Skip Navigation
 
  California State University, Bakersfield  
 


APPLICATION GUIDELINES


Please follow the detailed instructions on the MSW application. Following is a summary of admission requirements.

Essential Requirements
Applicants must meet these requirements before the Admissions Committee will review the application. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application file is complete.

  1. Possession of a Bachelors degree from a recognized college or university. For degrees earned in the United States, this means the degree must be from an institution that is accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations.
  2. Priority will be given to students with a 3.0 GPA at the time you apply (on a four point scale) within the last 90 quarter or 60 semester units.
  3. A completed MSW department application.
  4. Official sealed copies of transcripts from all colleges attended (CSUB students are exempt from submitting).
  5. A personal statement completed according to guidelines in the application packet.
  6. Three letters of reference.
  7. A Resume.
  8. A completed University application form, obtainable from any CSU campus or via the web at www.csumentor.edu.
  9. A one time application fee of $55 (payable through CSU Mentor).


Additional Requirements
  1. A liberal arts foundation significantly equivalent to the general education requirements listed in the CSUB catalog.
  2. Computer literacy.


Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement.
CSU system policy requires all degree candidates to demonstrate upper division writing competency. Graduates of the UC or CSU systems are presumed to have met the requirement. Graduates of other universities have several options for fulfilling the requirement. Please refer to the university catalog for additional information.

CLASSIFICATION LEVELS

Conditionally Classified Level – Applicants who are selected by the department’s admissions committee but who have not yet completed their Bachelors degree may be admitted as conditionally classified. They must submit proof of having completed their degree before entering the MSW Program.

Classified Level – Students who have met all the admission requirements and are selected by the department’s admissions committee will be admitted at the classified level. These students may take any graduate course meeting the requirements of their Plan of Study as long as the appropriate prerequisites are met.

ADVANCED STANDING

Advanced Standing – Applicants for the full time program who have graduated with a baccalaureate degree in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) may request advanced standing. These students follow an abbreviated Plan of Study involving waiver of Foundation courses except SW530. Advanced standing candidates may test out of SW530 with an 80% or better score. The following additional conditions must be met for advanced standing:
  1. The student must have completed the Bachelor’s degree in Social Work (BSW) within five years prior to admission to the graduate program.
  2. The applicant must have an overall GPA of 3.0 for the baccalaureate degree.
  3. All social work courses must have a grade of 3.0 or better. Courses with a grade of less than 3.0 will not be waived.
In accordance with the standards of our accrediting body, the Council on Social Work Education, it is the policy of the Department not to grant academic credit for previous life or work experience at either the undergraduate or graduate level.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

In addition to meeting the requirements for admission given above, international students must take TOEFL and have a score of 550 or higher (or 213 on the new conversation scale for the computer-based TOEFL exam).
Immigration Requirements for Licensure
On August 27, 1996, Governor Pete Wilson issued Executive Order W-135-96 which requested that the CSU and other state agencies implement "as expeditiously as reasonably practicable" the provision of The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRAWORA) of 1996 (P.L. 104-193). The Act, also known as the Welfare Reform Act, included provisions to eliminate eligibility for federal and state public benefits for certain categories of lawful immigrants as well as benefits for all illegal immigrants. Students who will require a professional or commercial license provided by a local, state, or federal government agency in order to engage in an occupation for which the CSU may be training them must meet the immigration requirements of the new Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act to achieve licensure.