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Application Requirements

MSW Program Options TWO-YEAR (On-Campus and Online) The Two-Year Program consists of two academic years (four semesters) of full-time enrollment. Students in the Two-Year Program complete 60 credits and 1,200 hours of practicum learning, spending two days per week in the classroom and three days per week in a practicum placement. In the generalist year, students take foundational courses in social work practice methods, social work research, and psychological and social theory. In the specialized year, students select an area of specialization and field of practice for specialized courses and practicum. Students complete practicum hours during both years of the program. Throughout this program, students choose from a broad range of elective courses to best develop additional expertise in areas such as: family or group interventions, treatment of children, adolescents and young adults, responding to trauma, working with veterans and their families, and nonprofit management. Students leave the program fully prepared for entry into advanced social work practice in their area of choice. 16-MONTH (On-Campus Only) The full-time 16-Month Program starts in the spring term (January) and is not available for fall entry. Students in the 16-Month Program complete the MSW degree requirements in four consecutive terms by continuing full-time through the summer term. Requirements mirror those of the Two-Year Program: 60 credits and 1,200 hours of practicum learning, completed over four consecutive terms of full-time enrollment. ADVANCED STANDING (On-Campus and Online) The Advanced Standing Program is designed for individuals who have earned a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Eligible applicants must have received their BSW degree within the past five years; if the BSW was earned more than five years ago, the applicant must apply for another MSW program option. Advanced Standing students complete their specialized year at Columbia School of Social Work and earn their MSW in one academic year. The program begins with a summer intensive that prepares incoming students to enter CSSW in the fall as specialized year students with advanced courses and specialized practicum. PART-TIME TO FULL-TIME (EXTENDED) (On-Campus and Online) The Part-Time to Full-Time (Extended) Program is a pathway for students who wish to combine part-time and full-time study. The program enables students to complete the coursework and practicum learning requirements in three or four academic years. In the first year, students take courses part-time and are not enrolled in practicum. In the final two years, students complete 1,200 hours of practicum while completing their courseload requirements.

NOTE: Once students begin practicum learning, they are considered full-time students, and must be at their placement site three days per week (21 hours total). Weekend and evening placements are not available. PART-TIME (Online Only) In this pathway, students complete the same amount of coursework and practicum as the Two-Year pathway: 60 credits of coursework and 1,200 hours of practicum. The difference is that they complete fewer credits per term and fewer practicum hours per week, allowing for more time to fulfill the degree requirements. ONE-YEAR RESIDENCY FOR WORKING PROFESSIONALS (REDUCED RESIDENCY) (On-Campus and Online) The One-Year Residency for Working Professionals (Reduced Residency) Program offers students who are currently employed in social services or nonprofit agencies the opportunity to earn the M.S. degree while counting a portion of their employment toward the practicum learning requirement. Students in this program fulfill the same 60-credit degree requirement as other students enrolled in the School, and complete their degree through a combination of part-time and full-time study over a period of no fewer than four terms and no longer than four years. To be eligible for the OYR program, you must have completed two years of full-time, or four years of part-time, direct practice professional experience at the time of application. You must also be able to complete the residency requirement outlined below within your agency. The OYR program is structured into two periods: the pre-residency period (usually two years of part-time enrollment while continuing to work full-time at a social services organization), and the residency period (a year of full-time enrollment). In place of their generalist year practicum learning placement, students enroll in a practicum learning seminar in which they integrate classroom learning with their employment experiences. In their residency year, students complete a 28-hour per week practicum placement at their place of employment, of which 14 hours of their usual employment activities may be counted. The student must also be able to complete 14 separate hours on assignments outside of current work responsibilities with a different supervisor (Practicum Instructor) who has an MSW and is, or will be, SIFI certified (or its equivalent). NOTE: If you are working at an agency that has hosted a Columbia student within the last three years for a practicum learning placement, you may be eligible for a tuition discount. TRANSFER (On-Campus and Online) The Transfer Program is designed for individuals who have already successfully completed a full year (approximately 30 credits) of practicum learning and coursework at another CSWE-accredited graduate school of social work in the United States or Canada. Eligible applicants to the Transfer Program must have completed their credits within the past five years, and these credits and practicum must be equivalent to those offered in the generalist year at CSSW . Students who are accepted into the Transfer Program complete their studies within one year. Students enter the School as a specialized year student and follow the specialized year course of study in their specialization area and field of practice. FIVE-TERM INTERNATIONAL (On-Campus Only) The International Students Program is the pathway for international students who are unfamiliar with the U.S. social welfare system and who speak English as an additional language. The program requires five terms of enrollment; the “extra” term is in the summer between the first and second years. Students enroll in a Professional Immersion Seminar during the first (fall) term and begin practicum and the corresponding practice courses in the subsequent spring term. Students continue with their practicum learning placement and courses during the summer term (late May through the end of July or early August).  

General Application Requirements Applicants must submit all materials directly to the Office of Admissions; items submitted through an agent or third-party vendor are not accepted. The following are exceptions to this policy: submissions by the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright Program and its three partner agencies (IIE, LASPAU, and AMIDEAST); submissions by the Danish-American Fulbright Commission (DAF); submissions by Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD). Additionally, the applicant will be required to attest to the accuracy and authenticity of all information and documents submitted to Columbia. Questions about this requirement may be directed to the Office of Admissions at [email protected] . CSSW requires that the work contained in your application (including essays) is completely accurate and exclusively your own. CSSW permits the use of generative AI tools for idea generation and/or to edit a candidate’s work; however, using these tools to generate complete responses violates the Student Code of Conduct . Failure to submit complete, accurate, and authentic application documents consistent with these instructions may result in denial or revocation of admission, cancellation of academic credit, suspension, expulsion, or eventual revocation of degree. Applicants may be required to assist admissions staff and faculty involved in admission reviews in the verification of all documents and statements made in documents submitted by students as part of the application review process. All applicants to the Master of Science in Social Work program are required to submit the following: Application Fee The $75 application fee is required upon submission of the application. Application fee waivers are granted to alumni of AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Teach for America, McNair Scholars, Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), and Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and to veterans of the U.S. armed forces. Fee waivers are also granted to applicants who are experiencing financial hardship. To request an application fee waiver, applicants should submit their request via the  Application Fee Waiver Request Form after creating an online application . Applicants must be prepared to submit an official document confirming participation in the appropriate program. The fee waiver must be requested prior to submitting the application and application fee. Applicants should not submit an application fee if they fall into one of these categories. All submitted fees are non-refundable. Please submit the application fee waiver request at least a week or two prior to the application deadline to allow for sufficient processing time. Resume and Professional Experience Submit a detailed current resume that lists paid work and volunteer experience separately, starting with the current or most recent position. Resumes should indicate whether each experience was full-time or part-time, paid or unpaid, and the nature of the client population served, if applicable. Part-time experience should also indicate the weekly hours worked. Be sure to use month/year to indicate the beginning and end dates for all activities included. The resume may be longer than one page. The resume should include:

