APPLY
Apply to the Master of Social Work Program
Admissions Requirements
Admission decisions are based on the applicant’s undergraduate record (and graduate transcripts when applicable), experience in human services (paid, volunteer, internships), the application essay, recommendation letters and the admissions interview. Applicants to the MSW program are expected to meet the following criteria:
A bachelor’s degree with a liberal arts perspective from an accredited college or university; or a bachelor’s degree in social work from an accredited undergraduate social work program. It is expected that a liberal arts perspective includes courses reflecting that applicants have backgrounds in several of the following areas:
- society,
- history and tradition,
- arts and letters,
- economics,
- formal reasoning and analysis,
- the living world,
- the physical world, and
- social studies.
Courses that contain these topics include, but are not limited to, a combination of studies in each of the following areas:
- the humanities (languages, philosophy, religion, art history, architecture, literature, classics, speech),
- social sciences (psychology, sociology, anthropology, ethnic studies, gender studies, international relations, human behavior, human development, political science, communications, education, urban planning, criminal justice), and
- natural sciences (statistics, astronomy, biology, botany, environmental studies, genetics, nutritional sciences, physics).
Applicants who do not have a background in liberal arts or social work may be required to take liberal arts courses prior to matriculation or may not be considered for admission.
Application Deadline
Priority consideration is given to applications received by December 1st. All applications must be submitted by February 15th.
The Advanced Standing program begins in the summer term; all other programs begin in the fall term.
Program-Specific Admissions Requirements
All applicants must meet the requirements outlined above. Additional requirements are in place for applicants to the Advanced Standing.
Advanced Standing Program
Applicants for admission to the Advanced Standing Program must have:
- A bachelor’s degree in social work from a CSWE accredited social work program. Completion of the undergraduate degree must be within the past five years;
- The grade of “B” or higher in all undergraduate (or graduate) social work courses;
- High academic achievement, demonstrated competence in field placement, and readiness for graduate-level studies. Work experiences, especially in social services, and significant volunteer experiences such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, are highly valued;
- One letter of recommendation must be from the applicant’s undergraduate field instructor.
Application Components
Online Application
Online Application
Your admissions process begins with submitting your application online. After creating an account to start your application, you will be able to return to your application as many times as you wish before submitting. You can track the status of your application, including the receipt of letters of recommendation and any other supplemental materials, at any time by logging into your account.
Resume
You must submit a resume as part of your online application.
Application Essay
All applicants are required to respond to several questions for their application essay.
Transcripts
Applicants must submit transcripts detailing all undergraduate and postgraduate study via the online application. This includes coursework conducted at an applicant’s degree-granting institution(s) as well as in study abroad programs and at institutions out of which an applicant may have transferred. Applicants should upload copies of their official transcripts (i.e. not screenshots from a student record or student grade system) that clearly display their name, dates of enrollment, the names of all courses in which they enrolled, and the credits and grades awarded for each class. Applicants should not mail hard copies of transcripts to the School for purposes of application review.
ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS:
Transcripts reflecting more than two semesters of study at institutions based outside of the United States must be evaluated on a course-by-course basis by a third-party evaluation service such as WES or Educational Perspectives, or another NACES-accredited member. This applies even if the studies were conducted in English and even if the transcript is printed in English.
Applicants with these international transcripts should upload their university-issued transcripts into the online application and order their official, third-party evaluations sent to the School of Social Policy & Practice. Please note that these international transcripts cannot be considered official until they have been evaluated and that their respective applications cannot be reviewed until the evaluations have arrived in the Admissions Office.
Letters of Recommendation
Full-Time and Part-Time Applicants
Full-time and Part-time applicants must submit three letters of recommendation, including at least one work-related (internship, job, community service) and at least one academic reference. The third recommendation is the applicant’s choice.
Advanced Standing Applicants
Advanced Standing applicants must submit three letters of recommendation, including at least one work-related (internship, job, community service) and at least one academic reference. The third recommendation is the applicant’s choice, but one of the three letters must be from a field placement instructor and specifically recommend the applicant for the Advanced Standing program.
Transfer Applicants
Transfer applicants must submit three letters of recommendation, including at least one work-related (internship, job, community service) and at least one academic reference. At least one academic reference must be from a professor who has taught the applicant in her/his current MSW program.
Test Scores
Applicants are not required to submit GRE scores.
