MSW Applicant Information Guide

Social Work offers Fall (September) Admission only, with the following Deadline: December 1APPLY NOW

This application information guide is intended to assist you through the application process.

Complete applications (see Section II: Application Requirements for All Applicants) must be submitted online to the Faculty of Graduate Studies, with the application fee, by the above deadline. Applications submitted after the deadline and/or, applications for which the fee has not been paid, will not be considered.

Please refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Faculty of Social Work websites for information about scholarships and awards available to social work students.

I. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL MSW APPLICANTS

a. Possession of a BSW degree (by June 30th of the application year) from an accredited university which is recognized by the University of Manitoba.

b. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) is required in the last 60 credit hours of university study at the point of application.

If courses have been taken subsequent to the degree as a Special Student and/or Occasional Student and/or in a subsequent degree or Pre-Master’s program, they will be calculated into the grade point average as part of the last 60 credit hours.

Courses not completed by January 15 of the application year will not be considered. Only official grades from transcripts from all attended post-secondary educational institutions, at the point of application, will be included in the calculation of GPA.

Note: Failure to disclose relevant facts and/or submission of false information or documentation may result in acceptance and registration being withdrawn. If discovered in a subsequent session it may result in dismissal from the University.

Page 1 of 6 Faculty of Social Work MSW Application GuideUpdated: September 2020

The Faculty of Social Work Educational Equity InitiativeThe purpose of the Educational Equity Initiative is to achieve equality in professional education so that no person shall be denied educational opportunities or benefits for reasons unrelated to ability. In fulfillment of this goal, the aim is to correct the conditions of disadvantage in professional education experienced by Canadian Aboriginal peoples, LGBTTQ, persons with disabilities, immigrants and refugees to Canada and persons who are, because of their race or colour, a visible minority in Canada. Giving effect to the principle of educational equity means more than treating persons in the same way, but also requires special measures and the accommodation of difference. (Adapted from the Canadian Employment Equity Act.)

To qualify under this initiative, applicants must identify themselves at the point of application using the definitions below.

Definitions of Educational Equity Priority Groups

Canadian Aboriginal Peoples - Aboriginal peoples are all indigenous people of Canada including: First Nations, Métis, Dene and Inuit.

LGBTTQ - LGBTTQ are persons who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, two-spirited, queer or questioning.

Visible Minorities - Persons other than Aboriginal Peoples who are, because of their colour, a visible minority in Canada.

Immigrants - Immigrants are those who do not record Canadian citizenship by birth, and whose native tongue is not English.

Refugees - A refugee is an individual who has left his/her country of residence because of persecution for belonging to a particular social, cultural, religious and/or national group, and/or for holding particular political beliefs and has been accepted for residence in Canada.

Persons with Disabilities - Persons with disabilities are those who would consider themselves disadvantaged by reason of any physical, intellectual, mental, sensory or learning impairment.

Eligibility consideration under the Educational Equity Initiative for applicants with less than a 3.0 grade point average:

a. If you have identified yourself at point of application as a member of one or more of the Educational Equity priority groups, and have a grade point average between 2.50 to 2.99, you will be required to submit an additional form and your application will be reviewed for special consideration. Applicants with grade point averages below 2.50 will not be considered.

b. Special consideration applications, as any other applications, will be scored on their non-academic components: paid and unpaid work experience (see Section III for more information)

Page 2 of 6 Faculty of Social Work MSW Application GuideUpdated: September 2020

c. The Graduate Admissions Committee refers all Educational Equity Initiative applications to the Educational Equity (EE) Committee, which will request additional information from applicants. The EE committee reviews each EE application and makes a recommendation to the Graduate Admissions Committee. The Graduate Admissions Committee will make a recommendation to the Dean of the Faculty of Social Work. The final decision on admission rests with the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

II. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL APPLICANTS

There are a limited number of spots available in the MSW program; the possession of minimum qualifications does not guarantee admission.

1. Completed application for graduate admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

2. Application fee. The Faculty of Graduate Studies WILL NOT process ANY application without the application fee also being submitted. Applications are considered incomplete if the application fee has not been paid by the deadline.

3. Copies of official transcripts and degree certificate (if applicable) from all post-secondary attendance. If admitted, official transcripts must be forwarded directly to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Transcripts stamped “Student Copy” or “Issued to Student” are not considered an official transcript, but are accepted for assessment and provisional admission.

4. Paid/Volunteer Work History forms (if applicable). Part of the online application. Relevant social work experience (paid / volunteer) is not a requirement to apply to the MSW program.  Please note, that although it is not a requirement to apply, the Graduate Admissions Committee does assess any experience and points are assigned to all relevant social work experience. 

