Social Work
University of Mississippi

General Admission Information

Prospective students should understand that admission to the Master of Social Work Program is competitive, limited in number, and dependent upon the availability of faculty. Meeting the requirements below does not guarantee admission.

Admission Requirements (Regular and Advanced Standing Programs)

In addition to meeting regular Graduate School requirements of a bachelor degree, and completed online application, students seeking Regular admission to the Master of Social Work Program must meet or submit the following:

  • Completion of 3 hours in each of the following undergraduate liberal arts courses: English composition, history, political science, statistics, psychology, sociology, human biology and 9 hours of electives in the social or behavioral sciences.

Students seeking admission to the MSW program must complete a Graduate School application online. This application will require the following:

  • Resume
  • Personal and Professional Statement
  • Essay/ Writing Sample
      • Please submit a writing sample from your undergraduate career or a or a recent publication (e.g., practice report for your profession) that showcases your writing as well as critical thinking. Topics related to social work are encouraged, but not required. 
  • Three letters of recommendation–
      • You will submit contact information for three people who will be contacted by the Graduate School and asked for a recommendation. Please note that it is your responsibility to make sure these recommendations are submitted.  Please check your application regularly to make sure the letters are submitted by your recommenders. We recommend you ask:
    1. Previous professor or instructor
    2. Current supervisor or professional
    3. One other professional contact, work associate, or professor/instructor
      *If you have graduated with a BSW in the past 12 months, one of these references must include your previous field placement supervisor.

Application deadline (Regular and Advanced Standing): April 1.

Admission Requirements (Advanced Standing)

The application deadline for Advanced Standing is April 1.

In addition to the requirements above, students seeking admission to the Advanced Standing Program for the Master of Social Work must meet the following:

  • 3.0 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework or 3.0 Overall GPA
  • Completion of Bachelor of Social Work degree from a CSWE accredited program within the last five years

Financial aid and scholarship information may be found on the Graduate School website and on the Social Work website.