For international students whose first language is not English, we require official TOEFL or IELTS scores taken in the last two years. A minimum of 100 on the Internet-based (iBT) TOEFL or a minimum Overall Band Score of 7.5 on the IELTS is required. TOEFL scores should be sent to Institutional Code 2926 and Department Code 95. IELTS scores cannot be reported electronically; applicants submitting IELTS scores in lieu of TOEFL scores should email official copies of their score reports to apply@sp2.upenn.edu.
The TOEFL/IELTS requirement can be waived for applicants who completed an undergraduate or master’s degree in the United States or in a country in which English is recognized as the official language. Please note that it can take up to one week following application submission for the waiver to be indicated on your application checklist.
Admissions Interview
Video Interview
All students will be asked to complete a recorded video interview prior to submitting the application. You will be asked to record your answer to four questions and will have time to both practice recording and prepare for the questions prior to recording your video interview. We would advise planning to spend approximately 20 minutes distraction-free to complete the recorded video interview process.
You will need to complete the interview portion of the application in either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. You can complete the interview on any laptop or desktop with a functioning webcam and microphone.
Additional Interviews
On occasion, applicants will be asked to interview after application submission. Since your interviewer is responsible for anticipating questions from the faculty reviewer and/or the Admissions Committee who ultimately makes the final decision on your application, there are various reasons an interview may be requested.
Although there is little preparation needed for the interview, you may want to consider the following:
- Review your personal statement and writing sample (if applicable) and be prepared to discuss what you wrote;
- Prepare questions to ask the interviewer;
- Be on time (sign into Zoom a few minutes early);
- Dress professionally (wear what you feel is appropriate for a job interview);
- Consider what you feel you bring to the program;
- Relax and be yourself.
This interview will be with a member of the admissions or academic program staff and last 25 to 40 minutes. At this time, all interviews will occur virtually via Zoom.
Transfer of Credits
Credit may be granted toward the MSW requirements for work completed at any other accredited graduate school of social work in the past five years. Students who transfer from an accredited social work program having completed a full year within the last five years may be granted credit for up to one year’s work. Students entering with a Master’s degree in a related field may be granted up to a maximum of six credits based on the overlap of the courses they have taken with the courses in our curriculum. Students who have completed some graduate work within the past five years but do not have a Master’s degree may be given up to a maximum of four credits for courses that have a high degree of overlap with our courses.
Application for credit for work completed elsewhere than at Penn must be made in writing to the Faculty Director of the MSW program. This should occur after a student has accepted the offer of admission and sent all final official transcripts to the admissions office. Students will be asked to provide the syllabi for all courses they wish to be considered for transfer credit. Transfer credits may only be granted for courses in which a student earned a “B” or higher. Transfer of credits must be granted before the student’s registration can be accepted.
Once enrolled in the School of Social Policy & Practice, credits earned concurrently from other accredited graduate schools outside the University will not be transferred unless approval was granted by the Faculty Director prior to enrolling in these courses.
Confidentiality of Student Records
Pursuant to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, in general, personally identifiable information can be disclosed to people outside the University only with the written consent of the student or alumnus involved. A statement setting forth specific University policy concerning: (1) disclosing information to people outside the University; (2) disclosing information to people within the University; (3) permitting students to inspect and review records; and (4) providing students with the opportunity to seek the collection of their records is available in the Graduate Academic Bulletin. Students in the School of Social Policy & Practice may review their records in the SP2 Admissions Office in the presence of an admissions officer. Records may not be copied. For more information and the complete Code of Academic Integrity, refer to the Graduate Academic Bulletin or the University’s Privacy website.
Technical Standards
The MSW program at SP2 prepares students for professional social work practice. Embarking on the journey to become a professional social worker involves commitment, the ability to accept constructive feedback, self-reflection, and resilience. Penn’s MSW program is fully committed to educating and supporting students as they prepare to enter the profession. In tandem with the ethical responsibilities of the Social Work profession, Penn’s MSW program has established Technical Standards, which focus on academic performance as well as abilities and attributes essential for the profession. It is expected that MSW students entering, progressing through, and graduating from the School of Social Policy & Practice embrace the School’s values of equity, inclusion, and social justice. It is required that MSW students abide by the NASW Code of Ethics.
All MSW students must satisfy the following Technical Standards, with or without reasonable accommodations, for entrance to, continuation in, and graduation from Penn’s MSW Program. These requirements are not exclusive to the classroom; rather they also apply in field placements, in the School and University, as well as in societal context.
