myCSUSM
Admissions Requirements
Admission to the Master of Social Work program requires a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university, and a minimum GPA of 3.0 for the last 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of undergraduate course work.
Students must also have completed an undergraduate statistics course with a grade of 'C' or better; and have computing skills sufficient to complete graduate work, including word processing and statistical software programs.
A complete application consists of:
- A completed application on Cal State Apply (see How to Apply tab on the left).
- One set of official transcripts from each college and university attended reflecting official verification of graduation and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. *Applicants cannot be admitted with a GPA under 2.50 in accordance with the Office of Graduate Studies policy.
- Completion of an undergraduate statistics course with a grade of 'C' or better.
- A resume that includes a minimum of 300 hours of experience as a volunteer or employee in a social service setting. These 300 experience hours must be clearly indicated in the resume and the name and email address(es) of the supervisor(s) of these hours must be provided. A “social service” setting is an agency or organization that provides services designed to enhance or support the well-being of individuals, families, and communities in need.
- Three electronic recommendations; including either two academic and one professional, or two professional and one academic reference. (Please note: personal references will not be accepted.),
- A personal statement (maximum of 2 pages- see PROMPT on How to Apply tab).
In accordance with Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) standards, the MSW program does not grant academic credit for previous life or work experience.
300 Hours of Paid or Volunteer Service
- Social Service experience is any experience where you are directly working with individuals, groups or families, providing support, resources, mentoring, other types of support and/or helping people get connected with community services. This can include work you are doing with individuals, groups or families in person, via electronic communications, in community settings, and or home, office and/or school settings.
- Examples of settings where it is possible to get social services experience include: after-school programs, community-based organizations, schools, hospitals, senior centers, community centers, local non-profit agencies (e.g., YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, to name a few).
Note: If it is not clear if an applicant’s experience qualifies as being in a social service setting, they must describe in their resume how they specifically provided services designed to enhance or support the well-being of individuals, families, and communities in need.