Students are responsible for meeting the admission requirements as established by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements, the Faculty of Social Work requires the following:
For PhD and PMDip
a) A Master of Social Work or equivalent graduate degree with a minimum grade point average of 3.50 on a four-point scale.
b) A study plan outlining the applicant’s educational goals, career expectations, research proposal and research experience.
c) Substantial professional experience.
d) A sample of written work including, for example, published and/or unpublished scholarly papers and/or professional reports.
e) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum TOEFL score of 580 (paper-based test) or 97 (Internet-based test); or IELTS score of 7.0; or MELAB score of 83; or Level 3 on the International Foundations Program ().
f) Three reference letters.
For MSW course-based
In Calgary and Edmonton:
a) A Bachelor of Social Work degree, or a four-year bachelor’s degree from another discipline.
b) The equivalent of two years of full-time paid or volunteer work in the human services field.
c) A study plan outlining the applicant’s educational goals and career expectations. (If applying to the Calgary program, the study plan must indicate the applicant’s intended area of Specialization: Clinical Social Work Practice, Leadership in the Human Services, or International and Community Development).
d) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum TOEFL score of 580 (paper-based test) or 97 (Internet-based test); or IELTS score of 7.0; or MELAB score of 83; or Level 3 on the International Foundations Program ().
e) Two reference letters.
In Lethbridge:
a) A Bachelor of Social Work degree.
b) The equivalent of two years of full-time paid or volunteer work in the human services field.
c) A study plan outlining the applicant’s educational goals and career expectations.
d) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum TOEFL score of 580 (paper-based test) or 97 (Internet-based test); or IELTS score of 7.0; or MELAB score of 83; or Level 3 on the International Foundations Program ().
e) Two reference letters.
For MSW thesis-based
In Calgary and Edmonton:
a) A Bachelor of Social Work degree, or a four-year bachelor’s degree from another discipline.
b) The equivalent of two years of full-time paid or volunteer work in the human services field.
c) A study plan outlining the applicant's educational goals and career expectations. (If applying to the Calgary program, the study plan must indicate the applicant’s intended area of Specialization: Clinical Social Work Practice, or International and Community Development).
d) An additional statement providing a rationale for selecting the thesis route and a preliminary research proposal. Students considering applying to the thesis route are strongly encouraged to discuss this option with the Thesis Program Co-ordinator if applying to Calgary, and the Associate Director, Academic if applying to Edmonton or Lethbridge, prior to completing the application process.
e) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum TOEFL score of 580 (paper-based test) or 97 (Internet-based test); or IELTS score of 7.0; or MELAB score of 83; or Level 3 on the International Foundations Program ().
f) Two reference letters.
In Lethbridge:
a) A Bachelor of Social Work degree.
b) The equivalent of two years of full-time paid or volunteer work in the human services field.
c) A study plan outlining the applicant’s educational goals and career expectations.
d) An additional statement providing a rationale for selecting the thesis route and describing the applicant’s area of research interest. Students considering applying to the thesis route are strongly encouraged to discuss this option with a Faculty member and the Associate Director, Academic, prior to completing the application process.
e) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum TOEFL score of 580 (paper-based test) or 97 (Internet-based test); or IELTS score of 7.0; or MELAB score of 83; or Level 3 on the International Foundations Program ().
f) Two reference letters.
For MSW/MBA (in Calgary only)
a) A Bachelor of Social Work degree or completion of the MSW Foundation courses (described in Section 5 below).
b) The equivalent of two years of full-time paid or volunteer work in the human services field
c) A study plan outlining the applicant’s educational goals and career expectations.
d) Admission into the Haskayne School of Business.
e) For applicants required to provide proof of proficiency in English, a minimum TOEFL score of 580 (paper-based test) or 97 (Internet-based test); or IELTS score of 7.0; or MELAB score of 83; or Level 3 on the International Foundations Program ().
f) Two reference letters.
Program Descriptions