The MSW program at Missouri State University welcomes interested students who want to pursue a rewarding career as a master level social worker.  Because the MSW Program has a limited number of slots available, applicants are not guaranteed admission even if they meet all program admission requirements. Decision to admit depends upon not only upon the quality of the students but also upon the number of students applying and the number of seats available each year.

The application deadline for Summer and Fall 2010 students is Feb. 20.  Applications will formally begin to be reviewed in January 2010.  Applications to the program should be reviewed within 45 days of receipt of one’s completed application packet, or after Jan. 20, whichever date is later.  However, a final admissions decision may be suspended longer than this depending on where the applicant ranks in the initial application review by the MSW Admissions Committee.  As such, while most admissions decisions will be decided by April or May of the admission year, some admissions decisions may not be finalized until after this.  Applicants are welcome to inquire on the status of their application after the 45-day timeframe.

INFORMATION AVAILABLE RELATED TO ADMISSION

PREREQUISITES FOR ADMISSION INTO THE MSW PROGRAM

The prior courses required for admission to the MSW program beginning in 2010 has changed.  In the past, a list of courses in various content areas what was required.  Now the following policy has been implemented.

Applicants must show evidence of a bachelors degree that encompasses a liberal arts perspective.  A liberal arts perspective is considered a program of study that involves classes in the following areas: economics, history or geography; natural, applied or life sciences, humanities, philosophy or literature; writing or other communication studies; mathematics or statistics; and social or human sciences.

Applicants must also have taken at least 3 credits in a course on research design, methods and/or statistics.  Evidence of this must be shown in the application. Finally, it is preferred that the applicant have at least 9 credits of coursework in one or more of the following areas: social science, child, family or aging studies preferred. However, this is not required for admission.

For GPA Requirements for the MSW Program, see section below on GPA.

GENERAL TERMS AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS

1. Applicants to the MSW program must apply to both the Graduate College and the School of Social Work offices in order to have a complete application. 

– Although some documents are required by both offices, applicants must manage the application requirements and status with each office separately.

– The School of Social Work only manages the status of the department portion of your application.  To check the status or completeness of their graduate applications, applicants must inquire directly with the Graduate College office at (417) 836- 5335.

– A student cannot be fully admitted to the university unless all Graduate College application requirements are completed, even if School of Social Work offers admission to the student.

2. All department application materials must be mailed in the application packet at the same time.  The only exception to this is the on-line application and an uploaded copy of the personal statement essay, if they were previously submitted via the on-line system.

– No partial applications will be reviewed or processed.  A notice will be sent back to the applicant that their application was incomplete and what materials are needed.  The applicant must then submit an updated application checklist, a copy of the letter from the SSW showing what was lacking and enclose the needed documents.

– No on-line applications or essays will be processed until a full application packet is received.

– All application materials must be received by MSU and the SSW prior to the application deadline in order to be guaranteed full consideration for that admissions year.

3. For international students, graduate application materials must be sent to the International Student Services office, as well as any additional application requirements (i.e., TOEFL scores).  Please contact this office immediately at 417-836-5335, or via email at InternationalStudentServices@missouristate.edu, if you are an international student.  Click on the link to go to the ISS website http://international.missouristate.edu/students/70626.htm.

4. Please be aware that MSW students and graduates who have certain types of criminal or legal histories may not be allowed to work in certain social work settings or with certain client populations.  Also, criminal/legal history information is required to obtain liability insurance as an MSW student in field practicum placements.  If you have any questions about this, please contact the MSW program or field coordinator for more information.

THE 2010 ADMISSIONS PROCEDURES FOR THE MSW PROGRAM

Students applying to for the MSW program must obtain admission as both a graduate student at Missouri State University (MSU) and in the MSW program.  Accordingly, all required materials and application requirements must be completed for both the Graduate College at and the School of Social Work.  It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure they understand and have completed all the requirements for both.

A. Application items that must be submitted to the Graduate College: Please mark which of the following items have been submitted to the Grad School office.

1. Graduate School Application (can be submitted on-line)

2. Two official copies of all university transcripts (including graduate courses or programs of study)

3.  Official GRE scores (must be sent from ETS; please allow 4 – 6 wks from date of the test to process)

4. Graduate School Application Fee ($35 for US students, or $50 for international students)

B. Application items that must be submitted to the School of Social Work (SSW) in application packet: All of these documents must be enclosed in the admissions packet sent to the department office, with the exception of the application and essay, if they are previously submitted on-line (no partial application packets will be processed).

