Earn Your Doctor of Social Work Degree
The St. Thomas DSW is the first online DSW program to focus on preparing social work faculty and practitioners specifically for university-level teaching and leadership. Experienced social work educators and practitioners with an MSW degree will gain the skills and credentials to teach and lead in the social work profession and become stewards of the discipline. The online delivery format makes this program accessible to working professionals throughout the country and graduates will be prepared to:
- Engage in transformative teaching
- Develop an identity as a scholar practitioner
- Pursue social justice through service and leadership
- Write for publication
Online, with two-week on-campus residency each year.
Cohort starts in July.
Degree Details
Coursework Overview
Students complete the required 45 credit hours of DSW coursework in three years.
- Online course instruction is supplemented with 2-week on-campus summer residencies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.
- Students take one course at a time.
- Fall and Spring semesters are comprised of successive, 8-week sessions.
- All courses are 3 credit hours
- Banded dissertation
- Cohort model for experienced social work practitioners and teachers
Year One
SUMMER
3-day Orientation in Minnesota
2 Week On-Campus Residency, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN
DRSW 700: History of Social Work and Social Work Education
SEMESTER I, FALL
8-Week Online Courses
DRSW 710: Social Work Education
DRSW 720: Social Work Theoretical Perspectives
SEMESTER II, SPRING
8-week Online Courses
DRSW 728: Research and Scholarship I
DRSW 729: Research and Scholarship II
Year Two
SUMMER
2 Week On-Campus Residency, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN
DRSW 727: Banded Dissertation and Scholarship
SEMESTER III, FALL
8-Week Online Courses
DRSW 717: Pedagogies in Social Work Education: Theory and Practice
DRSW 721: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in Social Work Education
SEMESTER IV, SPRING
8-Week Online Courses
DRSW 723: Engaged Scholarship
DRSW 718: Mission and Purpose through Curriculum
Year Three
SUMMER
2 Week On-Campus Residency, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN
DRSW 725: Career Development Practicum
SEMESTER V, FALL
8-Week Online Courses
DRSW 726: Writing for Publication
Elective Course, choose from:
DRSW 731: Grant Writing
DRSW 734: Leadership, Mentorship and Faculty Development
DRSW 735: Independent Study
SEMESTER VI, SPRING
8-Week Online Courses
DRSW 800: Banded Dissertation
DRSW 801: Banded Dissertation II: Defense
Coursework Overview
Students complete the required 45 credit hours of DSW coursework in three years.
- Online course instruction is supplemented with 2-week on-campus summer residencies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.
- Students take one course at a time.
- Fall and Spring semesters are comprised of successive, 8-week sessions.
- All courses are 3 credit hours
- Banded dissertation
- Cohort model for experienced social work practitioners and teachers
Year One
SUMMER
3-day Orientation in Minnesota
2 Week On-Campus Residency, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN
DRSW 700: History of Social Work and Social Work Education
SEMESTER I, FALL
8-Week Online Courses
DRSW 710: Social Work Education
DRSW 720: Social Work Theoretical Perspectives
SEMESTER II, SPRING
8-week Online Courses
DRSW 728: Research and Scholarship I
DRSW 729: Research and Scholarship II
Year Two
SUMMER
2 Week On-Campus Residency, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN
DRSW 727: Banded Dissertation and Scholarship
SEMESTER III, FALL
8-Week Online Courses
DRSW 717: Pedagogies in Social Work Education: Theory and Practice
DRSW 721: Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in Social Work Education
SEMESTER IV, SPRING
8-Week Online Courses
DRSW 723: Engaged Scholarship
DRSW 718: Mission and Purpose through Curriculum
Year Three
SUMMER
2 Week On-Campus Residency, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN
DRSW 725: Career Development Practicum
SEMESTER V, FALL
8-Week Online Courses
DRSW 726: Writing for Publication
Elective Course, choose from:
DRSW 731: Grant Writing
DRSW 734: Leadership, Mentorship and Faculty Development
DRSW 735: Independent Study
SEMESTER VI, SPRING
8-Week Online Courses
DRSW 800: Banded Dissertation
DRSW 801: Banded Dissertation II: Defense
Earning a Doctor of Social Work
The expansion of bachelor's and master's programs in social work nationally has created a strong demand for faculty who hold doctorates. Our school's leadership has long recognized that the nation's doctoral programs are not graduating enough individuals to replace retiring faculty or to staff the expansion of social work programs across the country. We developed this program in response to inquiries from our graduates and others in the social work field who were interested in pursuing a doctorate and careers in higher education, specifically in teaching-intensive universities.
This is the nation's first online program specifically designed for those with a master of social work degree who are either currently teaching at the bachelor's or master's level - or plan to do so - and who are seeking a doctorate in order to further develop the skills needed to excel as teachers and to advance in their university careers. Most universities have moved beyond the requirement of the MSW as the terminal degree for most tenure-track positions. To help fill this gap, our doctoral program focuses on teaching, scholarship, service and leadership, rather than a traditional focus on research or advanced clinical practice.

