MSW Admission Requirements

To apply please submit the following to the Office of Graduate Admissions: [1]

• Application for Graduate Admission
• Official transcripts from a completed baccalaureate degree awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional accreditation body
• Application Fee
• Three professional letters of recommendation (If possible: one from an academic advisor, one additional academic reference, and one employer reference) (Waived for KU BSW Holders)
• Personal and Social Issues Essay** (Waived for KU BSW Holders)
• TOEFL scores (international students only; score of at least 550 required-paper version/ 79 for Internet-based test)

[1] Please consult the Office of Graduate Admissions at (610) 683-4200 or via Graduate@Kutztown.edu for further details and deadlines related to the general application process. Online applications are accepted.

Successful graduate and undergraduate social work education depend heavily on an understanding and application of liberal arts and sciences. We ask you to examine your undergraduate transcript and make a list of the courses found in the following areas:

• A course in human biology
• Any courses in the social and behavioral sciences (i.e. psychology, anthropology, sociology). At least nine credits are expected in this area.
• Course content in American government, Macroeconomics, Literature, Philosophy, and English composition
• A course in Statistics - Please note your successful completion of an undergraduate course in descriptive and inferential statistics. Introductory applied statistics courses in business and the social and behavioral sciences meet this requirement. No applicant will be denied admission because of lack of college statistics. However, it is required the course be completed before student enrollment.

No applicant will be denied admission because of incomplete liberal arts coursework. However, applicants may be asked to complete one or more of these courses before enrollment.

The personal narrative statement includes the following two elements:

• In a two-page essay, discuss a current social problem which has an international impact. Describe the problem and develop solutions for alleviating that problem and preventing its occurrence in the future.
• In a three-page statement, please explain the role you expect your graduate studies to play in your professional and personal development. Be sure to state your employment history and goals as well as your personal motivation. Note your strengths and needs as a graduate student of social work.

Students may transfer up to 9 credits of foundation level coursework completed at a CSWE accredited Master of Social Work program prior to enrollment into their foundation year of studies. These credits must have program approval; student interview and examination of the course description and syllabi are required. In the advanced year of studies, students may transfer credits as electives that have been taken at other regionally-accredited institutions of higher learning that are approved for transfer to Kutztown University by the student's academic advisor, the MSW Program Director and the Graduate Dean. No more than 9 credits total may be transferred. No graduate course for which a grade of less than "B" or its equivalent was earned may be accepted as transfer credit in the College of Graduate Studies. If approved, the credit hours transfer as neutral credits only. The course number and description of the transferred course are recorded on the student's transcript; however, the grade received is not recorded or used in the computation of the QPA (Quality Point Average).