Social Work | Master of Social Work Admission

Master of Social Work Admission

MSW Admissions Requirements

The WVU Division of Social Work seeks to admit students who are emotionally and intellectually capable of completing graduate course work and who demonstrate the potential for practice as a social work professional. To this end, the Division looks at past academic performance, standardized test scores, human services paid and volunteer experiences, references from appropriate sources, and personal qualifications and commitment to social work as provided in the applicant’s personal statement. Admissions faculty give careful attention to the personal statement for evidence of such qualities as the ability to respect differences in people, recognize strengths in people and circumstances, and work toward solving social problems.

Applicants to the MSW Program (58 credit hours) must demonstrate:

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a GPA of at least 2.75 (on a 4-point scale). Applicants whose GPA is below 2.75 may be granted “provisional” admission if they demonstrate a potential for graduate study.

Evidence of having successfully completed at least 30 hours of courses in the liberal arts, which includes the social, behavioral, and biological sciences.
Evidence of study relating to diverse cultures, social conditions, and social problems, and individual lifespan.

Aptitude for graduate study as evidenced by performance on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students with a master’s degree in another discipline or profession can waive this requirement.

Evidence of commitment and potential to practice social work

Paid or volunteer experience. For full-time students, preference will be given to applicants who have at least one-year of paid or volunteer human service experience. For part-time students, preference will be given for two or more years of paid or volunteer human services experience.

International students whose first language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the GRE

Advanced Standing MSW Program (43 credits) Applicants with a Bachelor of Social Work degree from a Council on Social Work Education accredited program may apply for advanced standing. Advanced Standing enables the baccalaureate social worker to move directly to the advanced curriculum (600 level courses, thus waiving 12 credits of 500-level foundation courses and the foundation field experience). The requirements are the same as above, with the addition of the following:

A supporting recommendation from the undergraduate social work program

A GPA of 3.0 or higher in their undergraduate social work courses

Applications

Application materials are included in the back of this brochure or you may access them on the website, www.as.sw.edu or by calling the Admissions Coordinator at (304) 293-3501, Ext. 3128.
Step One: The following materials must be submitted to West Virginia University Admissions and Records Office, Graduate Unit, PO Box 6009, Morgantown, WV 26506-6009:

West Virginia University Application for Graduate Admission
Processing fee of $50 payable to WVU must accompany the application
Official transcripts from each university and college attended
Scores from the Graduate Record Examination

Step Two: The following materials must be submitted to the WVU Division of Social Work, PO Box 6830, Morgantown, WV 26506-6830. All materials must be submitted as a completed packet:

Application form to the Division of Social Work
Personal Statement
Sealed reference letters
Disclosure Statement

Only complete applications with all of the above materials will be reviewed by faculty for consideration of admission.

Deadlines

Each of the following deadlines refers to complete applications. Incomplete applications are held over until complete for the next deadline.

Priority Application Deadline—March 1.

Applicants admitted from the priority review will be given preference for graduate assistantships in the Division and for scholarships. Applications for these awards will be sent with acceptance letters and will be due on April 15.

Regular Application Deadline—April 1.

Late Application Deadline—May 1.

This deadline applies to those who needed more time to complete their applications and to those who were rolled over for provisional acceptance consideration. Acceptance at this point is on a space available only basis.

The MSW Admissions Committee reserves the right to alter or extend deadlines for exceptional circumstances.

Ginny Majewski, MSW, PhD
Chairperson, Division of Social Work
West Virginia University
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
PO Box 6830
Morgantown, WV 26506-6830
304-293-3501, ext. 3129