Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Admission to the MSW Program is very competitive because there are far more applicants than the school can admit. It is, therefore, to your advantage to apply early and to ensure that the School of Social Administration receives all supporting documents. You will be notified by mail of your application status including a notice when your application is complete and ready for review.

Applications are accepted on a rolling admission basis: as completed applications are received, they are reviewed, decisions made, and the applicants notified. Therefore, we suggest you submit all parts of your application as early as possible. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Once your application is received, you will be provided a PIN number to access OWLnet, Temple´s student information system, so that you can monitor the progress of your application. This system is available whether your application is electronic or paper copy.

Letters of Reference:

Three (3) references are required in support of an application for admission. These may be academic or professional with the following applications:

• Applicants who have graduated from college within the last five years should submit at least one reference from a professor or official of the college.
• Applicants seeking advanced standing status should obtain two references from their college, one of which must be from their senior seminar professor. (If this is not possible, contact the School for further instruction.)
• Applicants with employment experience in the social services or a related field should submit at least one reference from a supervisor or administrator at their place of employment.

Statement of Professional Plans and Goals:

• Your Educational and Professional Goals

  We would like to know why you are seeking graduate education at this time and, specifically, where your educational and career interests lie. We would also be interested in learning something about your experience with people of different ethnic, religious, or racial backgrounds other than your own. Please tell us about any area of practice, in which you have a special interest (e.g., children and youth, aging, health/mental health, developmental disabilities, etc.). In what type of position or organization would you like to be working in the future? If you have matriculated in another master´s degree program, please tell us about your experience: where you attended; the type of program; the number of courses completed. We would like you to include the reasons you did not continue.

• Your Interest in Social Justice

  The mission of the School of Social Administration reflects a strong commitment to the elimination of human suffering and social injustice and to the promotion of human rights and social equality. Our educational programs are therefore centered on intervention strategies on behalf of those populations and persons who are under served, victimized, or denied full access to social opportunities and resources. With this in mind, we would like you to identify and discuss a specific instance or issue of social injustice about which you have some concern. Explain what knowledge or experiences have contributed to your interest and understanding of this. Please limit this part of your statement to no more than three pages.

• Financing Your Studies

  Please discuss plans for financing your education. To what extent will you be relying upon personal assets and earnings, help from family, loans, and other sources? If you would like to be considered for scholarship or other aid from the School, tell us why you believe you deserve, merit or should receive such an award.

Standardized Tests:

Applicants are not required to take any standardized exam to be considered for admission to the program. This includes no GRE exam.

Interview:

While the interview is not a requirement for admission, some applicants may be invited for an interview. The School will schedule individual interviews when indicated.

Resume:

A resume is required.

Transfer Applicants:

Students seeking to transfer to the School of Social Administration from another CSWE accredited social work program are required to meet the criteria for admission and follow the application procedures. Additionally, one of the academic/professional references must be from the current academic/faculty advisor in the program from which the applicant is transferring and must address the academic standing in that program. If not currently enrolled, the reference must be from the former academic/faculty advisor.

Advanced Standing Program:

Applicants from a CSWE Accredited BSW Program may be eligible for Advanced Standing. They must have earned the BSW no more than 5 years prior to application. They must have: a 3.0 overall GPA and 3.0 in the Junior and Senior years, no more than one C in the major, and two academic references (one of which must be from the senior seminar professor). Students accepted to the Advanced-Standing Program are required to complete a summer transition course that begins in July. 25.5 credit hours are transferred in and the student begins the second year of study at the advanced curriculum level in their area of concentration.

Financial Aid:

The School of Social Administration awards a substantial amount of aid each year to assist meritorious applicants and continuing students in meeting the cost of their educational program. Awards include partial scholarships, research assistantships, government training grants, and stipends provided by local public and voluntary agencies.

Awards are made on the basis of academic merit and the overall promise shown by an applicant for contributing to the School and to the profession. Additional considerations include interest in particular areas of practice for which special funding is available and the School´s commitment to maintaining diversity in the student body.

Most awards made by the School will ordinarily meet only part of a student´s total educational expenses. All students are therefore expected to make use of available family and other resources as well as Federal grant, loan, and work-study assistance to help meet the cost of their education. The University´s Financial Aid Office provides assistance with the Federal grant / loan / work-study application process.

Notification of awards is generally made at the time of admissions.