Doctoral Program

How people use healthcare services is often complex, particularly when it comes to the interplay of many biopsychosocial factors.

Beren Crim Sabuncu, a doctoral candidate with the FSU College of Social Work, was awarded a 2026 Doctoral Student Research and Creativity Award in the Social and Behavioral Science disciplinary category at Florida State University. The FSU Celebration of Graduate Student Excellence event brought together many fellowship, grant, and award winners from across campus in April 2026.

Sanoop Valappanandi, a doctoral candidate in the FSU College of Social Work, was awarded a fellowship from the Grand Challenges of Social Work program this spring.

Two doctoral students from the Florida State University College of Social Work, Oluwaseun "Jay" Jegede and Ngondwe "Pons" Ponsiano, received highly competitive 2026 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Travel Awards to support their participation in the annual conference held in January 2026. Each year, SSWR awards a limited number of travel stipends to doctoral students nationwide selected as presenting authors at the conference.

The FSU College of Social Work (FSU CSW) participated in the 2026 Society for Social Work and Research Conference in Washington, DC.

The College of Social Work is thrilled to welcome the newest cohort of doctoral students. Each doctoral student joins the university community with a unique background and sense of purpose to further advance social work scholarship and the people the field of social work serves.

In light of the recent tragedy at the FSU Student Union, the College of Social Work relocated its Spring 2025 Graduation Event to Opperman Music Hall in the College of Music’s Kuersteiner Building. The event welcomed spring 2025 graduates and their guests, celebrating 51 BSW, 141 MSW and two doctoral graduates.

Ngondwe Ponsiano, or Pons as he also likes to be called, a doctoral student at the FSU College of Social Work, received a 2025 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Doctoral Student Travel Award to help him attend the society’s January conference in Seattle, Washington.

FSU College of Social Work (FSU CSW) participated in the 2025 Society for Social Work and Research Conference in Seattle, Washington. From January 15-19, faculty and doctoral students and affiliates from the Florida Institute for Child Welfare presented more than 40 presentations and sessions at the conference (listed below with FSU CSW participants).

The College of Social Work at Florida State University hosted its 2024 Scholarship and Awards dinner during the 2024 FSU Homecoming week. The event honored six distinguished social work graduates and 112 student scholars.

More than $160K in scholarships was provided to undergraduate and graduate social work students with interests in areas including child welfare, social policy, international social work, social work practice and military veterans.