Program Admission

Please download Instructions for Applying to the Master of Social Work Program here or contact Julie Harkema, Admissions Coordinator, 317 Marshall, 734.487.0393, jharkema@emich.edu.

There are two tracks for individuals entering the MSW program at Eastern Michigan University, as outlined below:

Full Program - This program is for students applying to the MSW program who have not obtained a BSW. 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 - This program is for admitted students who earned a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree accredited by the CSWE. 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.

Admission Criteria

Faculty assess applicants on the following criteria:

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university - Advanced Standing admission requires a Bachelor of Social Work degree from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited college or university. Applicants admitted without a BSW will pursue the Full Program. The bachelor’s degree must appear on an applicant’s official transcript before enrollment.
• A minimum GPA of 2.75 - 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’s 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 their GPA is below 2.75. Advanced Standing admission requires a 3.0 in the last sixty credits of the bachelor’s degree.
• 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 and narratives letters on professional stationery are required; the recommenders will access and submit online.
• 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, at 11:59 pm)

Submit a Social Work CAS application.

Complete all four sections of this application, pay the application fee*, and request transcripts are sent to the CAS system. Instructions for completing the CAS application can be found at (socialworkcase.liaisoncas.com). A complete application will include the required documents and references.

*Note – Please find instructions for applying for a fee waiver on the Social Work CAS website. 

Domestic Applicants Domestic applicants are required to submit only the transcript from the institution granting their bachelor’s degree if either of the following criteria is met: 1) Lists 30 or more credit hours with an overall GPA of 3.0 or over OR 2) Lists 60 or more credit hours with an overall GPA between 2.7 and 2.99. Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript. The University may ask applicants to submit additional transcripts after applying.

International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.

Part 2 - Application Review and Decision

An application is considered complete when the Social Work CAS is submitted, including all transcripts and reference letters.

Once a complete application has been submitted to the School of Social Work through the CAS system, each application will receive two separate reviews. First, 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 student.

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 through the Social Work CAS system followed up by mailed letters. Students may be accepted, accepted conditionally, or denied admission. Students 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, which includes instructions about orientation, information about how to registration for classes, and general information from the School of Social Work and EMU.

Transfer Applicants

Suppose an applicant is currently in another EMU graduate program and interested in an MSW. In that case, 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 specializations electives or core classes dependent on the date of the class and relevance to the social work curriculum. Discretion for transfer credits lies with the Director of the MSW program.

Suppose an applicant has been accepted into and attended another MSW program. In that case, 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. Suppose applicants are interested in re-applying for a future year. In that case, they are encouraged to do so by reapplying to the Master of Social Work program and updating their application materials.

School Information

Social Work 323 Marshall, 734.487.1418

Ken Saldanha, PhD, Director

Sarah VanZoeren, PhD, Graduate Coordinator

Advisor Information

David Evoy, 315 Marshall, 734.487.6807

Program Information

Degree Requirements: 69 hours

Critical Graduation Information

Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

Master’s degree requirements must be completed within six (6) years of first enrollment in the master’s degree program.

In the event a student does not complete the master’s degree requirements within six years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all master’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.

• A master’s degree must require a minimum of 30 credit hours.
• No more than six credits of independent study courses and no more than 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.  
• Residency Requirement:
  • For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 36 or fewer required hours, at least 24 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere). 
  • For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 37 or more required hours, at least 30 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. Minimum degree hours must still be met for graduation. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
  • Residency and enrollment in multiple programs: Students enrolled in multiple master’s/specialist degree programs must have 24 unique credit hours in each degree program.
• Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours above.
• Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.
• The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
• Some master’s programs require a thesis; others require a special project or internship; others require students to pass a final exam. See the Graduate School website for Thesis and Dissertation Manuals, all forms, and information about research and human subject approval. Every completed thesis or dissertation must be submitted to Digital Commons. Any form of graduate student work submitted to Digital Commons must first be approved by a faculty advisor and the Graduate School.