SOCIAL WORK MSW – REGULAR STANDING

Prepare to Change Lives

Social Work MSW - Regular Standing Admission Requirements

Regular Standing

• Domestic applicants: Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university
• International applicants: Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. You are considered an international applicant if you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. (Note: applicants must be living within the US to be eligible for the online program)
• At least a 2.75 overall GPA required, though a 3.0 GPA is preferred
• GPA from a previous master’s degree can be substituted for an undergraduate GPA
• Students with an overall GPA below 2.75 may be considered for provisional admission based on a review of the applicant's transcript(s) and the strengths of the other elements on the application.

Admissions

Application Deadlines

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

• November 1 is the early decision deadline. Applications submitted by November 1 will receive an early decision notification and accepted applicants are eligible for scholarships provided through the School of Social Work.
• February 1 is the priority deadline. Applications submitted by February 1 will be eligible for scholarships provided through the School of Social Work.
• April 15 is the final deadline. Applications submitted between February 1 and April 15 will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

NOTE: International applicants living outside of the United States are not eligible to apply to the online MSW program.

Application and Application Fee

• Complete the Online Application
• $60 application fee

Transcripts

• Submit official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate coursework to the WVU Hub, P.O. Box 6004, Morgantown, WV 26506. ( *NOTE: official transcripts for applicants who attended West Virginia University will be uploaded by WVU Graduate Admissions upon submission of the graduate application).
• Unofficial transcripts can be uploaded by applicants in their application for the purposes of review for admission. However, official transcripts are required before a formal acceptance to the MSW program is offered.

Resume

• Submit a current resume including employment, volunteer experience, including start and end dates.

Letters of Recommendation

Three professional letters of recommendation are required. Contact information for these individuals should be provided within the online Graduate Application. Please submit a recommendation from each of the following categories*** (see note below):

• Academic
• Social Work/Human Service Experience (volunteer or paid)
• Employer

***The recommendation suggestions above are preferable, however, for applicants that have been out of school for many years or who have been working in the field, a combination of 3 professional recommendations that address your ability to handle the rigors of graduate studies and your experience and skills in the helping field are acceptable. For students right out of undergraduate studies with little work experience; a combination of 3 professional recommendations that include 2 academic references and a social work/human service experience recommendation are appropriate. Questions? Contact us at socialwork@mail.wvu.edu.

If you use recommenders other than the suggested academic, social work/human service experience, and employer, discuss your reasons why in the Addendum section of the admission essay.

Admission Essay

All applicants must submit an Admission Essay. Please see detailed guidelines for the essay on the WVU School of Social Work Admissions Requirements.

For more information, contact Master of Social Work Admissions & Recruitment at socialwork@mail.wvu.edu or phone (304) 293-3280.

Apply Now

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Learn more about the MSW at West Virginia University, the application process, and the student experience. Watch the video series.

Your future in Social Work

The mission of the MSW program is to provide students with skills in direct practice with individuals, families, and groups, as well as program and agency administration, community development, and macro-level practice. In addition, students are trained in how to utilize these skills to foster successful interprofessional practice in a wide variety of settings. Specifically, graduates of the MSW program will be prepared to:

• Formulate and implement integrated service delivery models appropriate to advanced practice with diverse client populations at multi-system levels.
• Design and conduct brief and/or on-going assessment and intervention methods consistent with integrated systems and context of practice.
• Construct an integrated evidence-informed theoretical framework appropriate to the level and context of practice situations.
• Organize collaboration with other professions to coordinate intervention efforts suitable to the practice situation.
• Design and conduct collaborative, practice-based evaluation methods and apply findings to improve practice, policy, and/or service delivery effectiveness.

The Benefits to Choosing Our Program

The regular standing program includes students who have completed a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university in a discipline other than Social Work. Regular standing students can complete their degree on a full-time or part-time basis. Part-time students have the option of completing their degree on campus or online.

Career outlook for Social Work

Graduates of the MSW program are employed throughout the United States and internationally. They work as individual, family, and group treatment specialists, planners, community organizers, and social researchers. They also work as social work educators and as administrators in a variety of programs such as mental health clinics, hospitals, correctional institutions, courts, delinquency programs, aging programs, family counseling agencies, child protective agencies, public welfare departments, child development programs, drug and alcohol abuse programs, public schools, community action agencies, settlement houses, city governments, state government planning agencies, federal administrative agencies, and private research and development organizations concerned with human problems. Social workers are the largest group of mental health service providers in the country.