PhD Admission Requirements
Admission to the PhD program is limited and determined on a competitive basis. The doctoral faculty of the School, sitting as a committee as a whole, makes admission decisions. All completed applications received by January 15 will be reviewed concurrently for Fall admission. If additional slots are available after that time, applications will be reviewed as received. Criteria used in assessing an applicant’s qualifications include all of the following:
Admission Requirements
- A Master of Social Work degree or related masters is required. Applicants without the MSW must take a minimum of 12 credit hours of MSW course work.
- A minimum grade point average of 3.0 for the final 60 hours of the baccalaureate degree generally will be required. A minimum 3.5 GPA for graduate work will be required.
- A current Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required (this requirement has been suspended for Fall 2012 applicants- the GRE is no longer required). No specific numeric threshold is required; however a typical score for social work PhD applicants exceeds 1200 on three scales. The TOEFL will be required for international students who have English as a second language.
- Three letters of recommendation are required. (Two from individuals with earned doctorates.)
- A professional resume highlighting social work experience is required. There is no specific requirement regarding experience, however, a minimum of two years’ postmasters practice experience is encouraged.
- A writing proficiency sample is required (e.g., previous publication or academic paper).
- A personal interview is required, and if possible, will be arranged at MU. A telephone interview may be utilized in some cases.
