ABSTRACT
Jeanne W. Anastas. (2012). Doctoral Education in Social Work. New York, NY: Oxford University Press (271 pp., $36.00, paperback, ISBN# 978-0-19537806-1).
Quality doctoral education is critical to the intellectual health and growth of the evidence-based foundations of the social work profession. Most social work doctorates are research focused but, unlike the MSW and BSW practice degrees, lack formal accreditation. Thus, quality control remains the sole prerogative of individual programs and their host universities. Although the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE) sponsors an annual meeting of doctoral program directors and publishes some important documents on doctoral education, it has no regulatory authority and membership in GADE is voluntary. Meanwhile, the Council on Social Work Education, the group with actual monitoring influence and accreditation authority in social work education, focuses largely on BSW and MSW programs. Moreover, in contrast to the humanities, social work programs graduate fewer PhDs than there are available faculty positions. Clearly doctoral education in American social work has significant lacunae.
