Free Tool · 115 Verified Programs
Social Work Doctorate Program Matcher
Which DSW or PhD Program Fits You?
The right program matches the degree you need, how much campus time you can manage, the focus you want and what you can pay. Set your answers below and the matcher sorts the 38 DSW and practice doctorates and 77 PhDs on this site, with the reasons each one made your list.
How the Program Matcher Ranks Programs
Every program in the matcher comes from the school's own pages, checked in October 2026: degree, formats, residency requirements, part-time plans, credits, focus areas, published tuition, funding and the experience each program asks for. CSWE status for DSW programs comes only from CSWE's directory. Must-haves remove programs; your format, focus and home state add points; and ties go to the lower estimated tuition, so the most affordable fits rise to the top.
Funded PhD programs count as within any budget, because the school covers tuition. A DSW with no published per-credit rate stays in your list when you set a budget but sits below the priced programs, with the school's published rate shown where it has one.
Which Answers Narrow the List Most
- Degree. The DSW and the PhD lead to different work. If you haven't decided, try the DSW or PhD chooser first, or read DSW vs PhD in social work.
- Campus time. Most online DSWs still ask for a residency or two. "No required campus visits" is the strictest answer you can give.
- Funding. 46 PhDs state full funding. The fully funded PhD list ranks the published stipends.
- Budget. The DSW cost and loan calculator turns any match into a total cost, loan coverage and monthly payment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does the Program Matcher Choose Programs?
It checks your answers against the 115 DSW and PhD in social work programs on this site. Must-haves (the degree, part-time study, a residency limit, a funded PhD, a budget, and the format if you mark it as a must-have) remove programs that don't meet them. Format, focus and home state add points, and ties go to the lower estimated tuition.
Why Do Some Programs Show No Estimated Tuition?
19 of the 38 DSW and practice doctorates publish a per-credit rate and the credits needed, which is what an estimate takes. Others publish tuition per term or per year, which the matcher shows in the school's words. The matcher never guesses a price.
What Counts as a Funded PhD?
A PhD whose own pages say it covers tuition and pays a stipend or an assistantship for admitted students. 46 of the 77 PhD programs here say so. Choose "Funded PhD only" and every PhD in your results will be one of them.
How Does the Residency Answer Work?
Online doctorates often still ask you to travel for short residencies or intensives. The matcher reads each program's residency description: choosing no campus visits leaves out programs that describe in-person residencies or weekly campus classes, and choosing residencies without weekly classes leaves out programs taught on campus. Each result quotes the school's own description.
Are Sponsored Programs Part of the Results?
No. Matches come only from the verified program records on this site. Sponsored listings appear separately and are labeled as ads.
Sources
- Official program pages of each school, reviewed October 2026
- CSWE, accredited program directory (practice doctorates), captured September 30, 2026