal.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

630: Professional Development for Social Work Scholars I (1 credit)
Description: Preparing for success as a social work doctoral student, familiarity with faculty research, conference abstract and presentation skills, and writing for academic publication.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

631: Research Practicum (Semester III; 1 credit)
Individual research experience under the supervision of a faculty mentor.
Grading Restriction: Satisfactory/No Credit grading only.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 630.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

632: Research Practicum (Semester IV; 1 credit)
Individual research experience under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Grading Restriction: Satisfactory/No Credit grading only. Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

665: Advanced Quantitative Research Methods (3 credits)
Elective course. Advanced research methods course will focus on advances quantitative methods such as hierarchical linear models in social work research; item response theory in social work research; methods for categorical dependent variables; and generalizable theory.
Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum 9 hours.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 605 and 606 with grade of B or better.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

675: Teaching Methods in Social Work (3 credits)
Description: History and context of social work education, including curriculum policy and accreditation. Effective teaching techniques, course development, assessment of student learning, and classroom management skills. Best practices for face-to-face and online teaching. Unique characteristics of online teaching and empirically-supported strategies for developing online courses and managing online classroom environments.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

677: Teaching Practicum I (1 credit)
Description: Face-to-face classroom teaching experience under the supervision of a social work faculty teaching mentor. Demonstration of independent teaching, student assessment, and classroom management.
Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum 4 hours. Registration Permission: Minimum student level – graduate.

678: Teaching Practicum II (1 credit)
Description: Online teaching experience under the supervision of a social work faculty teaching mentor. Use of appropriate technology to demonstrate independent online teaching and student assessment.
Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum 4 hours. Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

680: Professional Development for Social Work Scholars II (1 credit)
Description: Preparing for a tenure-track faculty job, including job searches and the interviewing process, networking for professional development, and skills for transitioning to a successful academic career.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.

693: Directed Study in Social Work Research (1-6 credits)
Description: Advanced individual study, under faculty guidance, of social work practice issues.
Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum 9 hours.
Recommended Background: First-year required PhD courses or consent of instructor.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level – graduate.