Social work How to apply

How to apply

Fulfill the admission requirements:

• The MU School of Social Work accepts applications for the online MSW from students in Missouri and contiguous states (Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois).
• Completed baccalaureate or advanced degree from a regionally accredited institution. For advanced standing, you must have completed a bachelor’s degree in social work within the last seven years at a school that is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate education and for any undergraduate professional social work courses. If your GPA is lower than required, please contact Crystal Null, Student Support Specialist, at nullc@missouri.edu to find out your options for applying.
• Completion of an approved college-level statistics course (e.g., SOC_WK 4310, STAT 1200, STAT 1300, ESC_PS 4170) with a grade of C- or higher. Courses at other institutions are subject to approval by the MSW program director.
• If English is not your native language, you must submit scores for one of the English proficiency exams listed and meet the required sub-scores minimums for each category.
  • Minimum TOEFL sub-scores are reading, 21; listening, 22; speaking, 26; and writing, 23.
  • Minimum IELTS sub-scores are reading, 6.5; listening, 6.5; speaking, 8; and writing, 6.
  • Minimum PTE sub-scores are reading, 58; listening, 58; speaking, 79; and writing, 50.
  • Minimum C1 sub-scores are reading, 176; listening, 176; speaking, 197; and writing, 169.
  • Minimum Duolingo sub-scores are literacy, 115; comprehension, 115; conversation, 125; production, 125.

Gather your papers

Applying will be easier and faster if you gather these required documents beforehand:

• Transcripts of all previous college or university education. Upload unofficial transcripts in your online application and have official transcripts mailed to
  • Office of Graduate Studies
  • 210 Jesse Hall
  • Columbia, MO 65211
• Résumé or CV.
• TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or C1 Advanced score reports for applicants whose native language is not English. For information on sending test scores, visit the Grad School website.
• Three letters of recommendation from professors, employers, supervisors, etc. attesting to your intellectual ability, interpersonal skills, potential for graduate education and potential for professional social work practice. The Graduate School will contact your references with instructions for the letters.
• If you are applying for advanced standing, please submit the most recent copy of your field evaluation. If your program does not have field evaluations, please have the director of field or your supervisor/instructor complete one of your three professional references.
• Personal Statement: Guidelines for the personal statement can be found under Application Materials.
• Visit Mizzou's School of Social Work website for more information regarding the application and admissions.