Columbia University

School of social work.

Since its inception in 1950, the doctoral program at Columbia University School of Social Work has been at the forefront in preparing social work leaders to tackle the most challenging problems facing the profession. Doctoral students enter our program asking probing questions about the myriad of challenges and concerns facing vulnerable populations and the social workers who work with them, and they graduate well equipped to take on leadership in finding the answers that will advance the profession into the future. Doctoral students enjoy opportunities to learn from and conduct research side-by-side with nationally and internationally recognized scholars in their fields and not only within the School of Social Work, but beyond in the other social and behavioral sciences departments at Columbia as well. This interdisciplinary exposure within the program balances the best of social work’s professional concerns for highly complicated social problems, along with the state-of-the-science disciplinary methods and theory that can help shed light in devising effective responses. Only a world-class university like Columbia can put at one's fingertips such a rich selection of educational resources, research centers, collegial and interdisciplinary opportunities, combined with the unparalleled teeming social laboratory that is New York City.

• Where: New York City, New York
• Type: Private, Non-Profit
• Degree Offered: PhD in Social Work
• Program Type: In-Person Program Only
• Students: Full-time Enrollment Only
• Average Enrolled Students Yearly: 6-8 Students
• GRE Requirement: Yes
• TOEFL Requirement: Yes, with a cut-off score
• MSW Requirement: Yes, MSW or other master's degree required
• Two Years Post-MSW Experience Required: No
• Joint MSW/PhD Program: No

Substantive Research Areas of Faculty

• Addiction/Substance Use
• Adolescent and Youth Development
• Aging/Gerontology
• Child Welfare
• Children & Families
• Community Practice/Macro Practice
• Corrections/Criminal Justice/Restorative Justice
• Family Violence
• Housing/Homelessness
• Immigrants, Refugees & Displaced Persons
• International Social Work & Global Development
• LGBT Issues & Services
• Mental Health
• Organizations, Management & Administration
• Poverty/Disadvantaged Populations
• Race and Ethnicity
• School Social Work
• Social/Economic Justice
• Social Welfare Policy
• Social Work Education
• Social Work Practice
• Work/Family/Family Policy

For more information visit Columbia University .

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Pamela Paul

What Is Happening at the Columbia School of Social Work?

By Pamela Paul

Opinion Columnist

During orientation at the Columbia School of Social Work at Columbia University, the country’s oldest graduate program for aspiring social workers, students are given a glossary with “100+ common terms you may see or hear used in class, during discussions and at your field placements.”

Among the A’s: “agent and target of oppression” (“members of the dominant social groups privileged by birth or acquisition, who consciously or unconsciously abuse power against the members or targets of oppressed groups”) and “Ashkenormativity” (“a system of oppression that favors white Jewish folx, based on the assumption that all Jewish folx are Ashkenazi, or from Western Europe”).

The C’s define “capitalism” as “a system of economic oppression based on class, private property, competition and individual profit. See also: carceral system, class, inequality, racism.” “Colonization” is “a system of oppression based on invasion and control that results in institutionalized inequality between the colonizer and the colonized. See also: Eurocentric, genocide, Indigeneity, oppression.”

These aren’t the definitions you’d find in Webster’s dictionary, and until recently they would not have been much help in getting a master’s in social work at an Ivy League university. They reflect a shift not just at Columbia but in the field of social work, in which the social justice framework that has pervaded much of academia has affected the approach of top schools and the practice of social work itself.

Will radicalized social workers be providing service not just based on the needs of their clients but also to advance their political beliefs and assess clients based on their race or ethnicity?

When a student group, Columbia Social Workers 4 Palestine, announced a teach-in about “the significance of the Palestinian counteroffensive on Oct. 7 and the centrality of revolutionary violence to anti-imperialism,” Mijal Bitton, a Jewish spiritual leader, asked on X , “Imagine receiving services from a Columbia-educated social worker who believes burning families, killing babies, and gang-raping women is a ‘counteroffensive’ and ‘revolutionary violence [central] to anti-imperialism.’” Administrators barred the event from the school, but organizers held it in the lobby on Wednesday. Ariana Pinsker-Lehrer, a first-year student, set the protesters straight . “You’re studying to be social workers,” she told the group, “do better.”

Since the time of the pioneering activist and reformer Jane Addams, social work has been guided by a sense of mission. Social workers, who are the most common providers of mental health care, as well as the people who carry out social service programs, help the country’s neediest people. Whether social workers are caseworkers in government agencies or — as is the case with most Columbia graduates, I was told — therapists or counselors in private practice, their clients are often the elderly, the poor, veterans, homeless people, people with substance abuse issues and domestic violence survivors.

According to the National Association of Social Workers, “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet basic and complex needs of all people, with a particular focus on those who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty.”

Other leading schools, like the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice at the University of Chicago and the School of Social Work at the University of Michigan, have embraced social justice goals but without as sharp an ideological expression as Columbia.

