Traditional MSW Program
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Admission Requirements
The traditional Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program requires 60 credit hours and is available as a full-time and extended course of study.
- Prior degree: Students accepted for the MSW traditional program must have completed or be near completion of a baccalaureate degree (e.g. BA, BS) from an accredited college or university.
- Transcripts: Applicants should submit an unofficial transcript from everyuniversity or college attended. These can be attached with the application or emailed to msw@tcu.edu. Note: Before beginning the program, admitted students will also need to submit official transcripts to the TCU Registrar’s Office, TCU Box 297005, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or tcugradstudies@tcu.edu. Current and former TCU students will not need to complete this step. Copies from the Registrar’s Office will be obtained for all TCU graduates.
- GPA: Applicants should have strong academic preparation as demonstrated by an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) in the last 60 hours of coursework.
- Course prerequisites: Applicants must have one college-level course in each of the following before registering
for the first semester in the MSW program:
- Statistics
- Sociology
- Psychology
- References: Applicants must submit three (3) letters of recommendation from individuals who can address the applicant’s academic abilities, interpersonal skills, potential for graduate education and potential for professional social work practice. It is required that at least one reference be an academic reference from an academic advisor or instructor.
- Resume: Applicants must submit a current resume or vitae with their application.
- Professional statement: Applicants must submit a well-written professional statement (750-1,500 words max.) that addresses the following:
-
- What motivated you to decide to pursue a Master of Social Work?
- How do your personal values connect with the values of the social work profession?
- What are strengths and weaknesses that will impact you as a social worker?
- Describe any experiences and leadership opportunities that will help you be successful in this graduate program?
- Discuss any significant volunteer or work experiences related to social work.
- What are your professional goals and plans in social work?
- Please share two TCU Department of Social Work faculty members you would be interested in engaging with during your time in the TCU MSW program. Please visit the Department of Social Work website for more information about social work faculty.
- If you are offered admission to the program, you may have an opportunity to work closely with a faculty member as a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA), Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) or within the Department as administrative support. Describe your research an/or teaching interests, and how you would like to build upon these interests to further your development as a social worker. If you are able, please connect your research and teaching interests to your answer in question seven (7).
-
Optional framing for your professional statement: We value diversity, equity and inclusion in the TCU MSW program and will use this information to better serve our students in the program, but it will not be used to make admissions decisions. If you’d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had to help us understand you better (related to a community you belong to, your sexual orientation or gender identity, or your family or cultural background) we encourage you to do so.
- Petition for academic exception: This must be completed by the applicants whose GPA for the last 60 undergraduate hours is below
3.0. An applicant who believes that his or her individual circumstances warrant consideration
for a waiver of the minimum university admissions GPA requirement must petition the
MSW admissions committee.
- The request should be a one-page statement entitled “Petition for Academic Exception”
and include a statement indicating why not meeting the minimum admissions requirement
of a 3.00 GPA should be waived, as it does not adequately represent the applicant’s
capabilities. The applicant should briefly discuss how he or she has demonstrated
a capacity for successful achievement in a rigorous graduate program. For example,
an applicant might provide evidence of:
- Superior grades during the final 60 hours of undergraduate coursework indicating a trend toward improved performance
- Competence through achievement in another graduate program
- Outstanding work experience in volunteer or paid human services
- The applicant should also discuss how, if granted admission to the program, he or she plans to address obstacles to successfully complete the program (for example, if a low grade point average was viewed as the result of a need to work full-time during undergraduate studies, the applicant should discuss why that is not likely to be a factor during graduate study)
- Petitions must be uploaded along with all other application documents.
- The request should be a one-page statement entitled “Petition for Academic Exception”
and include a statement indicating why not meeting the minimum admissions requirement
of a 3.00 GPA should be waived, as it does not adequately represent the applicant’s
capabilities. The applicant should briefly discuss how he or she has demonstrated
a capacity for successful achievement in a rigorous graduate program. For example,
an applicant might provide evidence of:
- Petition for academic exception: This must be completed by the applicants whose GPA for the last 60 undergraduate hours is below
3.0. An applicant who believes that his or her individual circumstances warrant consideration
for a waiver of the minimum university admissions GPA requirement must petition the
MSW admissions committee.
The advanced Master of Social Work degree program requires 30 credit hours and is available as a full-time and extended course of study.
- Prior degree: Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW, BSSW) or other bachelor’s degree (BS, BA) with a major in social work from a CSWE-accredited program at the time of enrollment. Applicants must submit an unofficial transcript from all institutions attended.
- Transcripts: Applicants should submit an unofficial transcript from every university or college attended. These can be attached with the application or emailed to msw@tcu.edu. Note: Before beginning the program, admitted students will also need to submit official transcripts to the TCU Registrar’s Office, TCU Box 297005, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or tcugradstudies@tcu.edu. Current and former TCU students will not need to complete this step. Copies from the Registrar’s Office will be obtained for all TCU graduates.
- GPA: Applicants should have strong academic preparation as demonstrated by an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) in the last 60 hours of coursework.
- Course prerequisites: Applicants must have one college-level statistics course before registering for the first semester in the MSW program.
- References: Applicants must submit three (3) letters of recommendation from individuals who can address the applicant’s academic abilities, interpersonal skills, potential for graduate education and professional social work practice. It is required that at least one reference be an academic reference from an academic advisor or instructor and one be from a field instructor.
- Resume: Applicants must submit a current resume or vitae with their application.
- Professional statement: Applicants must submit a well-written professional statement (750-1,500 words max.) that addresses the following:
-
- What motivated you to decide to pursue an MSW?
- How do your personal values connect with the values of the social work profession?
- What are strengths and weaknesses that will impact you as a social worker?
- Describe any experiences and leadership opportunities that will help you be successful in this graduate program?
- Discuss any significant volunteer or work experiences related to social work.
- What are your professional goals and plans in social work?
- Please share two TCU Department of Social Work faculty members you would be interested in engaging with during your time in the TCU MSW program. Please visit the Department of Social Work website for more information about social work faculty.
- If you are offered admission to the program, you may have an opportunity to work closely with a faculty member as a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA), Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) or within the Department as administrative support. Describe your research an/or teaching interests, and how you would like to build upon these interests to further your development as a social worker. If you are able, please connect your research and teaching interests to your answer in question seven (7).
- Optional framing for your professional statement: We value diversity, equity and inclusion in the TCU Master of Social Work program and will use this information to better serve our students in the MSW program, but it will not be used to make admissions decisions. If you’d like to share a perspective you bring or experiences you’ve had to help us understand you better (related to a community you belong to, your sexual orientation or gender identity, or your family or cultural background) we encourage you to do so.
-
- Petition for academic exception: Applicants who do not meet the minimum 3.00 GPA requirement for their last 60 hours of coursework will not be considered for the advanced standing program. However, they are encouraged to apply for the traditional program. If applying for traditional program consideration, applicants must submit a petition for academic exception as outlined in the admissions requirements for the traditional program.
Sample Course List
- Human Behavior and the Social Environment I and II
- Micro and Macro Practice
- Diversity and Social Justice
- Social Welfare Policies and Services
Interested in Applying?
The TCU MSW program application deadlines for the 2025-2026 academic year are:
- Priority application deadline is 2/3/25
- Second application deadline is 3/24/25
Please note that we only admit students for fall semesters.
Interested in learning more? Sign up for a one-on-one information session with a program representative.