Programs
Graduate
Application Instructions
Criteria | Decisions | Liberal Arts Requirements | Transferring to WMU
All applicants must complete two applications, one for graduate admissions through the Western Michigan University Admissions Department and the other for admission to the MSW program through the School of Social Work Kalamazoo campus or the Grand Rapids Regional Center.
A. Western Michigan University Admissions Department
- Complete the online Graduate Application OR online International Student Application,
- Submit a nonrefundable $40 fee ($100 fee for international students),
- A sealed, official transcript from each institution previously attended (except WMU. Note: order two copies, one for the University and one for the School of Social Work.
Send fee and transcripts to:
WMU Admissions Department
1903 W. Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5211
B. School of Social Work
- Complete and sign School of Social Work Application,
(Word format or PDF format)
- Current Résumé which includes the following:
- Personal data
- Educational experience (institution, degree, major, minor)
- Employment and volunteer experience
- Other experiences you consider of value as background for social work
- Scholastic and professional honors and affiliations
- Complete Supplementary Statement. Consideration will be given to whether the applicant’s experience and interests fit well with social work education and practice.
Please answer all questions separately, using the six headings listed below. Each answer will be evaluated on content and writing skills. Limit this statement to six double-spaced pages using 12 point font with one inch margins.
a. Understanding of problems and concerns relative to social work
Describe your understanding of the social work profession and the problems social workers address by using one example to discuss a particular social problem and how a social worker could intervene.
b. Understanding of diversity
Describe your personal philosophy and understanding of working with people different from yourself (e.g., race, ethnicity, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, mental abilities, and physical abilities). Using one example, discuss a personal experience with someone who is different from you. Briefly describe your understanding of issues that may affect this individual.
c. Personal values
A key ethical principle in the NASW Code of Ethics states the following:
“Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person.
Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers promote clients' socially responsible self-determination. Social workers seek to enhance clients' capacity and opportunity to change and to address their own needs. Social workers are cognizant of their dual responsibility to clients and to the broader society. They seek to resolve conflicts between clients' interests and the broader society's interests in a socially responsible manner consistent with the values, ethical principles, and ethical standards of the profession.”
Briefly discuss how your personal values and beliefs coincide or conflict with this ethical principle. How will you resolve any conflicts between your personal values and the requirements of the profession?
d. Personal background factors and experience
Describe your personal background and experiences such as culture, family, and community, which have influenced your professional choices as well as recent or past personal experiences that relate to your interest in social work.
e. Personal attributes
Provide a statement about your personal qualities and aptitudes which you consider as most pertinent to graduate studies and/or social work practice. What limitations do you recognize that you need to work on in order to be successful in graduate studies and in the professional practice of social work? How do you plan to address these limitations?
f. Academic preparation
Describe previous knowledge and skills that you gained in your undergraduate and/or graduate studies and how these will assist you in your graduate social work education. Describe to what extent you believe your final undergraduate grade point average accurately reflects your ability to obtain an MSW degree at Western Michigan University.
- Three sealed Letters of Reference, (Word format or PDF format). References should be solicited from individuals who can evaluate the applicant’s employment/volunteer and/or academic performance (preferably from a social work or educational related organization). Personal references will not be accepted. Applicants must send the School of Social Work reference form and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to each professional selected to complete the letter of reference. Completed reference letters should be returned to the student with the School of Social Work reference form, and placed in a sealed envelope, with the signature of the writer across the seal.
- A sealed, official transcript from each institution previously attended. Applicants must request two (2) official transcripts from each college/university attended (one transcript for the university application and one transcript for the MSW application). Transcripts must be sent directly to the applicant, who must not break the seal on the envelope. The unopened transcripts must be sent to the School of Social Work Admissions Office in the enclosed envelope with all other application materials. Applicants are responsible for requesting transcripts from registrars of each institution attended, regardless of the number of credits taken or the degree status.
Applicants who attended WMU before 1984 must request an official WMU transcript from the WMU Registrar’s Office, and those who attended WMU after 1984 will not need to provide a WMU transcript. If an applicant attended other educational institutions prior to admission to WMU and/or after leaving WMU, transcripts from those institutions must be included in the application packet.
Advanced-standing applicants only. In addition to the WMU and Social Work requirements, submit:
- A copy of BSW field placement evaluation,
- One of the three letters of reference must be from the BSW program field instructor or faculty liaison. This letter of reference must address your professional conduct in the field agency and your ability to complete an accelerated MSW program.
Transfer applicants only. In addition to the WMU and Social Work requirements, submit:
- Practicum/Field Evaluation (if completed),
- One letter of reference from a current or former advisor. This letter of reference must address your academic standing and professional conduct during enrollment.
- A brief written statement with reason for transferring (note: this is included as part of the Transfer of graduate credit section of the application).
Applicants with a criminal conviction only. In addition to the WMU and Social Work requirements, submit:
- Statement of explicit proof of rehabilitation (note: this is included as part of the Personal information section of the application). Applicants should be aware that felony convictions will likely limit opportunities for field education, professional licensing, and future employment.
Send Kalamazoo program applications and transcripts to:
WMU School of Social Work
1903 W. Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5354
(Questions concerning Kalamazoo programs? Call 269-387-3200 or email.)
Send Grand Rapids program applications and transcripts to:
WMU Grand Rapids Regional Center
Tri-County MSW Program
2333 East Beltline S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
(Questions concerning Grand Rapids programs? Call (616) 771-9480 or email.)