The Columbia School of Social Work updated its mission statement in 2022 to say that its purpose is “to interrogate racism and other systems of oppression standing in the way of social equity and justice and to foster social work education, practice and research that strengthen and expand the opportunities, resources and capabilities of all persons to achieve their full potential and well-being.” What was once its central mission — to enhance the world of social work — now follows an emphatic political statement.

Melissa Begg, the dean of the Columbia School of Social Work, said that while the school’s mission has always been about social justice and “equitable access,” its mission has evolved because “racism is part of the country.” The school, she explained, is trying to build an awareness of and give students the tools they need to address a diverse range of needs. As she put it, “If you think of slavery as the original sin of the United States, it makes sense to center that reality as part of the school’s mission.”

In 2017 the Columbia social work school introduced a framework around power, race, oppression and privilege, which the school called PROP. This began as a formal course for all first-year students to create what Begg referred to as “self-awareness.” In subsequent years, the PROP framework was applied to the entire curriculum of the school, and the PROP class became a required course called Foundations of Social Work Practice: Decolonizing Social Work.

According to the course’s current syllabus, work “will be centered on an anti-Black racism framework” and “will also involve examinations of the intersectionality of issues concerning L.B.G.T.Q.I.A.+ rights, Indigenous people/First Nations people and land rights, Latinx representation, xenophobia, Islamophobia, undocumented immigrants, Japanese internment camps, indigent white communities (Appalachia) and antisemitism with particular attention given to the influence of anti-Black racism on all previously mentioned systems.”

As part of their coursework, students are required to give a presentation in which they share part of their “personal process of understanding anti-Black racism, intersectionality and uprooting systems of oppression.” They are asked to explain their presentation “as it relates to decolonizing social work, healing, critical self-awareness and self-reflection.” Teachings include “The Enduring, Invisible and Ubiquitous Centrality of Whiteness,” “Why People of Color Need Spaces Without White People” and “What It Means to Be a Revolutionary,” a 1972 speech by Angela Davis.

This decolonization framework, in which people are either oppressor or oppressed, often viewed through the prism of American ideas around race, is by no means exclusive to the Columbia School of Social Work. But its application in the program illustrates the effects of the current radicalism on campus and the ways in which those ideals can shift an entire field of practice .

Addressing race should be an important part of a social worker’s education, as it is in many social sciences. The history and practice of psychotherapy, related to social work, was long infected with insidious and harmful ideas around race , which were often tightly bound to the eugenics movement and characterized African Americans and other minorities as mentally deficient and childlike; current practitioners are by no means immune to racism themselves.

Caregivers need to be sensitive to the effects of racism and other biases on their clients’ health and well-being. But professional organizations have become much more dogmatic about those concerns in ways that endanger the effectiveness of social work.

The National Association of Social Workers now stipulates that “antiracism and other facets of diversity, equity and inclusion must be a focal point for everyone within social work.” In October, Thema S. Bryant, the 2023 president of the American Psychological Association, published a column titled “ Psychologists Must Embrace Decolonial Psychology .” In it she wrote, “Decolonial psychology asks us to consider not just the life history of the individual we are working with but also the history of the various collective groups they are a part of, whether that is their nationality, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion or disability.” The profession, she explained, needed to include a range of goals, from appreciating “Indigenous science” to shaping “systems and institutions” in addition to individuals and families.

Psychotherapy already carries a certain amount of political or ideological bias. A number of recent surveys have shown that mental health practitioners, including social workers, tend to be overwhelmingly liberal, progressive or socialist, according to a new book, “ Ideological and Political Bias in Psychology ,” edited by Craig L. Frisby, Richard E. Redding, William T. O’Donohue and Scott O. Lilienfeld.

“Until roughly five years ago, people seeking mental health care could expect their therapists to keep politics out of the office,” Sally Satel, a practicing psychotherapist and the author of “PC, M.D.: How Political Correctness Is Corrupting Medicine,” wrote in 2021 . “Mental health professionals — mainly counselors and therapists — are increasingly replacing evidence-driven therapeutics with ideologically motivated practice and activism.”

“White patients, for instance, are told that their distress stems from their subjugation of others,” Satel wrote, “while Black and minority patients are told that their problems stem from being oppressed.”

Take counseling, which is similar to social work in its focus on mental health but ostensibly focuses more on individual therapy and less on navigating support systems , for example, obtaining assistance from public agencies. The code of ethics adopted by the American Counseling Association in 2014 states that “counselors are aware of — and avoid imposing — their own values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. Counselors respect the diversity of clients, trainees and research participants and seek training in areas in which they are at risk of imposing their values onto clients, especially when the counselor’s values are inconsistent with the client’s goals or are discriminatory in nature.” But the next year, the association’s governing council endorsed guidelines on “ multicultural and social justice counseling ” that stipulate “social justice advocacy” and divide clients and providers into “privileged” and “marginalized” categories meant to guide professional engagement.

Therapists are supposed to be able to listen and not be judgmental about feelings and ideas that are taboo, Andrew Hartz, a New York-based psychologist, told me. It’s not helpful for patients to feel judged by their practitioner: “Even if the goal is to make the patient less racist, it’s not effective.”

This past summer, Hartz founded the Open Therapy Institute to provide training without ideology so neither clients nor therapists would feel judged for their beliefs. “I was trained in the city and in city hospitals, so I saw mostly nonwhite patients,” he said. If he had used the current decolonization framework or categorized his patients by ethnicity and race, he explained, it would have distracted him from being an effective resource. “I’m trying to think about ‘What are they feeling and how can I help them?’ Not ‘I’m an oppressor, and they’re a victim,’ and so I’m walking on eggshells. That’s not going to be good therapy.”

Social workers help a broad range of populations, one in which race and systems of oppression often play less of a central role than individual counseling and support in navigating complicated social service systems — Syrian refugees in need of resettlement and Appalachian residents navigating health care insurance, foster children, survivors of domestic violence, teenagers grappling with substance abuse and poverty. They work with military veterans, victims of natural disasters, police officers suffering from workplace stress and the elderly. The job requires long hours dealing with populations that others have largely written off — the homeless, the formerly incarcerated, the infirm.

