Master of Social Work

The mission of the Master of Social Work Program at Governors State University is to prepare students to practice with a social justice ethos. Our social justice ethos is our guiding principle of challenging barriers and promoting access to political, social, and economic freedoms and rights. Students specialize in child and family practice and school social work practice. Students demonstrate proficiency in social work knowledge, values, and skill-based competencies to improve the well-being of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Through policy and program development, students learn to promote and advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging with client populations.

Applicants to the Master of Social Work degree program must submit an application to the M.S.W. program office, three letters of recommendation, essay responses to questions posed by the M.S.W. program faculty, and transcripts from all post-secondary institutions from which the applicant completed course work. Students are admitted to the Full M.S.W. Program and the Advanced Standing Degree Program in the Fall term.

In addition to meeting the university admission criteria, the following are required of applicants:

A bachelor's degree with a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 2.50 on a 4.0 scale
A liberal arts foundation that includes coursework in the following areas:
behavioral/social sciences (equivalent of nine credit-hours),
science/mathematical reasoning, which must include human biology and statistics (equivalent of six credit-hours), and
humanities/fine arts (equivalent of six credit hours).
Submission of supplementary application packet which includes:
official transcripts of all previous college work,
M.S.W. application form,
prerequisite Evaluation form with required catalog descriptions, if not GSU course work,
three letters of recommendation, and
essay responses.
For the IELTS, applicants must meet the minimum acceptable score of 6.0 academic version.
TOEFL Internet (iBT) - overall score 80 with minimum (Reading - 20, Writing - 20 , Listening - 20, Speaking - 20)
TOEFL -PBT - overall score 550 with minimum scores (Reading - 54, Writing - 58 , Listening - 55)