5. Two recommendations (references) related to paid work and/or voluntary work experience are required. One reference must be completed by the applicant’s most recent employer or supervisor of paid work experience. The recommendation forms are part of the online application. Where an applicant does not have work or volunteer experience, two recommendations must be submitted by persons whom the applicant feels can address the questions asked on the recommendation form. Part of the online application.

6. Identification with an Educational Equity Initiative priority group (if applicable) (optional). Part of the online application.

7. Area of Specialization Statement. Part of the online application.

8. English Language Test Score. Applicants who do not hold secondary school diplomas and/or Page 3 of 6 Faculty of Social Work MSW Application GuideUpdated: September 2020

university degrees from one of the countries listed on the exemption list are required to submit an acceptable English Language Test Score.

NOTES:

1. The above documentation is required as part of the application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that ALL the required documentation is received in the Faculty of Graduate Studies by the deadline date. Receipt of any of the above documentation after the deadline constitutes a late application and will not be considered.

2. Applicants convocating in February, or later, of the year of application, must submit a special letter from their home university and/or faculty indicating that the applicant will meet the degree requirements (be in possession of their BSW degree) by June 30 of the application year.

3. Supplementary information is not accepted, and will NOT be used in the committee’s decision (e.g. CV, resume, certificates, etc.)

III. SELECTION PROCESS

1. The following is assessed in the selection process:

a. Grade point average. Maximum 45 pointsb. Duration and relevance of paid/unpaid work experience. Maximum 40 points

Relevance and duration of work experience will be determined by the Graduate Admissions Committee from the information provided in the work and/or volunteer history statements.

Points for the duration of work experience will be scored using the following chart:

Years Points5+ 40

3 - <5 301 - <3 20

0> - <1 100 0

Relevant experience, whether paid or unpaid, is defined by the Faculty for the purposes of admission as:“The involvement in programs and activities designed to enhance people’s development and well being.  This includes the planning, organization, development, and administration of programs for, and the provision of direct service to, people.  The human service field includes, but is not limited to, the following seven areas: 1) personal social services, 2) health, 3) education, 4) housing, 5) income and economic development, 6) justice and public safety, 7) community organization 

Page 4 of 6 Faculty of Social Work MSW Application GuideUpdated: September 2020

and/or community development and/or advocacy work.”  Adapted, with amendments from Barker, Robert L (1991). The Social Work Dictionary, 2nd Ed. Washington, D.C.: NASW Press.

All work experience will be assessed for Social Work relevance according to the process described below.

Tier I Working in the capacity and having the responsibilities of a social worker including a range of professional functions including assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation. Work experience assessed as Tier I will be scored at 100% of its duration.

Tier II Working in a social service setting fulfilling a more limited range of responsibilities than Tier I, including, but not limited to: residential case worker, Child and Family Services support worker, case aide and research interviewer. Work experience assessed as Tier II will be scored at 50% of its duration.

Tier III Working in a human service capacity as defined by relevant work experience that falls outside the definitions of Tier I and II. Work experience assessed as Tier III will be scored at 25% of its duration.

c. Educational Equity (EE) Initiative - (if identified at point of application). 10 points will be assigned to each EE applicant who is within 10 points of the cutoff in the selection process.

Total: Maximum 85 pointsThe following two items are required but not scored:

d. Area of Specialization Statement.

e. Two letters of recommendation.

2. Applications are reviewed and scored by Faculty members.

3. Applicants will be advised if a Faculty Advisor is not available in the applicant’s area of interest. The Faculty also reserves the right to reject an application when an advisor cannot be assigned. Faculty Areas of Interest may be found on the Faculty’s website.

4. Applicants will be notified by email regarding the status of their application.

5. If accepted, Educational Equity priority group applicants can request an interview to articulate needs and supports, and to assist the Faculty in advance planning with reference to these needs.

6. The Faculty of Social Work undertakes to ensure that persons admitted to the Faculty, and the profession, have not engaged in behavior that is regarded as physically and mentally harmful to others. In this regard, all applicants offered admission will be required to submit

Page 5 of 6 Faculty of Social Work MSW Application GuideUpdated: September 2020

a Criminal Record Statement and a Child Abuse Registry Check or a Vulnerable Sector Search (for a record of those registered as an offender). These documents are required AFTER a formal offer of admission has been made by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

The Faculty reserves the right, based on its findings, to interview all applicants selected for admission with an assurance of confidentially regarding same. The existence of such a record will not automatically exclude the applicant, but the Graduate Admissions Committee may declare a candidate ineligible based on its findings.

IV. RECONSIDERATION

Applicants who believe that a procedural error has been made may request reconsideration of the decision by submitting a written request to the Chairperson of the Social Work Graduate Admissions Committee. Requests for reconsideration must be made within ten (10) working days of the date indicated on the letter from the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Page 6 of 6 Faculty of Social Work MSW Application GuideUpdated: September 2020