MSW Program Admissions Requirements

Applicants seeking Admission to the MSW Programs must have:

Bachelor of Social Work

All international applicants to the MSW Programs are required to verify their degree equivalencies and eligibility for admission

A cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale

For more information on grading, please visit McGill Grading and Grade Point Averages.

Prerequisite Course Requirements [PLEASE NOTE REVISED DATE FOR COMPLETION OF PREREQUISITE COURSES]

• Completed no later than July 15for a September start date, and at the university-level, the following two prerequisite 3-credit courses (no tutorials or reading courses accepted): Statistics, and Human Development Across the Lifespan. Applicants will be asked to upload their course outlines in their application on uApply. Below is a description of the content for each of these prerequisite courses
• The School of Social Work is not able to review applicant's academic history in advance of an application. Applicants are asked to consult the website and use course descriptions, syllabi and other materials to complete the required forms to the best of their abilities. Successful applicants who are offered admission will be advised of any conditions of acceptance, which may include fulfilling any pre-requisite course requirements.
• All international applicants to the MSW Program are required to verify their degree equivalencies and eligibility for admission.

• Statistics
• Human Development Across the Lifespan

Statistics Course Requirements

One 3-credit Statistics course that should include the following topics:

• Variables, distributions, and scales
• Summary statistics
• Means, standard deviations, cross-tabs, and correlations
• Test hypotheses using bivariate tests of significance
• Confidence intervals
• Bivariate tests of association: t-test, analysis of variance, chi-square
• Graph data

Possible options* for where to take the prerequisite course:

STATISTICS:

Math 203, Psyc 204, Soci 211

Comm 215, Psyc 315, Psyc 204, Soci 212, Soci 213, Stat 250, Econ 221, Geog 362

Soci 301, Math 215

Stat 2126EL 12, Stat 2066EL 13

Sowk 3002v, Psyc 2002

*This is not an exhaustive list; applicants and incoming students are required to locate appropriate courses to fulfill the requirements, as detailed above

Human Development Across the Lifespan Course Requirements

One 3-credit Human Development Across the Lifespan Course that should include the following topics:

• The full span of life from pregnancy/birth to death; courses that concentrate on one phase of development (i.e., child or adolescent or adult development) are not accepted
• Focuses on normative human development; courses that emphasize psychopathology are not accepted
• Preferably, your course covers: theories of human development derived from some of the key scholars (Freud, Piaget, Bowlby, Erickson, Bandura, Kohlberg, Bronfenbrenner)
• And an understanding of the various areas of development and their influence on one another: physical, affective, social, moral, and cognitive
• As well as the ways in which gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, culture etc. may shape one’s development
• Ideally, you should be able to identify developmental risk factors and developmental protective factors and apply the theoretical models to real life situations as a result of having taken this course.

Possible options* for where to take the prerequisite course:

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE LIFESPAN:

Psych 230, Psych 333, AHSC 220

*This is not an exhaustive list; applicants and incoming students are required to locate appropriate courses to fulfill the requirements, as detailed above

For McGill BSW students only

• Those McGill BSW students who receivean exemption from SWRK 224 “Human Development Across the Lifespan” based on an equivalent course taken at CEGEP can now consider this course as meeting the prerequisite for admission into the MSW program provided their grade is 70% or better
• Be sure to (1) retain a copy of your CEGEP transcript to confirm your grade and (2) upload your course syllabus with your MSW application
• PLEASE NOTE: This exemption does not apply to applications to the MSc.A. Couple and Family Therapy program. If you plan to apply to the MSc.A. in Couple and Family Therapy at any point, you must complete a university level Human Development Across the Lifespan course (CEGEP courses are not considered equivalent). There are no exceptions.

