I have only one hope for anyone pursuing a PhD in Social Work: make it count. The number of people in the U.S. who have a doctoral degree has doubled since 2000, yet this represents less than 2% of the adult population. The reason is simple: getting a PhD is a major commitment of time, effort, and often, money.
What I mean by make it count is do something with your PhD that you couldn’t do with your MSW whether or not the position itself requires a PhD.
What can you do with a PhD in Social Work? I’ve worked in tenure-track and non-tenure track, teaching vs. research focused, staff and faculty roles. I have several colleagues with PhDs in professional roles outside of academia. Informed by these experiences and connections, here are some ideas and considerations. My goal here is to encourage you to think broadly and creatively about what you can do with your PhD in Social Work. Good luck!