Doctoral Program

Meet Our 2023 Doctoral Student Cohort

The College of Social Work is excited to welcome our newest cohort of doctoral students. Each joins Florida State University's academic community with a broad range of experience in social work and an interest in contributing to social work research and scholarship to advance the profession and benefit the diverse populations it serves. 

Schyler Brumm

Originally from Central Florida, Schyler attended Florida State for her bachelor's degree in psychology and dual master's degrees in social work and criminology.

College of Social Work Celebrates Alumni Award and Scholarship Recipients

The College of Social Work at Florida State University hosted its 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award and Student Scholarship Awards dinner on Thursday, October 19th. The event honored five distinguished social work graduates and 2022-2023 student scholars.

More than $108K in scholarships were given in 2022-2023 to support undergraduate- and graduate-level social work students with interests in areas including child welfare, social policy, international social work, social work practice and military veterans.

Empowering Foster Youth through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Trauma

Youth in foster care often face higher exposure to traumatic events and are less likely to receive the necessary services to address the resulting trauma-related symptoms. This discrepancy leads to a range of mental health challenges that, if left untreated, can manifest into more complex issues, such as substance misuse and delinquency.

The Stoops Center for Communities, Families, and Children (CFC Center) at the FSU College of Social Work is committed to changing this narrative.

Doctoral Graduate Addresses Maternal Child Health at Florida State Through Research 

Three-time graduate Dr. Megan Deichen Hansen recently became an assistant professor with the College of Medicine (COM), a research-intensive position aligning well with her other role working alongside Dr. Heather Flynn to help run research and evaluation efforts at the COM Center for Behavioral Health Integration.

Congratulations to Social Work Spring Graduates and Award Recipients

On Friday, May 5, 2023, the FSU College of Social Work celebrated spring graduates and its annual Award Recipients at a celebration in the social work lobby of University Center, Building C.

Spring graduates included 41 BSW graduates, 145 MSW graduates and two doctoral graduates, Chris Collins and Melissa Murphy.

At the event, awards were presented to exemplary students, faculty and field educators nominated internally for their efforts and dedication at the College of Social Work.

Investigating Factors That Can Mitigate Natural Disaster Trauma

A recent study led by Beren Crim Sabuncu, an FSU College of Social Work doctoral student explored how spiritual and social support can be related to the long-term impacts of trauma. One source of trauma on the rise is natural disasters, Crim noted.

Crim, PhD candidate Wenyi Li, and FSU Distinguished Research Professor Dr. Amy L. Ai were particularly interested in the relationships between these protective factors and hurricane-related trauma for volunteers responding after a storm.

FSU Graduate Selected as Next Leader of Statewide Child Welfare Institute

Florida State University has chosen alumna Lisa Magruder as the next leader of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare.  

Magruder, the institute’s associate director of research since 2020, takes over the director’s role from fellow FSU graduate Jessica Pryce. Pryce, who served as director for six years, will lead the institute’s Alliance for Workforce Enhancement initiative.