The majority of schools only offer traditional, on-campus, courses for a doctorate in Social Work. Many of these programs, such as the one offered by the University of South Carolina, provide student with field experience as part of the course work.Other programs, like the University of Minnesota, emphasize diversity, social justice and the empowerment of people regardless of status.
A few schools offer online doctorate programs in social work. Miami Christian University offers a Christian based doctorate program, with the opportunity to earn a a Ph.D. in Christian Social Work. The Institute for Clinical Social Work also offers an online doctorate program. This program gives students the opportunity to focus on clinical and research skills by meeting individually with faculty members to hone their skills.
The University of Chicago is ranked among the best social work doctorate programs available. Its program focuses on an individual course of study for each student, including the study of related courses from other disciplines, along with completion of the dissertation program. Columbia University began its social work program in 1950. It focuses on developing a student's ability to conduct independent research while mastering the existing information on that topic.
Employment demand for social workers in general is expected to grow by 16 percent by 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is higher growth than is expected for all occupations on average. This is due to the aging population. This is due to an anticipated combination of retiring workers and a greater need for the elderly to receive aid from social services