Program Admission
Please download Instructions for Applying to the Master of Social Work Program here.
Julie Harkema, Admissions Coordinator, 317 Marshall, 734.487.0393, jharkema@emich.edu
There are two routes toward completion of the MSW degree, as follows:
Full Program - Students applying to the M.S.W. program who did not obtain a B.S.W. in their undergraduate studies are considered for the Full Program. Full Program students complete 63 hours of foundation and advanced-level courses. Full Program students can successfully matriculate through the Master’s program in four years while attending part-time.
Advanced Standing - Students with a Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) degree from an undergraduate program accredited by the CSWE will be considered for advanced standing admission. Students not approved for advanced standing admission may be reviewed for full program admission. Advanced Standing students are required to complete 35 approved credit hours of course work. Students can successfully matriculate through the Master’s program as an Advanced Standing student in two years while attending part-time.
Please note the specific admission criteria for each route below.
Admission Criteria
Applicants are assessed on the following criteria:
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. For applicants pursuing Advanced Standing, a Bachelor of Social Work degree from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited college or university is required. Applicants admitted without a BSW will pursue the Full Program. The bachelor’s degree must appear on an applicant’s official transcript prior to enrollment.
- A minimum GPA of 2.75 is required at the time of application. This GPA can be attained with a cumulative undergraduate or a completed graduate degree. A cumulative undergraduate GPA includes all college courses taken prior to receiving a bachelor degree. A limited number of exceptional applicants who have been working in the social work field for a substantial amount of time may be considered for conditional admission to the Full Program, if below a 2.75.
- Applicants pursuing Advanced Standing, a 3.0 in the last sixty credits of the bachelor degree is required.
- A Personal Statement. Applicants complete a Personal Statement that speaks to their readiness for graduate studies and connection to our mission. Your Personal Statement will be evaluated as a reflection of your writing skills, your ability to reflect and learn from your experiences, and as a narrative of your background, interests, and goals. You must be the sole author of this statement, but others may provide proofreading assistance and feedback. For additional information, please see the Personal Statement Criteria .
- Three Reference Letters - Three professional reference letters are required. Strong letters would be from professionals that could speak to the applicant’s academic strengths, professionalism, and/or readiness for master level social work. Three reference forms along with narratives letters on professional stationery are required; these will be accessed and submitted online by the recommenders.
- Experience - Professional experience in the human services field, both paid and unpaid, is weighed in the decision-making process. This includes paid work experience, volunteer experience, and internships. Please complete an Employment and Voluntarism Form and submit it with your application.
Admission Process
Part 1 - Application Submission (Priority Deadline: December 1, 2020, at 11:59 pm)
Submit a Social Work CAS application.
Complete all four sections of this application, pay the application fee, and request transcripts be sent to the CAS system. Instructions for completing the CAS application can be found at (socialworkcase.liaisoncas.com).
A complete application will include the following:
- Transcripts from all previously attended colleges or universities.
- A Personal Statement
- An Employment and Voluntarism Form
- Reference Letters
Note – Please see the program-specific section of the Social Work CAS application, for a waiver code. The code allows you to waive the application fee for the EMU Graduate School Application.
Graduate School Application
- Submit a Graduate School Application (emich.edu/graduate)
- The application fee is waived with waiver code (See the program-specific section of the SW CAS application for a waiver)
- Submit Transcripts to Eastern Michigan University, via e-mail or mail. Transcripts submitted with Social Work CAS application are not shared with the Graduate School.
International Transcripts - Students with non-U.S. post-secondary credentials must submit an evaluation of their international transcripts from one of four approved evaluation services for a detailed, course-by-course report. Applicants should allow 2-6 weeks for the completed evaluation. Please visit International Admissions for additional information.
Part 2 - Application Review and Decision – An application is considered complete when both the Social Work CAS and Graduate School application are submitted, with transcripts.
Once a complete application has been submitted to the School of Social Work through the CAS system, each application will receive two separate reviews. Reviewers from the School of Social Work read the application and respond using a formal scoring rubric, which takes into account the applicant’s:
- written explanation of their personal connection to the EMU School of Social Work mission,
- overall ability to write at a level required for success in a Master’s program,
- work and volunteer experience directly or indirectly related to social work,
- assessment of references regarding the applicant’s ability to succeed in graduate school and as a Master level social worker, and,
- academic ability as demonstrated by their overall grade point average and the average of their last 60 credits as an undergraduate.
If the two reviewers are ten or more points apart in their assessment, the application will be reviewed by a third reviewer.
Once the review is complete, the application is sent to the Admissions Committee for a decision.
Notification of an admission decision – All applicants are notified of the School of Social Work’s decision by email followed up by mailed letters. Student’s may be accepted, accepted conditionally, or denied admission. Student accepted by the School of Social Work will be asked to accept, defer, or refuse admission contingent on acceptance by the graduate school (must meet graduate school requirements for overall/last 60 credit GPA).
Once a formal decision by the graduate school is made, applicants receive a final acceptance email and instructions about orientation and registration for classes from the School of Social Work and information from EMU.
Transfer Applicants
If an applicant is currently in another EMU graduate program and interested in an MSW, the student must complete the formal application process as outlined above to be considered for the MSW program. If accepted, some classes may transfer as electives dependent on the date the class and relevance to the social work curriculum. Discretion for transfer credits lies with the Director of the MSW program.
If an applicant has been accepted into and attended another MSW program, the applicant must complete the formal application process as outlined above to be considered for the EMU MSW program. Also, the applicant must submit a letter from their current/previous MSW program, stating that they left the program in “good standing.” Only students in “good standing” will be considered for the EMU MSW program.
An Appeal of Decision of Acceptance/Denial into the EMU MSW Program
There is no appeal process. Decisions are final. If applicants are interested in re-applying for a future year, they are encouraged to do so by reapplying to the Master of Social Work program and updating their application materials.
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