CURRICULUM

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Required courses for doctoral students focus primarily on research methodology. In addition, you may enroll in elective courses, seminars, and independent tutorials useful for mastering the fields of study, preparing papers and bibliographies for the qualifying examination, and developing competence in research methods. You should begin early to define your fields of study for the qualifying examination and to identify faculty members, both within the School and from other departments, whose interests and competencies correspond to your own. (Both your qualifying examination and dissertation committees must include a faculty member from a department other than Social Welfare.) In general, your course work and qualifying examination should help you to focus attention and clarify plans for your dissertation.

Some of the instruction in the School is organized in small seminars or individual tutorials. Instruction in individual tutorials is particularly important in preparing the bibliographies, research papers, and the dissertation prospectus required for your qualifying examination. You are encouraged to select courses from the rich and varied offerings in other departments of the University.

Required Courses

First Year: Fall
PH 142A - Introduction to Probability & Statistics in Biology & Public Health		4 units	Enroll for a letter grade
SW 279 - History and Philosophy of Social Welfare		2 units	Enroll for a letter grade
*SW 285A - Introduction to Statistics for Social Welfare		1 unit	Enroll for a letter grade
SW 287 Introduction to Library Resources and Faculty Research		2 units	Enroll S/U
First Year: Spring
PH 142B - Introduction to Probability & Statistics in Biology & Public Health		4 units	Enroll for a letter grade
*SW 285B - Introduction to Statistics for Social Welfare		1 unit	Enroll for a letter grade
SW 289A - Doctoral Research Methods and Techniques in Social Welfare		2 units	Enroll for a letter grade

Second Year
SW 286 - Statistical Analysis Using the Computer (Meets for half of the semester only.) Students may choose to take this course more than once to allow more of an opportunity to work on their own data.		1 unit	Enroll S/U
SW 289C - Introduction to Regression (or a substitute Regression course from another department, see Attachment X). Fall semester.		3 units	Enroll for a letter grade
Additional Elective Research Course: (This is required before you take your qualifying examination.) While it is usually taken in your second year, a qualitative research elective may be taken in your first year before completion of your statistics sequence. A list of courses approved as research electives appears in Attachment II. You may request approval of a course not on the list by bringing a syllabus to the Doctoral Assistant for submission to the Doctoral Committee.			Enroll for a letter grade
Theoretical Social Science Course Work: Students are required to enroll in at least one course in social science theory (see Attachment XI). Students may use 296 units (independent study) in their theory area but are encouraged to take additional theory courses.			Enroll for a letter grade
SW 295 - Dissertation/Integrative Seminar - This is generally taken after you have completed your required research courses and statistics courses (or in conjunction with them). It is designed to give you feedback as you prepare your dissertation prospectus or proceed with your own dissertation research and to address any relevant areas of research methodology not covered in your previous study. It may be repeated for credit.		2 units	Enroll for a letter grade

*During the 2000-2001 academic year SW 285 A & B will not be offered. Doctoral students enrolled in PH 142A/B will enroll in a special discussion section for Social Welfare students only.

Exemptions from Required Courses. A subcommittee of the Doctoral Committee reviews all requests for substitutions for or exemptions from required courses. You repeat a failed course by auditing it the following year and passing the exam, or by taking an equivalent course within the University approved by the Doctoral Committee.

Credit for Graduate Student Researcher or Instructor (GSR/GSI) Positions. Non-academic units on your transcript for GSI and GSR positions are earned by enrolling in SW 301: Training in Teaching or SW 403: Training in Research as follows:

SW 301 or 403 units	2 units	3 units	4 units
GSI sections taught:	1 (25% time)	2/same course (50% time)	2/different course (50% time)
GSR hours per week:	6-10	11-15	16-20

Students employed as a GSR or GSI must enroll in 8 academic units per term for their first two years, regardless of the number of non-academic units earned. Other students must enroll in a program of 12 academic units during their first two years.

After the first two years, a GSR or GSI must carry a minimum of 8 units per semester in 100, 200, 300, or 400 series courses (this incorporates credit given for the GSR/GSI position(s) – see chart above) as required by the campus to retain your position.

Elective Doctoral Seminars. Elective graduate seminars in the School are offered under the broad course designation SW 298,Group Study for Graduate Students. The topics vary each semester and a list of current seminars is distributed during the advance Tele-Bears enrollment period. If four or more of you are interested in pursuing a particular topic, you may ask a faculty member to consider offering a seminar in this area.

Enrolling in Courses/Fee Payment. Information on Tele-BEARS enrollment procedures and courses available will be placed in your student mailboxes in October (for spring) and April (for fall). A billing statement showing the current balance of your registration fees plus any other outstanding debts will be mailed to your local address.

Incomplete Grades. If your work in a course has been of passing quality but is incomplete due to extenuating circumstances, your instructor may give you a grade of incomplete. In the School of Social Welfare, your instructor must state the reason for the incomplete on the Course Report and inform the Associate Dean of your plans for completing the work. See the Doctoral Assistant regarding the procedure for removing an incomplete once you have completed the work.

There is no deadline for graduate students for the removal of incomplete grades, but all incompletes in required courses must be removed before you apply for the qualifying examination. All incompletes on your record must be removed before you are advanced to candidacy, unless the Head Graduate Adviser states that the course work is neither necessary nor closely related to your degree, and that removal would delay your progress toward completion of the degree.

Independent Study: SW 296 and SW 299. SW 296 units are taken with specific faculty when working on your qualifying examination papers, and bibliographies or on any project undertaken before advancement to candidacy. SW 299 units are taken with specific faculty members after advancement to candidacy for work on your dissertation.

To arrange for an independent study, obtain the appropriate form from the Doctoral Assistant and discuss your proposal with the faculty member with whom you wish to work. The Doctoral Assistant will give you a course control number when you return your signed, completed form to her. Course control numbers for SW 296 and SW 299 change each semester and are not printed in the University Schedule of Classes.)

It is strongly recommended that first year doctoral students take independent study units with faculty to begin to develop their field papers.

In-Progress (IP) Designation in SW 296 and SW 299. In cases where you and your faculty supervisor have agreed on an independent study project, such as a research project that spans two semesters, you may elect to receive an IP grade in the fall; the grade you receive in the spring will then be assigned to these units as well. However, you are encouraged to enroll for a grade, or an S/U, whenever possible. In-progress grades must be arranged in advance, and cannot be given at the end of the term as a substitute for an incomplete. You and the instructor must agree that you will enroll on an IP basis and check this option on the independent study agreement form you file with the Doctoral Assistant at the beginning of the semester.

Intercampus Exchange Program. The Intercampus Exchange Program is designed to allow Berkeley students to study on another University of California campus where unique faculty resources may enrich their graduate program. Participating students pay fees only at Berkeley. If you are interested in this program, discuss it with your faculty adviser and the instructor or adviser at the host campus. Applications are available from the Graduate Division in 302 Sproul. Applications must be completed and returned each semester to the Doctoral Assistant for forwarding to Berkeley's Graduate Division at least three weeks before the first day of instruction of the HOST campus.

Limits on Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Course Work. The Graduate Division stipulates that, with the exception of courses which can only be taken on an S/U basis, no more than one third of your total course work prior to advancement to candidacy be taken S/U. If you elect to take more than one third of your courses in any given semester on an S/U basis, rather than for a letter grade, you should check with the Doctoral Assistant to make certain that your total percentage is still within required limits.