MSW Admission Criteria

The following criteria will be considered during the 2020 application review process:

1. Undergraduate Preparation including GPA

  • The Graduate School sets a 3.0 as the minimum GPA for admission to master’s programs at UNC Charlotte and requires students to provide copies of unofficial transcripts for all institutions the applicant has attended. Applicants with GPAs below 3.0 can still be considered for admission. In this case, the Admissions Committee searches for other evidence of the potential to be successful in MSW coursework – Examples: High GRE scores, extensive work experience). Applicants should keep in mind that the process is a competitive one.
  • Applicants must have an undergraduate degree in a liberal arts or sciences area in order to be eligible to apply to the program. Examples include, but are not limited to: psychology, sociology, political science, human services, business, criminal justice, communications.

2. GRE Scores

Applicants must submit GRE scores unless they have met one of the following criteria:

  • Earned doctoral degree from an institution in the United States
  • Cumulative undergraduate (bachelor’s) GPA of 3.5 or above at the time of application to the 1 year – Advanced Standing plan of study
  • Cumulative undergraduate (bachelor’s) GPA of 3.25 or above at the time of application to the 2 or 3 year plans of study

Applicants who have met one of the above criteria will receive a GRE waiver once they have submitted their application with supporting documentation, enabling the Graduate School to verify that one of the above conditions has been met.

Applicants who hold a master’s degree may be eligible for a GRE waiver. Applicants who wish to be considered for a GRE waiver related to an earned master’s degree should contact the Graduate School regarding this request.

The School of Social Work considers the competitiveness of GRE scores:

  • Scores in the 50th percentile or higher in the verbal section, 30th percentile or higher in the quantitative section, and a 3.5 or higher in the writing section would be considered competitive.
  • When an applicant’s scores in either the verbal or quantitative sections of the GRE are below the 30th percentile, the Admissions Committee searches for other evidence of the potential to be successful in MSW coursework – Examples: High undergraduate grades in writing, statistics, and/or research courses.

3. Recommendations

  • Three electronic recommendation forms must be completed by faculty members and/or human service professionals such as social workers and volunteer supervisors.
  • Advanced Standing applicants are encouraged to have their BSW Program Director or BSW Field Director (or equivalent role) submit a recommendation.
  • When submitting the recommendation forms, space will be provided for recommenders to upload a letter of support. Letters of support are helpful in the review process but optional.

4. Relevant Volunteer and/or Paid Experience

  • Applicants are required to upload their resumes to the application system
  • The School of Social Work considers the applicant’s familiarity with the social work field, leadership contributions, commitment to social justice/advocacy efforts, and the extent of community engagement (i.e. – length of commitment, types of activities, populations served) as described in the applicant’s resume and Statement of Purpose.

5. Statement of Purpose – 2020 applicants

  • Discuss (a) why you are interested in obtaining an MSW, (b) what population(s) or social problems you are interested in, (c) your reasons for seeking admission to the UNC Charlotte MSW Program specifically, and (d) what you specifically hope to learn about in the program that you don’t know now.
  • Describe a social, economic, or environmental challenge the Charlotte region or North Carolina is facing and discuss a role social workers might play in addressing this challenge.
  • Discuss (a) a challenging educational or professional situation you have experienced, (b) steps did you take to navigate this situation, and (c) how your actions affected you and others in the situation.
  • Tell us about a professional or academic situation in the last 2 years when you received corrective feedback from a supervisor that you were not expecting. Discuss how you personally processed this feedback and also how you specifically responded.
  • 3 year Part-time Program Applicants Only – Describe your current schedule of work and home life family commitments. Describe how you anticipate this schedule changing in order to accommodate monthly classes on Saturdays and 16 hours per week (typically Monday-Fridays from 8am-5pm) of field placement during years 2 and 3 of the program.
  • Optional – Describe any extenuating circumstances that may have affected past academic performance and/or anything else you think it is important for the application reviewers to know when reviewing your application.

General Note: Academic credit is not given in the program for life experience, nor is life experience part of the admission decision making process.

Note to International Applicants: The UNC Charlotte Graduate School requires additional materials be submitted by international applicants such as TOEFL or IELTS scores. Please read more about these requirements at: http://gradadmissions.uncc.edu/international-applicants.