Application Instructions
Please read the entire application instructions BEFORE completing the forms
DUE DATE: NOVEMBER 1st
Packet consists of the following:
NEW APPLICANT
NOTE: THIS IS A TWO STEP PROCESS
- You must apply to become a graduate student at the University of Utah. Go to the U of U Graduate Admissions Application ONLINE at the U of U website at www.utah.edu. Access the Admissions listing, choose graduate and then application. This must be done as soon possible before submitting the Social Work application. There is a fee that needs to be paid when you apply or your application will not be processed. PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY. You will also need to send official transcripts from ALL the schools you have attended even if you transferred to the U from another school. For any questions call the Graduate Admissions office at 581-7283.
- After you apply to the U of U Graduate Admissions Office for graduate student status, YOU MUST ALSO APPLY to the College of Social Work. The College of Social Work application form must be mailed or delivered WITH THE APPROPRIATE PAPERS BY NOVEMBER 1 to the University of Utah, College of Social Work Admissions Office (395 South 1500 East, Rm 331, SLC, UT 84112-0260, ATTN: MSW ADMISSIONS). A completed application consists of an MSW application, prerequisite form, liberal arts statement, autobiographical sketch, and four letters of reference.
Checklist for forms to be submitted to the College of Social Work by Nov 1:
- College of Social Work Application
- Prerequisite Form
- Autobiographical Sketch (Described on page 2 of the MSW application)
- Liberal Arts Statement (Described on page 2 of the MSW application)
- Scholarship Form (Deadline for this is officially March 15, but it can also be submitted with your MSW application papers)
**NOTE: Scholarship application goes to another person listed on form** - Four letters of reference due by November 1st (If you wish to send these reference forms with your application, the individual writing them must seal them in an envelope and initial the back of the seal)
RE-APPLICATION PROCESS
**If it has been longer than TWO years since you last applied, you MUST apply as a new applicant. See instructions above for new applicant.**
Submit the following to the University of Utah Graduate Admissions Office:
- A new application for admission plus the fee
- Official transcripts with proof of baccalaureate degree, if these were not available at the time of your first application. If application was made prior to one year ago, a complete new set of transcripts will need to be submitted. Call the Graduate Admissions office at 581-7283 to determine if the transcripts previously submitted are still on file and for any questions regarding readmission to the Graduate Admissions Office.
Submit the following to the College of Social Work Admissions Office for reapplication:
- A new College of Social Work Application
- At least two new reference letters. You can ask the same individuals previously used; HOWEVER, their reference forms/letters need to be new ones.
- A one to two page updated autobiographical sketch
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: Please contact the University International Student Admissions Office at (801) 581-3091 for information regarding the TOEFL, Health Statement and other pertinent information needed.
NOTIFICATION: Admission status will be announced between December 1st and June 1st. It is the applicant's responsibility to check with the Social Work Admissions Office to determine whether the application is complete. Please call after March 1st. Applicants who do not hear from the committee by April 30th may call the Admissions Office after that date to check on the status of their application. Applicants should communicate directly with the Social Work Admissions Office at 581-4908.
If you are a successful candidate and are admitted to the College of Social Work, you must remit a $50 non-refundable deposit and a Letter of Intent to Dr. Larry L. Smith, MSW Director, at the College of Social Work to confirm your intent within two weeks after receiving your acceptance letter. This deposit will ensure that a position will be held for you in the program. If for some reason, you will not be able to attend once admitted into the program, your admittance will NOT be deferred or your deposit returned. You will have to reapply for the following year.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If the $50 deposit is NOT received within two weeks or we do not hear from you after receiving your admittance letter, your position will be given to another applicant.
DECISIONS: Decisions are based on the professional judgment of the Social Work Admissions Committee. If you have questions or wish to appeal the committee's decision regarding your application, please address your concerns IN WRITING to the Dean of the College of Social Work.
GPA Information: In order to be accepted into any graduate program, the University of Utah requires a minimum GPA of 3.0 for
one or more of the following conditions:
- For the last 90 graded quarter hours or 60 graded semester hours of undergraduate work;
- For a second earned degree; or
- A minimum of 30 hours of post-graduate work.
If your GPA does not meet these standards, either the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogy Test (MAT) ARE REQUIRED IN ORDER FOR YOUR APPLICATON TO BE COMPLETE. Contact the Testing Center at 581-8744 for further information on these tests. The results of these exams should be mailed to the College of Social Work Admissions Office PRIOR to the application deadline. (Please note that it is unlikely that the Graduate Admissions Committee will consider a GPA under 2.8 for admission, even with a strong GRE or MAT score).
SOCIAL WORK DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 1
LIBERAL ARTS STATEMENT INFORMATION
A. Purpose and Values of Social Work
The social work profession is concerned with the well being of individuals, groups, organizations, communities and societies. Social work seeks to prevent and ameliorate social programs and to promote social justice. Specifically, the profession strives to: (1) enhance the functioning of individuals, groups, organizations and communities; (2) address and remedy personal and organization dysfunction; (3) advocate on behalf of human societal issues and implement social policies to address these needs; and (4) develop, evaluate and contribute to on-going professional knowledge development.
Attaining of these professional purposes is enhanced by consistent adherence to the following social work values (1) belief in the worth and dignity of people; (2) respect for and acceptance of the uniqueness of diverse populations; (3) support of client rights to self-determination; and (4) facilitation of client access to humane and responsive resources.
