Transcripts

• have completed a broad liberal arts background with a minimum of 24 credit hours including at least one course in sociology, psychology, English, political science or history, statistics, and one course in a human biology.  A course in introductory statistics is required.  This requirement may be taken at any accredited college or university, including community colleges.  You may be enrolled in this course while your application is being evaluated or during your first semester in the program.  All offers of admission are conditional upon the successful completion of this course prior to the first day of the second semester in the program.
   
• have earned a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average on the last 60 graded credits leading to the baccalaureate degree.  Applicants with a grade point average of 2.5 to 2.99 and an otherwise strong application are considered for provisional status.  To move from provisional status, the applicant must successfully complete three graduate courses with a grade of B or better.
   
• meet the requirements for advanced standing if you seek admission to this program.  Applicants for advanced standing must have graduated from an undergraduate social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education within the last 3 years.  Applicants with 2 years of human service work who graduated within the last 5 years will be considered.  Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.2 over the last 60 graded hours of study.
   
• have submitted transcripts of any completed graduate courses

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Letters of Reference

You must provide three professional letters of reference, usually from persons such as professors, employers, supervisors, professional colleagues, and community associates. Only one reference may be from a Salisbury University Social Work Department faculty member. If you have been employed in a social service agency, you should request a reference from your most recent employer or supervisor.  If you are currently a student, please provide a reference from your faculty advisor or instructor.  Your referees will be asked to comment on your academic aptitude, ability to work with others, capacity for self-development, and dependability. Do not ask friends or relatives for references.  Reference forms are provided with this application booklet.

Indicate, with your signature, on each reference form whether or not you waive your right to read the reference following the Admissions Committee’s decision.  Give to each of your referees a reference form and an envelope, stamped and addressed to the applicant.  These references must be sealed by the writer and signed across the seal. Include the unopened envelopes with your completed application packet.

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Personal Statement

The applicant’s personal statement is a vital part of the application. The statement provides the Admissions Committee with insight into your prior experiences and how you relate these experiences to social work. Your aptitude for written self-expression is also evaluated through this personal statement.

Please answer each of the following questions and limit each answer to 2-3 double-spaced typewritten pages. The application is considered incomplete if these instructions are not followed. Each page must include the applicant’s name.

1. To effectively help others, you need a full understanding of self.  Self-awareness is an ongoing process that includes an assessment of our own interpersonal skills, values and biases. Personal experiences are crucial to this process. What events or experiences in your life, or “turning points,” have led you to seek a M.S.W.?

2. We all face challenges and problems in our lives or we help friends with their problems.  Please discuss a time you have faced a problem in your own life or have assisted a friend with a problem.  What was the problem?  How did you analyze it?  What did you do?  What was the outcome?  Would you do anything differently if faced with this problem again?
3. We wish to provide our students with a broad range of educational experiences.  How do you see yourself contributing to this program?

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Transfer Applicants

Under certain circumstances, students may receive a maximum of 29 semester hours for work completed not more than five years prior to first registration from a CSWE-accredited graduate school of social work and for which a grade of at least a “B” was received.  No course, including any transfer course, may be counted toward a degree if it was completed more than 7 full calendar years prior to the date of graduation. 

Students must complete a minimum of 31 credits in the Salisbury University Department of Social Work, to be eligible for the master’s degree.

Students currently or previously enrolled in another accredited masters level social work degree program who are seeking admission as a transfer student are required to submit the following additional materials: 

1. A brief written statement describing the reasons why they are requesting a transfer;

2. A copy of practicum/field work evaluation(s), if applicable; and

3. One of the three recommendations must be from a faculty member or field supervisor affiliated with the program.

Students from non-MSW programs may receive a maximum of six transfer credits for courses for which he/she has earned a grade of “A” or “B”.  Each course will be individually assessed for program equivalency. Official determination of allowable credit for work completed elsewhere will be made at the time of admission.

Any student registered in the program who wants to take a course at another university and transfer credit toward the Salisbury University Department of Social Work M.S.W. (i.e., a summer course) must receive approval from the Chair of the Social Work Department. 

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Advanced Standing

Applicants for advanced standing must submit the following material in addition to the usual application requirements: 

• Transcripts documenting eligibility for advanced standing.

• Recommendation for advanced standing from the Social Work Department Chairperson of the school in which you completed your Bachelor of Social Work degree.

• For students applying to the MSW Program with an undergraduate social work degree,, one of the letters of recommendation MUST be from a field placement, one from an academic sources, and one from either an employer or professional colleague or community associate.

• A detailed evaluation of your field instruction experience and performance by the agency supervisor or an evaluation of your employment performance.  You may submit evaluations of field performance conducted at the end of each undergraduate semester.

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Life Experience Statement

No credit will be given for work or life experience.

Pending Legal Action and Conviction Statement

Persons who indicate on the application that they have pending legal action or convictions will be asked to supply documentation on the nature of the offense and the disposition.  Individuals admitted to the program who are facing pending legal action or convictions may have restrictions placed on the area of study and field placements they may pursue. In addition, some field placement agencies require a criminal background check.

Applicants are also advised that the Professional Standards Committee of the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners may refuse to issue a license or certificate of registration to any person who has been convicted of any crime in this or any other state. Applicants may be denied admission, or if enrolled, terminated, from the program if they have not been truthful or provided inaccurate information in the application.

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Course of Study

The expected course of study for the regular full-time program requires two years of coursework and field instruction.  Students in the regular part-time program are expected to complete their course work and field instruction in 4 years.  SOWK 620, Social Practice with Small Client Systems, is a pre- or co-requisite for field instruction.  The expected course of study for full-time Advanced Standing students is one year of coursework and field instruction or two years for part-time Advanced Standing students.

A grade point average of 3.0 is required for graduation.  To remain in good academic standing, graduate students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 for all graduate courses.  Please consult the University Catalog for further details.

Students in the regular program must complete two different field placements.  Your schedule will conform to the agency’s service hours, therefore you must be prepared to participate in field instruction during daytime working hours. 

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Non-Degree Student Enrollment

Eligible students who wish to enroll as non-degree graduate students (not formally admitted to a graduate degree program) are not required to complete a formal application for admission and may complete SOWK 605, 610 and 620.  This is an excellent option for those students who wish to explore but not commit to the Master of Social Work Program or for those who missed the deadline for admission.  NOTE:  Students interested in the Advanced Standing Program must be admitted to the program prior to taking courses. 

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Application Checklist