Like many helping professions — nursing, elder care, teaching — social work is not only one of the noblest vocations; it’s also one of the least remunerative. While the two-year residential program at the Columbia School of Social Work costs an estimated total of $91,748 a year with room and board, the median annual salary for its 2021 graduates, per a 2022 survey, was $62,000 . (The school does not provide full information on how many students receive financial aid.)

Many students go to social work school because it’s often a less expensive route to becoming a psychotherapist in private practice, which many do as a licensed clinical social worker. It’s less expensive and faster than getting a doctorate in psychology or psychiatry. It’s also hard to pay off those student loans working in a governmental agency. More students are entering private practice, Begg acknowledged, as did everyone else associated with the school; several characterized it as an overwhelming majority.

The intention of the current curriculum at the Columbia School of Social Work, Begg emphasized to me, is to prepare social workers for hard work, not to shut out prospective students with any kind of ideological litmus test. The glossary of terms handed out at orientation, she said, was created by students for students and was not a “public-facing document.” She wanted to “make a clear bright line between our curriculum and our glossary.”

It’s supposed to be used “internally by our community within the context of a conversation” and as a “jumping-off point for conversation” for students to “expand their horizons.”

That noble intention may not be matched in practice.

Social work education has always been tied to social justice, said Amy Werman, who graduated from the Columbia School of Social Work in 1982 and has been teaching clinical and research courses there since 2009, full time since 2015.

But in the past few years, she said, the student body has become more radical. “Many students see themselves as social justice warriors, and protesting is the litmus test of being a real social worker,” she told me. She said she couldn’t remember a single protest at the school when she was a student. “Now,” she said, “I feel it’s a rite of passage.”

On Nov. 8, about a month after Hamas slaughtered about 1,200 people in Israel, dozens of students occupied the school’s lobby, banging on drums and yelling “Intifada! Intifada!” from 10:30 a.m. until early evening. Several Jewish students told Werman they didn’t feel safe. Students I spoke with said they thought that the blatantly political slant of the PROP curriculum encouraged the radical tenor of recent student activism.

“I lead with my Jewish identity and my identity as a woman, my subjugated identities,” said Werman, who discusses in orientation and in class her experience in Israel providing social services to Bedouins, Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews, even after students have complained about her discussion of Israel in their evaluations of her.

“When Jews speak up in our school,” she said, “they are met with, ‘You have white privilege, so shut up. You are a colonizer. You are an oppressor. You are responsible for the deaths of innocent Palestinians.’”

When Asaf Eyal, a 2017 graduate of the school and now the director of a major New York City human services organization, arrived on campus, he said, he was bombarded immediately with messages from both the curriculum and from fellow students about his privilege as a white colonizer.

During the school’s required class in power, race, oppression and privilege (an earlier rendition of the course on decolonizing social work), Eyal, a former combat soldier from Israel, was shown videos of Israeli soldiers in which they were labeled the oppressor. In classroom lessons, the oppressed, he said, were always Black people. “Do you know there are Black Israelis, Black Jews?” Eyal, who had worked with Ethiopian Jews, asked his classmates.

“The school is infected with a political agenda that should not be in place, especially on Day 1,” Eyal told me.

Now, he said, he questions the education he got there. “I don’t come into my shelter every day and think about who is the oppressed,” he told me. “I think about helping people.” In October, after four years volunteering on behalf of the school, Eyal resigned from his role overseeing fieldwork assignments.

“Is this a school of social work or an indoctrination agency for extreme ideology?” Eyal said. “We’re missing the purpose. It’s not our purpose.”

Source images by 5second and Image Source/Getty Images

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Social Work

The aim of the Social Work Department at NYSPI is to provide individuals and families the most effective, modern, and compassionate psychosocial treatments, while at the same time advance scientific knowledge about the dimensions of mental disorders and their interventions. The episodic and ambiguous nature of psychiatric illness and its often bleak prognosis—accompanied by stigma—imposes inordinate stressors on the family of an individual with a mental illness. The Social Work Department at NYSPI is committed to delivering quality care while striving to improve existing services for our patients and their families.

M.S.W. Intern Training Program

Under the direction of Elizabeth Golden, LCSW, the Social Work Training Program continues to be a highly regarded and eagerly sought-out training program for second-year masters-level social work interns. Interns are trained in clinical practice, research, program planning, and social policy. The department at NYSPI serves as a field placement site for Columbia University School of Social Work, The New York University (Silver) School of Social Work, and Hunter College School of Social Work. Our department continues to be a field placement site for an OMH initiative, which trains clinicians in Evidence-Based Social Work Practices. Five of our interns participate in this fellowship program. Evidence-based wellness groups are run by social work interns on the Washington Heights Community Service, and the Children’s Day Unit.

In addition, educational opportunities include Grand Rounds, Case Conferences, and a weekly social work intern seminar which focuses on diagnosis, treatment, theory, and program planning. There is an opportunity for placement during the academic year (September through May) as well as an option for an early start in June, for an internship that runs from the summer through the following May. It is important to note that we only take interns from graduate-level social work programs.

Our interns can be placed on one of the following services, and are expected to perform the duties of Social Workers on each of these units, as described below:

Washington Heights Community Service

Washington Heights Community Service (WHCS) is comprised of an inpatient unit and three outpatient clinics: Audubon, Inwood, and in affiliation with The Center for Practice Innovation, (CPI) OnTrack NY.

The role of the social worker on the WHCS inpatient unit is 1) to evaluate the patient and their family to determine psychosocial stressors that may have contributed to the need for hospitalization 2) to provide psychoeducation to the patient and family with respect to all aspects of the patient's illness 3) to provide discharge planning and 4) to coordinate provision of concrete services when necessary 5) to develop recovery-focused treatment and disposition plans. Patients are seen daily whereas families are seen at least weekly.