Applied learning
Banded Dissertation
Students in the Doctorate in Social Work program must complete a banded dissertation - a series of three written works of scholarship that are linked by issue, theme, pedagogy, or population. This work is done during the second and third years of the program.
Faculty
Our faculty are recognized scholars, researchers and engaged practitioners, committed to mentoring relationships and community engagement.

Dr. Catherine Marrs Fuchsel
Dr. Marrs Fuchsel is the DSW program director and a professor. An experienced social work practitioner and scholar, her research focuses on supporting Latina women who experience complex trauma, and on the development and implementation of prevention programs with immigrant communities.

Dr. Kingsley Chigbu
Dr. Chigbu is an assistant professor who teaches in the MSW and DSW programs. His research focuses on the individual, familial, group, social, and environmental factors that enhance the prevention and mitigation of organized violence, mental illness, substance abuse, and human/sexual trafficking and abuse. His backgrounds in law and diplomacy and social work inform his interest and belief in interdisciplinary approaches to human problem-solving.

Dr. Robin Whitebird
Dr. Robin Whitebird is a professor and researcher with expertise in mixed methods, qualitative research, and clinical trials. Much of her research is in health care, where she consults on studies focusing on patient reported outcomes and strategies for organizational change.
Upcoming Events
Alumni Testimonials
DSW vs Ph.D.
The DSW is an advanced practice degree, and in the case of the St. Thomas DSW, the form of practice is education. Our degree is designed to prepare experienced social work educators and practitioners to teach and lead in higher education. The St. Thomas DSW has a strong emphasis on teaching pedagogy, curriculum development and the type of scholarship that faculty in teaching-intensive universities will be expected to produce throughout their careers.
The Ph.D. is a research degree and Ph.D. students are trained in rigorous research methods and pedagogy. Research-intensive universities (generally considered "Doctoral Universities" with moderate to high research activity as detailed by the Carnegie Basic Classification Description) will likely require tenure-track faculty to have a Ph.D., as this is the standard research degree, and the expectation of their faculty is that they will be doing large-scale research.
If there are specific schools you are targeting for employment, it is best to explore their specific hiring requirements before choosing which type of doctoral program is the best fit for you. Some universities will hire a combination of Ph.D.s and DSWs (or other practice doctoral degrees) depending on their areas of expertise and needs at the program level, while other universities will require a research focused (Ph.D.) degree only.
Latest DSW News

Spring 2023 Professional Notes
DSW students and alumni share their accomplishments of spring 2023.

CSWE APM Presentations
Congratulations to the Doctor of Social Work students, alumni and faculty who presented at the 2022 Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Annual Program Meeting (APM)!

DSW Featured in NASW Social Work Advocates
Read about the National Association of Social Worker (NASW) coverage of our Doctorate in Social Work program.
Read Past DSW Professional Notes
Catch up on past professional notes from DSW students and alumni.
Accreditation
The St. Thomas Doctorate in Social Work program has been approved by our institutional accrediting organization, the Higher Learning Commission. At this time, doctoral programs - both DSW and PhD programs - are not accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). However, in June of 2020 CSWE approved accreditation standards for practice doctorates. For further information about the piloting of the accreditation process, please review the CSWE website.