1. SSW MSW Application Instructions and Checklist (to download form, click here)

2. SSW MSW Admission Requirements Checklist (to download form, click here)

3. SSW Department Application (can be submitted on-line or mailed in application)

– To download printable version of the application, click here

– To access and complete the online version of the application, click here

4. A 3 to 5 paged, double-spaced personal statement essay describing your interest, qualifications and goals to pursue an MSW.

– Applicants must follow the template provided on the MSW website or in the admission packet on the items to address.

– Make sure your name in on the essay itself to avoid it getting misplaced or misfiled

– To download printable or type-able versions of the coversheet and instructions form, click here.

5.  Three Letters of Recommendation:  Must be sealed in an original envelope and signed on back by the reference.   These must be included in the application packet sent by the prospective student.

– Letters should be from past professors, supervisors or colleagues who can certify your qualifications to successfully pursue graduate study and/or become a masters-level (advanced) social work practitioner.

– At least one or two references from MSWs, who those who closely with ones, is recommended (but not required).

– References must use the SSW Recommendation form provided on the MSW website or in the admission packet.  To download a printable version of this form, click here.

– Letters from the references are not required but strongly encouraged and could affect scores.

6.  GRE Exam Taken:

– The GRE must be taken prior to submitting an application.  No applications will be processed or reviewed without reporting valid GRE scores.

– If a copy of the ETS testing report is not available when prospective student applies, an unofficial, good faith accounting of her or his GRE scores can be reported in the application form while the copy from the ETS is being sent to the Graduate College office is then processed and sent to the SSW office.

PERSONAL INTERVIEWS

Personal interviews are required for all applicants in order to be considered for admission into the MSW program.  Applicants invited to interviews are only those for whom a serious chance for admission exists.  The interview process may involve group and/or individual interviews, usually with at least two social work faculty members.

Personal interviews are conducted only on the Springfield campus for applicants applying to both Springfield and Joplin campuses.  Students are expected to pay for all costs related to the travel and/or parking.

Personal interviews are normally conducted in March and April of the admission year, and at times as late as May.  Those who have their applications in early are more likely to be invited to the earlier interview days.  These applicants typically get their admissions decisions sooner and are more competitive to secure graduate assistantships or scholarships that often have deadlines in the Spring term.

GPA REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MSW PROGRAM

Applicants must have earned an overall GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate course work taken.  The GPA for upper division coursework (last 60 hours ) in undergraduate classes may be used if higher than the overall GPA, if this GPA is calculated by the Grad College and known to the admissions committee (the department will not calculate this value individually). 

Those with GPAs less than 3.0 who have exceptional qualifications toward becoming a professional social worker are welcome to apply, but are not guaranteed an admissions review (based on the number of applications which meet the minimum standard).

Graduate students who have completed at least 9 credits of graduate course work in a particular program of study related to social work may request this GPA to be used in addition to the above.

TYPES OF ADMISSIONS

Two general categories of admissions are currently available to the Master of Social Work program..

·         Full Admission: Full admission to the School of Social Work MSW program is granted to an applicant who meets all criteria of admission, gone through all admission activities and received high enough rankings to warrant a slot in the program.  No other admission requirements exist.

·         Conditional Admission: The MSW program may admit students for one of two possible reasons: a) on the condition that they complete some activity in the application process prior to beginning their MSW studies or qualify themselves (i.e., a pre-requisite deemed non-essential), or b) they qualify themselves during the initial phase of coursework (i.e., academic probation) .  Upon successful completion of the activity or the criteria set for conditional admission, the student is considered fully admitted to the program. Without the successful completion of these activities, the student will not be admitted to the program.

Conditional admission is only offered in a specialized set of cases and most of time is not offered when more qualified applicants are available who meet the criteria for full admission.  Therefore, there is no guarantee that conditional admission may be offered to any student during a particular admission year.

HOW TO CONTACT US

If you have any questions about applications or the MSW program, please contact Dr. Darryl Haslam at dhaslam@missouristate.edu for the Springfield campus and Prof. Renee White for the Joplin campus (reneewhite@missouristate.edu).

All application packets must be mailed or hand delivered to the School of Social Work Office addressed as follows: 

MSW Admissions Committee
School of Social Work
901 S. National Avenue
Springfield, MO 65897

To request general information about the MSW program, or an application packet, please contact Ms. Veronica Morris at 417-836-6953 or VRMorris@missouristate.edu.  We appreciate your interest in the MSW program!