Social workers in the WHCS Audubon, Inwood and On-Track NY outpatient clinics function as primary therapists and may also lead therapeutic groups. They are also part of a multidisciplinary team whose focus is to develop a targeted treatment plan, developed by providers and clients, and to carry out this treatment plan. All social workers on the WHCS attend quarterly social work staff meetings at the New York State Psychiatric Institute as well as in-service Social Work Grand Rounds. They are encouraged to attend the weekly Grand Rounds of the New York State Psychiatric Institute and weekly case conferences on the inpatient units.

Eating Disorder Inpatient Unit

The primary responsibilities of the social work team on this unit are individual casework, family therapy and disposition planning. Family therapy includes those people connected to the patient deemed "significant others.” Disposition planning focuses on the needs of the patient after discharge, including outpatient referrals, aftercare services, and other concrete needs. Thorough evaluations and psychosocial assessments are conducted to develop an individualized treatment plan for patients. In addition, social work interns are actively involved in the group therapy program. The social work component is an integral part of the total treatment approach which attempts to maximize patient care services.

General Clinical Research Inpatient Unit (GCRU)

Social workers are highly valued members of the multidisciplinary team and are instrumental in treatment team decision-making from admission to discharge. Social Work interventions include: reaching out to family and providing psychosocial evaluation and family assessment, working with the family by meeting weekly throughout the hospital stay, one-to-one counseling to address clinical issues that emerge in the milieu, an inclusive discharge plan with the input of the treatment and research teams, a comprehensive needs assessment and concrete services, and assisting the patient’s family system through enriching and broadening resources.

The Children’s Day Unit

The social worker and graduate social work intern(s)are active members of a multidisciplinary team that provides services at the Day Unit, serving adolescents who receive intensive psychiatric evaluation and treatment. In addition to providing family assessment and intervention, both social worker and social work interns act as primary therapist for some cases, assuming responsibility for treatment planning and implementation. Planning for discharge is given priority from the time of admission to ensure appropriate after-care once stability is achieved at the Children’s Day Unit. There are also opportunities for interns to become involved in the treatment aspects of research studies.

Other Social Work Education and Training Initiatives

The center for family education and resilience (cfer).

The Center for Family Education and Resilience (CFER) was established in 1997 in collaboration with Columbia University School of Social Work. Although psychosocial research has been ongoing at NYSPI, having a Research Division within the Department of Social Work allowed for the establishment of a focus research agenda as well as the establishment of an infrastructure for ongoing psychosocial research. Headed by Drs. Ellen Lukens and Helle Thorning, CFER functions as an umbrella under which a range of clinical and research initiatives take place. CFER's primary objectives are 1) to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of services focused on the needs of patients and families, 2) to facilitate and strengthen Social Work research on the impact of mental disorders on the self and family and to provide training and education for social workers and social work interns on effective models of intervention.

Clinical Initiatives and Training: Community Awareness through Psychoeducation (CAPE)

CFER faculty includes Dr. Ellen Lukens and Dr. Helle Thorning.  Dr. Lukens continues to provide a comprehensive psychoeducation/wellness management internship that trains social work students at the masters and doctoral level in theory, practice and evaluation using a culturally sensitive lens.  Community Awareness through Psychoeducation (CAPE) groups have been conducted on the Washington Heights Community Service under the supervision of CFER.  The CAPE intervention follows a structured curriculum consisting of 15 modules that cover topics related to wellness, recovery, and self-care, including social support, self-esteem, connection with the environment, anger management, and medication management. Dr. Lukens has recently begun adapting the modules for the adolescent population on the CDU.

Research Training

CFER continues to train master’s level students from Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW), and the Silver School of Social Work at New York University (SSSW) to implement and evaluate evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions for persons with severe mental illness at NYSPI. During the spring of 2020, four masters- level social work students from CSSW and NYU were engaged in CFER projects.  Two CSSW students offered CAPE groups on the WHCS inpatient unit, and the two students from NYU piloted the CAPE groups on the CDU with good response. During the fall of 2020, four masters-level social work students from CSSW were engaged in CFER projects, with three students placed on the WHCS inpatient unit and actively involved in the CAPE project under the weekly group supervision of Ellen Lukens and Mara Eilenberg, LCSW. Peer specialist Johanny Morel from WHCS has also joined the supervision group and is participating actively in the CAPE intervention. The fourth CSSW student was placed at the ACT Institute, under the supervision of Helle Thorning.

Dr. Lukens, in close collaboration with Mara Eilenberg, LCSW, and four MSW interns from Columbia and NYU implemented a clinical pilot to assess the needs of parents and siblings of outpatient and day patient adolescents diagnosed with OCD on the Children’s Day Unit.  Dr. Yamile Marti, Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia School of Social Work (CSSW), worked closely with them on the project, which involved the development of a psychoeducational intervention for parents of youth with OCD.  They are preparing a manuscript for publication in collaboration with several former students.

In 2016 Drs. Lukens and Thorning applied for a grant through the New York Community Trust to support a more detailed exploration of the needs and assists of consumers who are also parents with the goal of documenting need, evaluating policies across behavioral health and child protective services, and developing educational material to enhance ACT providers to deliver services to consumers.   The funding was awarded in March of 2017 and the data collection for the project was completed in the fall of 2017. With the information learned from this data, Drs. Lukens and Thorning developed a blended learning curriculum consisting of three online webinars, a face to face training for ACT family specialists and their team leaders, and the development of five core tools to facilitate the work with ACT participants who are parents.  Brief videos were also developed to introduce and train family specialists in the use of these tools.  Over the course of 2019 the tools were piloted with several ACT teams across the city and were well-received.

