Leah Smock
Associate Director of Enrollment for Graduate and Professional Studies
Advance your career goals with Messiah University's graduate program in social work.
We are committed to guiding you through the admissions process every step of the way.
Messiah University offers a Master of Social Work (MSW) that will prepare students for advanced generalist practice and professional licensure. Students may choose an interprofessional focus area in health, leadership in organizations or mental health.
MSW advanced standing: applicants with a BSW from an accredited CSWE institution may apply for the 30 credit advanced standing program.
MSW traditional standing: applicants with a bachelor's degree in any major may apply for the 61 credit traditional standing program.
Before completing an application for any of Messiah University’s graduate and certificate programs, please read our admissions requirements to ensure that you are eligible for enrollment and to receive a helpful checklist of the supporting documentation that you will need to provide to complete your application.
There are are prerequisite requirements in the MSW.
MSW advanced standing: applicants must have earned a grade of B or better in social work courses; applicants' transcripts must also indicate one of the following:
- an earned CSWE accredited baccalaureate social work degree
- a CASWE accredited baccalaureate social work degree (from the Canadian social work accreditor, recognized through an MOU with CSWE and CASWE)
- an internationally earned ISWDRES evaluated degree comparable to a baccalaureate degree in social work
MSW traditional standing: applicants must have earned a C or better in nine (9) credits of behavior science courses in any of the following:
- Human science (e.g., human biology, anatomy and physiology, nutrition)
- Psychology (e.g., general psychology, human development, human behavior, family science)
- Sociology (e.g., general sociology, anthropology, economics, social psychology)
- Academic credit or certificates of completion would be considered to meet the prerequisites
Applicants who have completed (or intend to complete) a CSWE accredited BSW and qualify for advanced standing can apply for a fall ’25 start using the admission requirements listed below:
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Submitted Messiah University application
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An official transcript; to be considered "official", transcript(s) must be requested and sent directly from a regionally accredited institution(s) attended to gradprograms@messiah.edu. The transcript must indicate one of the following:
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an earned CSWE accredited baccalaureate social work degree
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a CASWE accredited baccalaureate social work degree (from the Canadian social work accreditor, recognized through an MOU with CSWE and CASWE),
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an internationally earned ISWDRES evaluated degree comparable to a baccalaureate degree in social work.
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Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and social work courses with a grade of B or better; cumulative GPAs < 3.0 will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis
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Statement of Purpose: a 300-500 word statement describing how you have prepared for graduate work, your reasons for applying for this particular graduate program, and how this program will help you meet your professional and educational goals, as well as one area of social work practice about which you are passionate.
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Contact information for one reference: please select a reference who can address your professional experience and/or academic performance (excluding relatives)
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A copy of your final field practicum evaluation. If this is not available, please submit a letter of support from a current employer who can attest to your readiness for an advanced field placement.
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Resume or CV (curriculum vitae): please include any volunteer or internship experiences
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Completion of an interview: qualified applicants will be invited to interview with faculty via Zoom
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Submitted Messiah University application
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Official transcript(s) indicating completion (or anticipated completion) of a bachelor's or master's degree. To be considered "official", transcript(s) must be requested and sent directly from a regionally accredited institution(s) attended to gradprograms@messiah.edu.
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Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher; cumulative GPAs < 3.0 will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis
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Statement of Purpose: a 300-500 word statement describing how you have prepared for graduate work, your reasons for applying for this particular graduate program, and how this program will help you meet your professional and educational goals, as well as one area of social work practice about which you are passionate.
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Contact information for two references: please select references who can address your professional experience and/or academic performance (excluding relatives)
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Resume or CV (curriculum vitae); please include any volunteer or internship experiences
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Completion of an interview: qualified applicants will be invited to interview with faculty via Zoom
The degree in the graduate program of social work is completely online. Because of this, the U.S. government does not allow Messiah University to offer an F-1 student visa for entry to the United States in order to study in this program.
However, international students may complete this degree remotely from outside of the United States. If you are applying as a remote student, in addition to the admissions requirements above, international students interested the graduate programs in social work must submit:
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a course-by-course evaluation of all international transcripts
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English proficiency exam: only TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo are accepted
Further information about these requirements is available on the graduate international student page.