Candidates seeking to enrol for a Doctor of Philosophy (social work by research) should have the following qualifications:

• a good Master's degree in social work; or
• an NUS Honours degree (at least Distinction / Second Class Upper Division) or equivalent (e.g. a four-year Bachelor's degree with an average grade above B) in social work, subject to approval by the Faculty, on a case-by-case basis;
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE), where applicable.

All applicants* must submit GRE test report. Candidates have to obtain an aggregate minimum score of 320 for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning sections and a minimum score of 3.5 for the Analytical section.

The GRE Board policy states that scores are reportable for five years and score reports are valid only if our University receives them directly from Educational Testing Service. The University Code is 0677.

*Applicants with an excellent academic track record from renowned universities may request a waiver of this requirement by uploading a note in the "Documents Upload" section, providing reasons for waiver.

• TOEFL/IELTS, where applicable.

Applicants whose native tongue and medium of university instruction is not in English should submit the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score as evidence of their proficiency in the English language.

TOEFL and IELTS are only valid for two years after the test and the validity should not expire before the beginning of the application period for the research programme. The Faculty's TOEFL institution code is 9081.

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has indicated that score reports are valid only if our University receives them directly from ETS.

General Information

Please refer to https://fass.nus.edu.sg/prospective-students/graduate/research/application-information/ for general information on application periods, application materials and fees.

To successfully graduate with a PhD, students are expected to achieve the following:

• Complete and pass 6 courses (at least 75 % of the total unit requirements must be at level 5000 or 6000, including an essential course SW6770)
• Compulsory course NG5001 Academic Communication for Postgraduate Researchers
• Pass a PhD Qualifying Examination
• Submit and pass a Thesis
• Pass an Oral Examination
• Obtain a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.50
• Where applicable, obtain a satisfactory grade in the graduate English course at advanced level

For more information on the programme requirements, please click here.