Integration of Peers into Clinical Services at NYSPI

A collaboration among the Department of Social Work, the NYSPI Peer Task force and CFER has led to a strategy to integrate peers in the clinical services at NYSPI. Liz Golden and Jean Marie Bradford MD lead the project. The Peer Advocacy Task Force is an initiative founded to meet a New York State mandate to incorporate peers (i.e. Individuals in recovery who have coped with a mental health illness) onto inpatient and outpatient units of the New York State Psychiatric Institute (NYSPI). The first Peer Specialist graduated from Howie the Harp, Peer Training and Advocacy Center (HTH) and was subsequently hired at NYSPI. The goal is to expand the Peer program. We continue to train interns from HTH on a yearly basis. In the future we hope to hire peers for the inpatient and outpatient units/clinics to provide advocacy, entitlement services, and co-lead group therapy and to participate in research-related activities as well.

Liz Golden, LCSW Director of Social Work NYSPI 1051 Riverside Drive New York, N.Y. 10032

[email protected] 646-774-8555

Administrative Assistant: Liliana Saverio [email protected] 646-774-8554

• College of Social Work
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• Colleges and Schools

Ph.D. in Social Work

The PhD Program in the College of Social Work develops scholars who generate and disseminate new knowledge to drive social change and create a more equitable, just, and inclusive society.

Our Graduates are:

• Emerging experts in a self-determined specialized substantive area, making unique contributions to knowledge advancement in the pursuit of social change.
• Skilled in diverse theoretical and methodological approaches, with deep expertise for pursuing the scientific exploration of their specialized substantive area.
• Equipped with the knowledge, skills, and experience to teach the next generation of social work practitioners and scholars
• Productive scholars, with records of scholarly publications, national presentations, and applications for independent research funding

Those who have earned a Master of Social Work degree, have a commitment to social work research, and meet other admissions requirements are eligible to apply through a competitive admissions process.

Through coursework within and outside the college, paid research assistantships, intensive faculty mentoring and dissertation research, each student in the Ph.D. program builds a comprehensive base of knowledge and skill.

Ph.D. Funding

The College of Social Work provides competitive funding packages that may include tuition remission as well as stipends in exchange for research assistantships during the coursework stage of the program. Subsequently, the college works to identify funding resources and opportunities to support each student during the dissertation stage. These opportunities include employment tied to faculty research projects, competitive external fellowships and internal grants, classroom teaching, field instruction or field liaison positions and others.

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

• Graduate School
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• Graduate Degree Programs

Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work (PhD)

Canadian immigration updates.

Applicants to Master’s and Doctoral degrees are not affected by the recently announced cap on study permits. Review more details

Go to programs search

The PhD in Social Work at UBC is a research degree. Built around a small number of common courses, the program draws on the diverse range of courses available across the campus to advance the student's individualized plan of study. Part-time Doctoral Classification is available for domestic students.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

What makes the program unique?

Our students come from around the world and are supervised by faculty with expertise in their particular field of study. No student is admitted without the commitment of a designated supervisor.

UBC is internationally recognized as an institution that values academic excellence, innovation in research, and transformative learning.

Quick Facts

Program enquiries, admission information & requirements, 1) check eligibility, minimum academic requirements.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

• Canada or the United States
• International countries other than the United States

Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

Overall score requirement : 93

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement : 6.5

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

The GRE is not required.

2) Meet Deadlines

September 2025 intake, application open date, canadian applicants, international applicants, deadline explanations.

Deadline to submit online application. No changes can be made to the application after submission.

Deadline to upload scans of official transcripts through the applicant portal in support of a submitted application. Information for accessing the applicant portal will be provided after submitting an online application for admission.

Deadline for the referees identified in the application for admission to submit references. See Letters of Reference for more information.

3) Prepare Application

Transcripts.

All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.

Letters of Reference

A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.

Statement of Interest

Many programs require a statement of interest , sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.

Supervision

Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work (PhD)

Citizenship verification.

Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.

4) Apply Online

All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.

Tuition & Financial Support

Financial support.

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

Program Funding Packages

From September 2024 all full-time students in UBC-Vancouver PhD programs will be provided with a funding package of at least $24,000 for each of the first four years of their PhD. The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships. Please note that many graduate programs provide funding packages that are substantially greater than $24,000 per year. Please check with your prospective graduate program for specific details of the funding provided to its PhD students.

Average Funding

• 8 students received Teaching Assistantships. Average TA funding based on 8 students was $5,177.
• 9 students received Research Assistantships. Average RA funding based on 9 students was $12,743.
• 4 students received Academic Assistantships. Average AA funding based on 4 students was $15,094.
• 12 students received internal awards. Average internal award funding based on 12 students was $12,483.
• 2 students received external awards. Average external award funding based on 2 students was $35,000.

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union .

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans .

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement .

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Career Outcomes

8 students graduated between 2005 and 2013. Of these, career information was obtained for 7 alumni (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016):

Sample Employers in Higher Education

Sample employers outside higher education, sample job titles outside higher education, phd career outcome survey, career options.

Typically our graduates become instructors or professors in other departments or schools of social work, though a number also work in social welfare administration, the policy arena, and social development.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

• Research Supervisors

Advice and insights from UBC Faculty on reaching out to supervisors

These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.

This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.

• Baines, Donna (Social work; Age-Friendly Cities; decent work and good care for older people in residential and home care; impact of neoliberalism on Indigenous social work education; impact of neoliberalism on non-Indigenous social work education)
• Bratiotis, Christiana (Social work; interventions in the context of hoarding; organizational processes involved in hoarding task forces; service utilization)
• Caragata, Lea (Social oppression and marginalization; Counselling, welfare and community services; Social policy; welfare systems; Poverty; labour markets; lone mothers; social policy; youth provisioning)
• Charles, Grant (Psychosocial oncology, intellectual disabilities, family interventions and at risk youth)
• Ibrahim, Mohamed (mental health; addiction among new immigrants and refugees; global mental health)
• Kia, Hannah (LGBTQ2S+ health; LGBTQ2S+ aging; social work and other professional practice with sexual and gender minorities; effective social work practice with trans and gender diverse people; poverty, sexual and mental health issues among diverse LGBTQ2S+ populations)
• Lee, Barbara
• Montgomery, H. Monty
• O'Connor, Deborah (family support to frail or mentally impaired seniors; formal support services, Dementia, the interface between living with dementia, family care, and the use of formal support services)
• Stainton, Timothy (Developmental Disability, Disability, Social Policy, History of Developmental Disability, Philosophy of Welfare)
• Wilson, Tina (Social work; social work and environment; history and philosophy of social work; critical social theories; generational standpoints; Social justice; social work rhetoric)
• Yan, Miu Chung (Issues related to settlement and integration of immigrants and refugees, labour market experience of new generation youth from racial minority immigrant families, and community building roles and functions of neighbourhood-level place-based multiservice organizations )

Doctoral Citations

Sample thesis submissions.

