Student Life

We are committed to supporting the success of each PhD student in the program. The campus provides several resources that have been helpful for students. Some of these include: · Health Sciences and Human Services Library (https://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/): The School of Social Work has a designated librarian within the campus library. The SSW librarian is familiar with the topics and interests of social work researchers and offers

individual consultations as well as trainings throughout the year on new and helpful resources for conducting research.

· Academic Coaching: Students have the opportunity to receive 1-on-1 coaching to support their academic goals, increase productivity, create a time management plan, or even support work-life balance. More details are available at: https://www.umaryland.edu/coaching/

· UMB Writing Center: The campus Writing Center offers consultations, writing resources, and trainings to help students polish their written assignments as well as professional papers. See more at: https://www.umaryland.edu/writing/

We are fortunate to have a well-resourced campus office for Educational Support and Disability Services. You can learn more about their services at: https://www.umaryland.edu/disabilityservices/ 

Faculty at the School of Social Work are eager to work with PhD students, especially when there is a shared interest related to a substantive focus, methodological approach, or professional/personal identity. We do not follow an apprenticeship model where admission is based on having a single faculty member agree to work with you. Instead, we hope that you will engage with a number of our faculty across your years in the program and learn different aspects of scholarly work from each of them. In your application to the program, you should identify several faculty that could be helpful to you in advancing your ideas and goals.

As a PhD student, you will receive free membership to the campus fitness center, URecFit (https://www.umaryland.edu/urecfit/). Along with an indoor swimming pool, sport courts, exercise equipment, weight training, and small group classes, you can join intramural sports teams and attend wellness seminars.

All students also have access to the Student Counseling Center (https://www.umaryland.edu/counseling/). We recognize that graduate school can be stressful and PhD students face various challenges in their lives. The Student Counseling Center offers both virtual and in-person individual sessions as well as hosting workshops to learn more about various mental health topics.

Check out the University’s Housing Department’s website . You will find information about on and off campus housing, housing costs, and Baltimore neighborhoods.

We cultivate a collegial environment among our students. Students who enter the program together are considered a cohort and a great source of support to each other. In addition, more advanced students are generous in offering mentoring and advice to incoming students. The program admits only the number of students that can be supported, so students do not have to compete against each other for funding or basic resources.

The University of Maryland, Baltimore and the School of Social Work offers student organizations that would welcome you. At the campus-level, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) represents the interests of all graduate students across campus. This organization advocates with University leadership for student needs and resources, hosts an annual Graduate Research Conference, and provides additional competitive funding opportunities to support conference travel and professional development.

Within the School of Social Work PhD program, all students are encouraged to join or participate in the Social Committee. This organization plans a variety of fun events each year that include family-friendly picnics and outings as well as student-oriented study breaks and social hours. The International Student Association (ISA) supports international students and allies. The ISA hosts a number of events each year, including support group gatherings, cultural celebrations of significant fall and spring holidays, and an international potluck.