How To I Apply To Colleges For MSW Degree

March 3, 2020 8:17 PM

I am interested in getting my Masters in Social Work. I went to junior college after high school. Since, at that time, I did not feel I could go to a 4 year college, I made no effort to speak with guidance or scholarship counselors. Because of that I am unsure of the process required to get into a Master's program. I did get into a major University through what I would call divine providence. It took very little effort and I did not go through the formal process that is required now.

How and where would I begin? What process do I follow. I have 4 universities that I am interested in. Who can I go to to help me through this process? Application, Financial Aid, Career counseling, and all the necessary paperwork required to enroll? I have a B.A. in History with years as a yoga teacher and farmer's market manager behind me.

posted by goalyeehah to Education (3 answers total)

Most schools have some sort of open house for their program which will include people like financial to talk to. If you can find out when those things are and visit you will likely find the help you need. MSW programs are expensive, financial assistance is pretty slim in the US. Some people use dcfs reimbursement through employment education programs to pay for their education, but you have to work for DCFS which is not easy. This is state dependant.

The programs I'm familiar with accept people from lots of backgrounds, it's not uncommon to go into social work from very different degrees and experiences so don't stress to much about that. Make sure you're write strong essays.
posted by AlexiaSky at 8:45 PM on March 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

The university where you got your B.A. may have a career services office that can assist you with career counseling and at least some of the application process. You may want to review the application section of the website of each university you are interested in to figure out if you need to take the GRE, and sign up for that exam, as well as a review course ASAP, if it is a requirement. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) can be obtained at https://studentaid.gov, but the website is unfortunately down at the moment.
posted by katra at 9:22 PM on March 3, 2020

Best answer: Go to the admissions department for the graduate programs you are considering. They should have someone specifically for the graduate programs (and maybe specifically for the helping professions programs; my school did).

It's important to talk directly to the school you're interested in because they will have different financial aid options, different scheduling options, and different testing options. For example, some schools require GRE for graduate programs but don't require it for the MSW program.

For an MSW in particular, there are internship requirements ("field practicum") that need to be considered when you're choosing a school, and you'll want to know whether they will help you find one, how they help, etc. When I did my MSW I was totally on my own for finding a placement, but other programs have practicum fairs, etc. MSW programs usually follow a cohort model which means admissions may be rolling by semester or quarter. Part time programs are very common as lots of folks come to MSW programs after being in the working world for some time. It is all really specific to the schools in question.

Cliffs notes version: I wouldn't start with your undergrad alma mater if you're already down to four schools. Feel free to MeMail me if you have more specific questions about MSW!
posted by assenav at 8:56 AM on March 4, 2020