• Reframing adolescent resistance to parents
• The violence of "best interests of the child" : social work in the ruling relations
• Cancer as interruption : exploring the experiences of adolescents who have completed treatment for cancer

Related Programs

Same specialization.

• Master of Social Work (MSW)

Further Information

Specialization.

Social Work provides students with backgrounds in social work, social policy, social development, opportunities for advanced scholarship, and professional growth in the context of research-intensive programs. Students are prepared for university teaching and research (theoretical and applied), including program evaluation. The program can also provide critical components for professional practice in research, policy analysis, and human service management.

UBC Calendar

Program website, faculty overview, academic unit, program identifier, classification, social media channels, supervisor search.

Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form .

Darryl Gray

The decision to study at UBC was always my first choice in academic institutions. This is my own personal opinion, I wanted the opportunity to study and learn research from some of the best minds in the research field. At first, I was not entirely sure on my direction within the area of research at...

UBC is a recognized global leader in Social Work research. As the oldest school in Western Canada, I wanted to pursue a graduate degree at a well-established institution.

Andrea Johnson

UBC is an ideal research training environment. UBC has offered me an intersection of academic scholarship and clinical translation. As a clinician pursuing PhD research training, this was important to me. This intersection has been fostered by my supervisor and I am grateful to be in an academic...

The city and the sea

Take a break from studying with opportunities at your fingertips. Whether you want to settle down in a café or take your research outdoors, we have a place for you.

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Strategic Priorities

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PhD Program

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The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social Work program at UBC Vancouver provides opportunities for advanced scholarship, contributing transformative knowledge through research relevant to social work theory, practice, policy, social development, and administration.

The PhD program is for students with a background in social work, giving them an opportunity for advanced scholarship and professional growth in the context of a research-intensive program.

The program provides critical components for professional practice in research, policy analysis, and human service management.

In addition to making an original contribution to social work knowledge, you will be prepared for university teaching and research (theoretical and applied), including program evaluation.

A research-based dissertation adding to the field’s knowledge base is the capstone of this program.

• Ability to conduct quantitative and qualitative research using a range of paradigms and methods which inform and advance knowledge and its application in the areas of social work
• Leading-edge substantive knowledge of an area of social work (defined by your research interests), including questions in the area that need to be addressed empirically
• Comprehensive understanding of professional, educational and policy issues in social work, with an ability to explicate the implications of research for the social good

Degree Requirements

The PhD program should be completed within a period of six years. It is possible to request a one-year extension to this time limit, but such extensions are not automatic.

Achieving Candidacy

All students are expected to be admitted to candidacy within two years of initial registration and must complete within three years. Exceptions to this can only be granted by the Dean of UBC’s Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

To achieve candidacy, students must:

• Complete all required courses
• Pass their comprehensive examinations
• Have their thesis proposal approved

Course Work Requirements

Students in the program will be required to take at least 18 credits of coursework.

• SOWK 601 Advanced Doctoral Seminar (runs alternate weeks across both terms) (3 credits)
• SOWK 621 Social Theory, Ideology & Ethics (3 credits)
• Elective to be determined in consultation with supervisor (3 credits)
• SOWK 654 Advanced Qualitative Inquiry (3 credits)
• XXX Methods course to be determined in consultation with supervisor (3 credits)

Year 2 (6 credits minimum)

• SOWK 623 Advanced Data Analysis in Social Work (3 credits)
• XXX Theory course in relation to substantive area of study (sometimes a directed study) (3 credits)
• Preparation for comprehensive exams and thesis proposal

Academic Progress

A minimum of 68% (B-) must be achieved in all coursework taken for credit. Where a grade of less than 68% (B-) is obtained in a course and on the recommendation of the PhD Program Chair and the approval of the Dean of UBC’s Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the student may repeat the course for higher standing or take an alternate course.

If the PhD Program Chair does not make such a recommendation, or if the recommendation is not approved by the Dean of UBC’s Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the student will be required to withdraw.

A student who obtains a grade of less than 68% in more than one course can be required to withdraw.

If progress in research is unsatisfactory, a student will be required to withdraw.

The student will be informed of unsatisfactory academic progress in writing before any action regarding withdrawal is taken. In a course that is repeated, both marks will appear on the transcript.

Comprehensive Examinations

The comprehensive examination will take the form of two papers of not more than 7,000 words each.

One paper will focus on theoretical concepts relevant to the student’s proposed field of research, and the second paper will address a substantive topic related to the student’s research, for example, a critical literature review.

The student‘s supervisory committee will determine the specific subjects of each paper.

The student will have 28 days to complete each paper and submit it to their supervisor from the time of receiving the topic.

Both papers will be completed within 82 days at a time agreed upon by the student and their supervisor.

Where the supervisory committee feels it appropriate, students have the option of combining the two papers into a single submission which covers the areas noted above.

In this case, the student would have 56 days to complete with a further 28-day revision period if required.

Comprehensive papers are normally completed within the first two years of the program.

Within 28 days of the final paper submission, the student will undertake an oral defense of the papers to be organized by their research supervisor.

The comprehensive examination is conducted by members of the Supervisory Committee, plus one member who is external to the School and who preferably is a member of UBC's Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The extra member will meet similar eligibility for the Supervisory Committee as laid out in Graduate Studies’ policy.

