MSW/PhD vs. PhD in Sociology

[Maleficent999]

Hello there,

 

I am currently in the midst of applying to multiple sociology PhD programs in the U.S. However, recently I have been in touch with a contact who is the PhD program director for a MSW/PhD program and this person has begun to "court" or "poach" me pretty heavily. I don't have any experience in social work and I have two concerns that I hope you all can help me with:

 

1) How will a MSW/PhD differ from a PhD in sociology? I have already been looking at sociology programs with a social justice focus so I'm not sure it would be much different, I'm just not sure what the benefit/consequences for me would be I entered into a MSW program. I really don't know much about them.

 

2) Should I be concerned that this person is trying so hard? I'm worried that the program isn't very appealing if they are trying so hard to get new students. Is this pretty typical in the field of social work? Is the applicant pool small-ish? What kind of things should I be looking for? I know the program is accredited and the faculty seems to be pretty accomplished.

 

I'm sorry for being vague. Feel free to message me for specifics but any information would be helpful.

[nugget]

If you can't get a job in academia (and from what I've heard it's not so easy these days) then at least you can work as a social worker as a back up plan. I'm not sure how strong the job prospects are for sociology, though, but it sounds like it would be worth finding out.

[nugget]

Some jobs request a licenced social worker and you can't become licenced with a PhD in sociology. So in that respect, I think there would be more potential job prospects for someone with a degree in social work. You will probably also gain some exposure to the clinical/counselling aspects of social work in the MSW program even if you specialize in a community intervention related area, so you will have a broader skill set as a social worker, which can be useful should you decide to take a career shift at some point in your career and do counselling. Do the sociology programs you are looking at have an internship component? Internships are excellent ways to develop connections in the community and can possibly lead to employment after graduation. If you study social work, you will have this advantage as well.

[michigan girl]

MSW/PhD route is for students who want to study social problems and provide interventions that alleviate the conditions of those in need of help or welfare (individuals, families, and communities). Sociology is the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. Go social work if you want to focus on practice and policy. Go sociology is you are more interested in theoretical pursuits.