B. Importance of the "Liberal Arts" Foundation to Social Work Education
An undergraduate liberal arts foundation is requisite to the preparation of students for graduate social work education. The graduate social work curriculum is conceptualized and structured to build upon a solid liberal arts foundation which includes academic exposure to content in such subject areas as English and other languages, literature, history, humanities, communication, social and behavioral sciences, philosophy, fine arts, mathematics, and human biological and physical sciences. Admissions criteria require a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college.
C. Rational for the "Liberal Arts Foundation
The College of Social Work curriculum facilitates continued study and understanding of the uniqueness and diversity of the many consumers with whom social workers interact professionally. These consumers include individuals, couples, families, small groups, agencies, organizations, communities and societies.
The graduate social work curriculum emphasizes the importance of the interrelatedness of individuals and the environments in which they function. Of equal importance is the implementation of appropriate interventions to address and ameliorate problems at individual, family, group, agency, organization and/or societal levels.
Preparation for graduate social work is enhanced by students' integration of undergraduate liberal arts course content. These courses promote student understanding of their own cultural heritage in the context of other cultures. They also enhance understanding of the complexities of societies, collaborative problem solving, and critical thinking.
Applicants for the graduate social work program are expected to provide evidence of their understanding and integration of the following:
Social Work Values Impacting Individuals
- Understanding the uniqueness of people as individuals and their shared, collective human qualities;
- Awareness of the multiple determinants of human behavior;
- and respect for human dignity and diversity.
Social Work Values Impacting Societies
- Commitment to the common good and humane action to alleviate suffering;
- Understanding the values that have influenced the development of human civilization;
- Appreciation of culture as art, literature, humanities, writing, languages, history, philosophy, mathematics and science;
- Understanding of social conditions and problems affecting diversified cultural groups and societies;
- Commitment to enhancement of human rights and social and economic justice;
- Understanding of the interrelatedness of local, state, national and global social problems;
- Commitment to social work's responsibility in addressing local, state, national and global social issues
Personal Preparation and Readiness for Professional Social Work Education
- Understanding and appreciation of the importance of scientific inquiry and critical thinking.
- Assessment of applicant's life experiences and readiness for professional social work education.
D. Assessment of "Liberal Arts" Studies and Integration of Content for Consideration of Admission to the MSW Program
Important criteria for admission to the MSW Program include: (1) a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university or college; (2) completion of liberal arts studies in the undergraduate or other graduate program; (3) demonstration of learning acquired from liberal arts studies; and (4) an assessment of applicant's life experiences and readiness for professional social work education.
In order to satisfy these requirements students must complete an autobiographical sketch and a liberal arts background statement.
Note: In writing the liberal arts statement, applicants may choose to describe those courses in the humanities, social sciences, human biological sciences, and the behavioral sciences that enriched their undergraduate education. Refer to the Liberal Arts Background" information on the second page of the MSW Application for Admission.
COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK FIELD PRACTICUM INFORMATION
Practicum is an integral part of the social work curriculum. All students are expected to complete the clock hours, learning objectives and social work practice requirements for first and second year practicum placements. Students complete each field practicum in a community agency under the direct supervision of a qualified social work practitioner. Placements are assigned by the MSW Field Education Director and coordinators taking into account the employment, volunteer, and life experiences that provide the foundation for each student's individual learning and professional development.
In order to understand the ways in which social work concepts and activities impact populations, students are expected to be in placement during regular agency business hours (usually Monday and Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm) when professional social workers and administrators are most likely to be available for coordination, collaboration and supervision. It is also expected that all assignments and clock hours are completed at the practicum site (the defined practicum site may include multiple agencies and/or community home visits).
Each affiliated agency and supervising social work practitioner (Clinical Instructor) has been evaluated by the CSW. The agency mission, scope of services, funding sources, staffing, client populations, levels of supervision, and learning opportunities are assessed in relation to professional accreditation standards established y the Council on Social Work Education. Criteria for agency selection includes the agency's mission to serve diverse clients and populations at risk and its commitment to promoting economic and social justice within the ethics and values of the profession. Concurrently, assessment is made of the credentials, experience, educator ability and professionalism of the MSW professionals who elect to directly supervise student learning as University designated Clinical Instructors.
The MSW Field Education Director, Practicum Coordinators, Clinical Instructors, students, other campus faculty and administrators work together in the educational process. Information regarding student needs and progress will be shared among these individuals as necessary to optimize student learning.
****IMPORTANT NOTICE****
DIFFERENTIAL TUITION
In the Fall Semester of 2003, the College of Social Work began assessing a Per Credit Hour differential tuition charge. This charge is based every year on the increase rate of the University of Utah tuition fees for all MSW students. This differential tuition charge is IN ADDITION to the regular tuition charge for graduate school. The differential tuition increase is designed to offset the costs of professional education and is used by all professional programs on campus.
FOUR YEAR DAY MSW PROGRAM OPTION
For the past ten years, the College of Social Work has offered students admitted to the two-year full time day MSW program the option of completing the program over a four year period. This is accomplished by completing the first- year course work the first year, the first year field placement the second-year, the second year course work the third year, and the second-year field placement the fourth year. If you are admitted to the two year full time day program and you are interested in the pursuing this four year option, please contact Dr. Larry L. Smith, the MSW Director at 581-5103 for further information.
