School of Social Work
MSW Admissions
MSW Admission Requirements
General Program
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university that reflects a broad background with coursework in the liberal arts and social and behavioral sciences.
- An overall undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 2.7 and a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) for the last two years of undergraduate study
- Work experience or volunteer experience in human services, while not required, is highly desirable.
Admission Requirements for Advanced Standing Program
- A Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from an undergraduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. No other degree or major meets the requirements for advanced standing status.
- An overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and a 3.3 GPA in social work courses.
- Either one year of post-BSW work experience in social work or three years of work experience prior to earning a BSW/
Application Deadlines
| General Program: |
February 15 for the following September |
| Advanced Standing: |
December 15 for the following May |
All applications and supporting materials must be received by deadline. We urge you to apply well before deadline as we receive more applications than are spaces available. Your application will not be reviewed until we have received all of the required materials, and it is your responsibility to ensure that your file is complete.
All application materials should be sent to:
The Graduate School
ATTN: Patricia Kenney
Salem State College
Sullivan Building
352 Lafayette Street
Salem, MA 01970
Application Checklist
MSW Program
- Completed application form [PDF 104KB]
- $35.00 application fee
- Personal Statement
- 3 letters of reference
- Transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate programs attended
- Resume
- Results of Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
- Results of Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if you are an applicant for whom English is not a first language. (Applicants who take the TOEFL are NOT exempt from the MAT or GRE.)
Advanced Standing Program
- All of the materials listed above
- BSW Field Evaluation Form [PDF 84KB]
- Interview with Admissions Committee
Personal Statement
The personal statement should be a carefully and thoughtfully prepared statement of 4 pages that demonstrates your writing abilities and critical thinking skills. Please incorporate into your statement all of the following:
- Development of your interest in the field of social work
- Role of work or volunteer experience in social work settings as part of your professional development and value system
- Discussion of your experience working with diverse populations in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation
- Readiness to commit to an advanced degree in social work at this time
- Career plans after completion of MSW degree
Transfer Credit
A maximum of 30 credits earned as a matriculated student at another accredited school of social work may be considered for transfer to Salem State College. In order for us to make a decision about transfer credit, you must submit all of the following items, which will be evaluated by our Program Coordinator:
- official transcripts
- course descriptions
- course syllabus
We require that transfers submit a letter stating that they are in good academic and professional standing at the school from which they wish to transfer. For students who have completed field education requirements, a copy of the field evaluation must be submitted. An interview is required for all students who were matriculated at another school of social work.
Non-matriculating Credits
A maximum of 9 non-matriculating credits from another graduate program can be considered for transfer. The following items must be submitted for evaluation:
- transcripts
- course descriptions
- course syllabus
Students must have earned a grade of B or better and the content of the course must be equivalent to one of our courses in order to be considered for transfer credit.
Letters of Reference
Letters of reference help the Admissions Committee assess your potential for graduate study in social work. The most useful references include those from:
- undergraduate or graduate professors
- supervisors from work, internships or volunteer experiences related to social work or human services
We strongly recommend not using friends or family members as a reference.
Testing Requirements
As part of your admission requirements, you must submit the results of either the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Since these two tests are very different in format and content, we recommend you carefully review each test to determine which one is most compatible with your strengths.
Both of these tests are administered at test sites throughout the country. Additional information about other test sites, testing schedules, test content, and registration can be accessed online or by phone:
When you take your test, you will be asked to indicate the college code of the school to which test results should be sent.
The MAT is administered at Salem State College twice weekly while classes are in session. To register for the MAT at Salem, call 978-542-6147.
It is important to register for testing well in advance of the application deadline. It takes approximately three weeks for test results to be processed.
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