Program Overview
Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) Overview
The PhD degree in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance (IRSU) is awarded jointly by UC San Diego and San Diego State University:
This is a research-focused program designed to address the health and societal-related consequences of substance use by training students in cutting-edge interdisciplinary analytic and methodological approaches used in public health, psychology, medicine, pharmacology, sociology, anthropology, social work, and subspecialty fields such as addiction and recovery sciences.
The curriculum was designed to prepare the next generation of leaders in substance use research with the knowledge and skills to advance evidence-based and applied substance use interventions, programs, and policies in the United States and globally.
"Our program provides advanced education and training specific to the interdisciplinary field of substance use.”
National and global research and policy needs amidst climate of ongoing concern over the impact of substance use disorders and addiction will afford JDP IRSU Program graduates with ongoing job opportunities to offer a highly needed specialization in substance use research.
The program builds on mutual and complementary strengths of faculty in both institutions and will be the most productive doctoral programs in the nation associated with a School of Social Work.
Funding
Each year, in the Fall semester, four students will be admitted with funding (tuition and an approximate $28,000 yearly teaching/research stipend) for up to 4 years. See the Financial Support & Costs page for details.
Admission Requirements
Students are expected to be available for full-time participation in the program.
Applicants must have a Master’s degree and evidence of foundational research experience (e.g., peer-reviewed publication record, prior coursework in graduate-level statistics and research methodology).
Please note that this degree does not focus on counseling or clinical methods. It seeks to address substance use-related health and societal outcomes through research methods.
See the Admission Requirements page for details.
Program Learning Outcomes
Program graduates will have the skills to:
PLO 1. Apply and build upon extant social science theories and conceptual models related to substance use at multiple levels
PLO 2. Lead new avenues of research on substance use across a continuum of approaches (prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and remission)
PLO 3. Develop and evaluate rigorous substance use research designed to improve health and societal outcomes at multiple levels
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)
Doctoral students in the JDP in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Use will:
SLO 1A. Articulate how complex ecological and intersectional factors affect substance use and health inequities in substance use-affected communities
SLO 1B. Develop and apply multilevel conceptual frameworks to assess and intervene on drivers of substance use and related inequities
SLO 2A. Articulate complex relationships between substance use, pharmacology, behavior, and dependence
SLO 2B. Identify and apply multiple epistemological approaches to assess and mitigate substance use-related harms (prevention, harm reduction, biobehavioral treatments, and remission)
SLO 3A. Apply interdisciplinary approaches to articulate how substance use affects health and societal outcomes at multiple levels
SLO 3B. Independently apply advanced quantitative and qualitative research methods (including mixed methods) at multiple levels
SLO 3C. Design and evaluate rigorous research to assess and intervene on how substance use affects health and societal outcomes at multiple levels