Models of Interdisciplinary Programs in Social Work Doctoral Education

Social work doctoral programs increasingly embrace an interdisciplinary orientation and structure. In this paper, the strengths and weaknesses of interdisciplinary doctoral education are assessed in light of the ultimate training objectives. Six alternative models of interdisciplinary programs are identified based on the content of knowledge and the structure of the program, and the relative costs and payoffs of each model are analyzed. Such analysis should assist educational decision makers to evaluate more systematically their actual or planned doctoral program.