If either paper is unsuccessful, the student will have a further 28 days to resubmit and defend the paper. Only one resubmission is allowed per paper.

Success of the papers will be determined based on the expectations set out by the committee when assigning the paper.

In general, papers will be expected to show a solid and comprehensive understanding of the relevant literature and an ability to critically analyze the literature presented. Normal scholarly expectations regarding style, presentation and grammatical correctness will also apply.

Upon completion of the defense the supervisor should inform the PhD Chair of the outcome on a Pass/Fail basis. Students who do not satisfactorily defend their comprehensive paper upon the second attempt will be required to withdraw from the program.

Thesis Proposal Evaluation

An examining panel will determine whether the proposal:

Proposal is:

• shows sufficient knowledge of the literature and methodological issue
• is feasible
• provides the basis for a dissertation which is original and scholarly

Requires deferral for revision

• generally acceptable but requires refinement in one or more of the above areas in order to be approved

Is to be rejected

Proposal is rejected due to one or more of the following:

• does not demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the relevant literature
• is methodologically unsound
• is not feasible
• does not provide the basis for a dissertation which is original and scholarly

In all cases the student will be provided with oral and written feedback from their research supervisor identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal, any advice the panel may have, and what is required of the student to successfully complete the proposal phase.

In the case of a rejected proposal a substantially revised proposal must be submitted addressing the areas indicated by the panel.

In the case of a deferred proposal, the panel will determine if a further examination is required or if the supervisor can approve the required changes alone. If rejected, a full defense of the new proposal will be required.

Students will be permitted two attempts to successfully defend their proposal. Students who fail to successfully complete the proposal defense within the required timeframe will be required to withdraw from the program. In exceptional circumstances, the Chair of the program can approve a third defense upon advice of the supervisory committee.

Today In History: April Fool's Day

I had rather a fool to make me merry than experience to make me sad.

-- Act V, The Open Forest as Before. As You Like It , by William Shakespeare

For centuries people have been telling small jokes and playing pranks, but in fact no one really knows how April Fools' Day originated.  Some trace it back to Renaissance Europe, in particular, to a poem written in 1508 by Eloy D’Amerval, Le Livre de Deablerie ( The Book of Devilry ); it references the "poisson d'avril", now known as the person who is duped on April 1st.  In France, it is common for children to pin a paper fish on the back of an unwitting friend. In Scotland, the day is known as Gowkie Day, referring to the cuckoo which symbolizes a fool -- usually a cuckold.  In Shakespearean literature, our most beloved fools entertain the royalty or nobles -- with great license to speak with truth and wisdom; enter Touchstone ( As You Like It ), Feste ( Twelth Night ), Trinculo ( The Tempest ), and the Fool ( King Lear ).  Some think April Fools' Day dates back to ancient Rome, with the raucous festival of Hilaria celebrating the love and death of Cybele and Attis -- or the Holi festival in India and Nepal, where participants throw colored water and powders on one another -- their actions meant to symbolize deviance from typical societal norms and rankings. Whatever the history, today in history, we wish to lighten your step, and let you know that sometimes it's okay not to know -- also let your imagination (aided by a little research) come to its own conclusions.

The following articles are drawn from   Proquest Historical Newspapers , which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• This Week in History: April Fools' Day . (1925, Apr 04). T he Chicago Defender (National Edition) (1921-1967) 
• Abrahams, A. (1968, Mar 29). Maybe Ol' Noah: Who Started This Fools' Day Stuff? The Austin Statesman (1921-1973)  
• Abrahams, A. (1968, Mar 28). April Fools' Day: A Question of Origin and Purpose . The Sun (1837-)  
• April Firsters--Foolers and Fooled . (1969, Apr 01). The Christian Science Monitor (1908-)  
• Metcalf, S. (1986, Mar 27). Th'he Jokke's OOn Yo'ou: April Fools' Day Wanes, but Mischief Lingers . The Hartford Courant (1923-) 
• Diamant, A. (1990, Apr 01). Just Fooling . Boston Globe (1960-)  
• Holmstrom, D. (1996, Apr 01). Don't Believe All You Read Today . The Christian Science Monitor (1908-)  
• Fooled Ya! (2001, Apr 02). The Times of India (1861-2010)  
• McCann, F. (2008, Apr 01). Only a Fool Would Fall for That: Fabrications, Fibs and Falsehoods- It's All in a Day's Work for Journalists Desperate to Dupe All Those Unwary Readers on a Day Like Today . The Irish Times (1921-) 
• Kurczy, S. (2010, Apr 01). April Fools' Day History? Be Wary of Those Who Say They Know: April Fools' Day History Is Murky and Nobody Knows Its Origins. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 

• Cusick, Richie Tankersley.  April Fools . First edition. New York, NY: Open Road Integrated Media, Inc., 2014. e-book
• Franklin, Benjamin.  Poor Richard’s Almanack. By Benjamin Franklin (Richard Saunders, Philomath). Selections from the Prefaces, Apothegms, and Rimes, with a Facsimile in Reduction of the Almanack for 1733. Ed. by Benjamin E. Smith . No place, unknown, or undetermined: The Century Co. 1902, 1902. e-book
• Jones, Theodore (Theodore Francis).  April Fools’ Day : What a Joke!   New York, NY: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2016. e-book
• Kroll, Steven., and Jeni. Bassett.  It’s April Fool’s Day!  First edition. New York: Holiday House, 1990.   Juvenile   ;   PZ7.K9225 Irs 1990

• Me Watching Fishes from a Boat , by Anuja Vasa, from  Children's Art of India , Courtesy of Teachers College, Columbia University.
• Poster Image:  April Fools Day , Courtesy Canva.
• Holi-Festival of Colors , n.d.,  f rom Children's Art of India , Courtesy of Teachers College, Columbia University.

Need to keep current, look to the past, teach a topic? The Everett Cafe features daily postings of  news  from around the world, and also promotes awareness of historical events from an educational context. Be sure to check additional  Cafe News  postings on the library blog.

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