How To Apply

Academic Requirements for All MSW Programs:

• Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (Based out of a 4.0 grading scale) GPA below 2.8 will not be considered
• Minimum of 18 units of liberal arts coursework, such as coursework from humanities (E.g. Anthropology, communication studies, cultural studies), social sciences (E.g. Sociology, psychology, political science), biological sciences (E.g. Biology, zoology, ecology), and natural sciences (E.g. Astronomy, physics, chemistry).
• Note: GRE scores are not required or evaluated.

Additional Requirements for All MSW Programs:

• Dedication to the Profession: Potential for professional competence, strong interest and motivation, and commitment to social work values such as the appreciation for cultural and ethnic diversity; belief in the dignity and freedom of every individual; promotion of social justice and equal access to resources; and institutional responsiveness to human needs and social change.
• Personal Qualifications: Professionalism, sensitivity and responsiveness in relationships, capacity for self-awareness, concern for the needs of others, the ability for abstract reasoning, conceptual thinking, and strong communication skills.
• Experience: Providing service to people preferred (1-2 years of social work-related or volunteer experience).

Special Requirements for Advanced Standing MSW Candidates:

• Bachelor’s degree in social work or social welfare from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)-accredited school of social work.
• BSW degree earned within the past 5 years.
• Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 in all social work courses.

Apply to the University of Southern California and the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work using a single online application portal: Graduate Admission Application 

For technical assistance with the online application portal (E.g. Trouble logging in, how to upload documents, how to request letters of recommendation), please contact USC Application Customer Service at 857-304-2092 or uscsupport@liaisoncas.com.

There is a $90 non-refundable application fee paid through the online application portal when you submit your application.

Fee Waivers: The Office of Graduate Admissions offers a limited number of Application Fee Waivers to qualifying students: Application Fee Waiver Request Instructions 

City Year alumni are eligible for an application fee waiver from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work: City Year Application Fee Waiver Instructions

For admission, experience in the field of social work is preferable but not required. Applicants are expected to have experience in environments such as human services (E.g. Nonprofit organization, public health, healthcare, etc.) and education. Students should highlight their leadership, advocacy, and capacity to work with a variety of populations. Your resume will assist the admissions committee in assessing your level of knowledge, experience, and preparation for graduate social work education at USC. These experiences may include those in the workplace or academic settings (E.g. Internship).

Submit a resume through the online application portal that details the following:

Current Work Experience
Please describe your current or most recent professional paid position. This position does not have to be social work-related. Include the following details: company name, job title, dates of employment and responsibilities.

Professional Social Work Experience
Please describe any work you have done professionally in the field of social work or related fields. Include the following details: agency name, position/title, dates of employment and responsibilities.

Volunteer Social Work Experience
Please describe any work you have done as a volunteer or intern related to the field of social work. Please include the following details: agency name, dates of volunteer work, frequency and responsibilities.

Miscellaneous
Please indicate any of the following: affiliations with professional organizations (e.g., National Association of Social Workers) or honors/recognitions received.

Leadership Experience
Please indicate the length of time of leadership experience, the agency or community where leadership efforts occurred and a description of actual leadership activities.

Please respond to the questions that are specific to admissions to the MSW program, including questions related to the program length and location (if applicable), application history, academic background, and personal and transfer student information. These questions also include the following important questions about your educational and career goals.

Submission 1: Short Answer Questions (Required)

Upload under Optional Documents > Other

• What motivates you to pursue a career in social work, and how do you plan to make an impact in this field?
• Describe a challenging situation you faced in a work or volunteer setting related to social work. How did you address it?
• Reflect on an experience where you worked with a diverse group of people. What did you learn about equity and inclusion from this experience?
• Considering the core values of social work, which one resonates most with you and why?

General Disclosure
As a social worker you may be required to work with diverse populations including survivors of all types of traumas, individuals who have abused children, and individuals dealing with mental health and substance use challenges, SMI, death and dying, and/or being a first responder among others.  It is highly recommended that all social workers engage in deep self-reflection with support from mental health providers to ensure they are prepared for the challenges of this work.

In the online application portal, you will be asked to send electronic recommendation requests. We require two recommendations. There is no specific format or set of questions for the recommenders. However, we do prefer recommendations submitted in formal work/business letterhead and with the use of an email address that has your work/business domain name in it (e.g. TommyTrojan@usc.com).

Preferred recommendations are those that come from:

• Academic instructors
• Professionals who have supervised you in a social work-related position (Paid, volunteer, internship)

Not accepted: Personal recommendations (E.g. Friends, relatives, therapists).

We encourage you send your official transcripts after you have submitted your online application. You will receive your 10-digit USC ID via email within two to three business days after you submit your application. It is important to note that your 10-digit USC ID is different from the USC CAS ID you will receive when you begin your application. That ID is only required for technical support during the application process and is not issued by the university.

USC requires official transcripts from all post-secondary schools (Including community colleges) you have attended, regardless of transfers or whether a degree was earned. Your application processing may be delayed if you fail to submit all undergraduate transcripts.

Transcript submission is a two-step process:

1. First, upload scanned copies of official registrar-issued transcripts to the online application. Please note that these must be official transcripts printed on university letterhead. Print-outs from online student portals are not acceptable.
2. After you submit your application and received your 10 digit USC ID number, you must request that every university send an e-transcript to etrans@usc.edu. 

Studied abroad? If it was for one semester or less, we do not need a transcript from that institution if the grades appear on your undergraduate transcript.

Haven’t graduated yet? You must complete the Concurrent Enrollment Form if you are submitting official transcripts without a conferred bachelor's degree. Sign and scan the form and upload it to your admissions application under the “supplemental documents” tab.