Communication
Students must be able to:
- Communicate effectively, responsibly, clearly, and in a timely manner in interactions with other students, faculty, field instructors, staff, clients, and client systems, and other professionals with whom they might come in contact within their student role.
- Use effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills, including the ability to listen objectively and to perceive and interpret nonverbal communication.
- Recognize and respond to emotions.
- Convey information (verbal and written) about clients as needed to direct or counsel them or others involved in their care.
- Communicate clearly through written work in the classroom or field at a level appropriate for the stage of education.
Intellectual and Cognitive Skills
Students must have the ability to:
- Think critically and apply problem-solving skills.
- Acquire knowledge and process experiences to inform practice.
- Demonstrate a willingness to continually reflect on own values, attitudes, beliefs, emotions, biases, current and past experiences, and consider how these factors affect thinking, behavior, interactions, and relationships.
- Take responsibility for actions and consider the impact of these actions on others.
- Be punctual and dependable, prioritize responsibilities, manage time, and attend class and field in accordance with relevant policy.
- Observe deadlines and conscientiously arrange and keep appointments.
- Navigate transportation to attend field and classroom requirements.
- Integrate new and changing information obtained from the classroom and practice environment.
- Accept and integrate into practice constructive feedback received in both the classroom and field settings.
Emotional and Behavioral Readiness
Students must be able to:
- Manage and seek appropriate help to ensure that personal issues do not interfere with professional and academic performance.
- Maintain respectful relationships with peers, faculty, field instructors, staff, clients, and client systems, and other professionals.
Show the capacity to successfully complete required field practicum hours during the semester and meet the required social work competencies in the field and classroom settings.
Deposit
Upon notification of acceptance for admission to the University, you are required to submit a nonrefundable $300 to reserve your spot in the class. The deposit due date is provided with the offer of admission. The deposit will be credited to your account upon matriculation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who makes admissions decisions?
Once the application is complete, the Admissions Committee, composed of members of the standing faculty, makes all admissions decisions. The Committee looks at the applicant’s complete file, i.e., transcripts, human service-related experience, uploaded video interview, letters of recommendation, and the application statement.
How many courses do you take each semester?
Full-time students take four courses a semester. Each class meets one day a week for two and a half hours.
Three-year students and Employed Practitioner students take two courses a semester. Students in these programs must also take two courses in the summer.
What is the structure of the program?
Full-time students are in the classroom two days a week and in field placement three days a week. In the first year of study, students must enroll in required courses. In the second year of study, students choose either a clinical or macro concentration. Students must take at least one of the practice electives in their concentration area.
How many students are in a class?
Our classes are seminar style classes, averaging 25 students. Practice classes are capped at 20 students. This promotes valuable classroom interaction and exchange between faculty and students. In other words, be prepared to participate, raise critical questions, and share your ideas and learning.
What is the size of your MSW class?
In recent years, the incoming class has averaged 150-165 students.
What is the grading system at SP2?
SP2 uses the system of letter grade evaluation that is used by other MA and PhD programs at the University. A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or above is required for MSW graduation.
How are field placements arranged?
Incoming or first year students are sent a placement form from the Director of Field Education after they accept the School’s offer of admission and have paid the $300 deposit fee. Each student is expected to interview at his or her assigned placement before the placement start date. Phone or Zoom interviews are acceptable if it is not geographically possible to have an in-person meeting.
Second year field placement processes begin in January of your first year. Students meet with their Field Liaisons to discuss their educational needs and objectives for their second year. Together they identify potential placements; this information is forwarded to the Field Education Office. The Field Education Office then works to match students with agencies that meet the students’ advanced year educational interests and needs. Again, each student is expected to interview at his or her assigned placement before the placement start date.
How much time is spent in field placement?
Students spend the equivalent of three days a week (21-24 hours) in the field during each of their two academic years. Part-time students may make arrangements to do a 16 hour per week field placement that is extended over 39 weeks; 8 of the 16 field placement hours must be completed during regular business days (Monday – Friday, 8am – 6pm)
Will I need a car for field placement?
No. The Field Education Office takes into consideration whether students have their own car or will require the use of public transportation to their agency. Students who do not have a car are expected to utilize public transportation. We have many field placement sites that are located in close proximity to public transportation. Some placement opportunities do, however, require the use of a car. If you do not have a car it may limit your agency options.
Contact Us