• Statistics
• Human Development Across the Lifespan

Statistics Course Requirements

One 3-credit Statistics course that should include the following topics:

• Variables, distributions, and scales
• Summary statistics
• Means, standard deviations, cross-tabs, and correlations
• Test hypotheses using bivariate tests of significance
• Confidence intervals
• Bivariate tests of association: t-test, analysis of variance, chi-square
• Graph data

Possible options* for where to take the prerequisite course:

Comm 215, Psyc 315, Psyc 204, Soci 212, Soci 213, Stat 250, Econ 221, Geog 362

Soci 301, Math 215

Stat 2126EL 12, Stat 2066EL 13

Sowk 3002v, Psyc 2002

*This is not an exhaustive list; applicants and incoming students are required to locate appropriate courses to fulfill the requirements, as detailed above

Human Development Across the Lifespan Course Requirements

One 3-credit Human Development Across the Lifespan Course that should include the following topics:

• The full span of life from pregnancy/birth to death; courses that concentrate on one phase of development (i.e., child or adolescent or adult development) are not accepted
• Focuses on normative human development; courses that emphasize psychopathology are not accepted
• Preferably, your course covers: theories of human development derived from some of the key scholars (Freud, Piaget, Bowlby, Erickson, Bandura, Kohlberg, Bronfenbrenner)
• And an understanding of the various areas of development and their influence on one another: physical, affective, social, moral, and cognitive
• As well as the ways in which gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, culture etc. may shape one’s development
• Ideally, you should be able to identify developmental risk factors and developmental protective factors and apply the theoretical models to real life situations as a result of having taken this course.

Possible options* for where to take the prerequisite course:

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE LIFESPAN:

Psych 230, Psych 333, AHSC 220

*This is not an exhaustive list; applicants and incoming students are required to locate appropriate courses to fulfill the requirements, as detailed above

Admission to the MSW/BCL/JD Joint Degree Program

Applicants must meet the admission requirements for the MSW Non-Thesis program and the integrated BCL/JD program. A negative response from one program does not mean an automatic refusal from the other. For the BCL/JD joint degree program admission requirements, refer to the Faculty of Law MSW with integrated BCL/JD degree site .

Additional Admissions Information

• Admission is only for the Fall Semester; if an applicant selects a term other than Fall, the University will not refund the application fee.
• The language of instruction in the classroom is English, however, students are expected to be functional in French (comprehension, spoken, and written) for the field placement component of the program. Please note that the School of Social Work has a limited number of field placements for students who are not functionally bilingual. Students without proficiency in French will have limited local options and will likely need to complete their field placement in an out-of-province setting in the spring/summer semester.
• The McGill School of Social Work does not accept Special Student applications.
• The School of Social Work is not able to review applicant's academic history in advance of an application. Applicants are asked to consult the website and use course descriptions, syllabi and other materials to complete the required forms to the best of their abilities. Successful applicants who are offered admission will be advised of any conditions of acceptance, which may include fulfilling any pre-requisite course requirements.
• Internationalstudents must have the necessary Immigration Documents to study in Canada. International students must obtain a Co-Op/Internship Work Permit through the Canadian government, alongside their student visa. Students should also refer to the website for International Students at McGill .
• All international applicants to the MSW Non-Thesis, Thesis, and MSW/BCL/JD programs are required to verify their degree equivalencies and eligibility for admission.
• Some students might be required to demonstrate an adequate level of English proficiency prior to admission to McGill School of Social Work. Please refer to the University’s English Language Proficiency for more information.
• The language of instruction for most courses at McGill University is English. Students do have the option to submit writing in French. For more information, please refer to theMcGill Language Policy.
• With McGill’s Aboriginal Admissions Protocol, Indigenous students can submit additional documentation that would be considered as part of their application to McGill. Prospective First Nations, Inuit, or Métis students should identify themselves as such when filling out their application, which allows them to take advantage. For more information, please visit the First People’s House website. Students can also contact the Indigenous Access McGill Program for support in applying.
• Saviez-vous qu'une personne-ressource est à votre disposition pour vous écouter et vous aider? Visitez l’Adjointe aux étudiants francophones de première année.