Application Essay

Research Interest & Professional Goals

In this 3-5 page essay, describe your qualifications, experience, research interests and commitment to social and racial justice that make you an ideal candidate for the Ph.D. in Social Work program at Sacred Heart University. Use the following guide to prepare an APA style paper with references.

Qualifications

Discuss your qualifications and readiness for pursuing a Ph.D. in Social Work. Provide examples of your ability in the following areas:

  • academic and prior intellectual and scholarly accomplishments
  • practice experience and interests in working toward racial and social justice
  • teaching, supervising, mentoring in the field of social work or otherwise
  • analytical thinking and communication
  • experience with colleagues and clients of diverse backgrounds and perspectives
  • self-direction, motivation and initiative
  • barriers experienced on your journey
  • personal/professional goals, other relevant life experiences

Research Goals

Describe your research goals (both while in the doctoral program and long-term), the questions you hope to address in your research and how your research is tied to policies and practices toward social and racial justice.

  • Describe your research interests, objectives and plan to conduct doctoral research while in the program
  • Explain how your research priorities demonstrate your commitment to social and racial justice
  • Describe how your practice and life experiences inform your research objectives and how your research will inform practice and/or policy

Professional Development

Discuss how or why the Sacred Heart University Ph.D. in Social Work curriculum appeals to you and your professional goals. Describe how you will engage in and use the coursework in topics such as pedagogy and teaching strategies, grant writing, historical and theoretical contexts, racial justice, etc. for your professional development.

Social & Racial Justice

Review the Sacred Heart University mission and the School of Social Work mission: To prepare social workers—through instruction in integrated social work theory, research, methods, and practice—to identify, dismantle, and resist all forms of social inequality and oppression, particularly issues of racism and its impact on social work practice. We are deeply committed to training social workers to think critically and intervene against cultural, social, political, and economic practices that do not advance human rights, justice, or the dignity and worth of every human being.

Describe in detail how your orientation to social work and your goals for future work are aligned with the missions of the University and the School of Social Work.

Processional Goals

Describe your career plans after you complete your Ph.D.

References

Include reference list in APA style.