Admission Requirements

• A completed bachelor's degree from an institution that is accredited by a nationally recognized, regional accrediting association
• Undergraduate cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) or better on a 4.0 scale. If the applicant's GPA is less than 3.0, an explanatory statement should be included with the application.

• Application Form
  Complete all sections of the application form. Please submit online, or you may request a paper application to be mailed to you. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Graduate Admission at the College of St. Catherine, (651) 690-6933, or the School of Social Work at the University of St. Thomas, (651) 962-5810.

• Application Fee
  Submit a $25 nonrefundable application fee; make check or money order payable to the College of St. Catherine.

• Personal Statement
  Prepare a personal essay that demonstrates written communication skills and clarifies your purpose in pursuing a graduate social work program. The essay should be a minimum of three pages. Handwritten statements will not be accepted. Please address the following questions:
  
  1. What do you see as the major issues that professional social workers should be concerned with now and in the next decade? What do you see as the role and responsibility of social work in relation to these issues?
  
  2. What are your specific professional goals? How would the CSC/UST Master of Social Work Program, with its emphasis on clinical social work practice, help you to achieve your professional and personal goals?
  
  3. What particular personal strengths do you bring to the social work profession? What limitations do you perceive you have? How have both been demonstrated?
  
  Personal statements should be mailed to the Office of Graduate Admission at the address listed above. Applicants who wish to submit their statements via e-mail should send the completed attachment to: graduate_study@stkate.edu (Subject line should read: MSW Personal Statement). Please include your full name at the top of the statement.

• Social Work/Social Service Experience
  Please submit a current resume indicating paid and unpaid experience, including internships and volunteer positions. Resumes should be mailed to the Office of Graduate Admission at the address listed above. Applicants who wish to submit their resumes via e-mail should send the completed attachment to: graduate_study@stkate.edu (Subject line should read: MSW Resume).

• Recommendations
  Three MSW recommendation forms and letters must be completed by references who are familiar with your academic and/or professional experience. Click here to download the Recommendation Form. References must submit both the checklist and an accompanying statement in order for the recommendation to be considered complete. These are confidential recommendations and must be sent directly from the references to the Office of Graduate Admission at the address listed above. Original documents must be sent to our office. Applicants who wish to view a copy of the completed forms and letters are responsible for making the appropriate arrangements with their references.

• Transcripts
  Official transcripts are required from each post-secondary institution attended, even if courses are recorded on another transcript and regardless of the number of credits earned. Transcripts should be mailed directly from the Registrar of each institution to the Office of Graduate Admission at the College of St. Catherine.

• Prerequisite Coursework
  Please indicate on the application the prerequisite courses you have taken or plan to take in a) Statistics or Research Methods; b) Lifespan Developmental Psychology (including Child, Adolescent and Adult Development); and c) Human Biology. A syllabus or catalog description must be included for each prerequisite course you have taken or plan to take. *Please note that General Biology and General Psychology courses do not fulfill our prerequisite requirements*

• Fieldwork Instructor Evaluation
  Advanced Standing applicants must submit a copy of the senior fieldwork evaluation from their undergraduate social work program. Applicants may submit a copy of the evaluation from their own records (if they retained the paperwork after graduation). Otherwise applicants should contact the social work department at their undergraduate institution and request that a copy be sent to the Office of Graduate Admission at the College of St. Catherine. If the evaluation is no longer on file, the social work department should submit a brief letter of explanation to our office.

• TOEFL / MELAB Scores
  Applicants whose native language is not English are required to pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a score of 600 or better on the paper and pencil test, 100 on the iBT or 250 on the computerized test, or the Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) with a score of 90 or better. This requirement is waived for students who have completed a baccalaureate or graduate degree in the United States.

• Credential Evaluation
  Applicants with a college or university degree completed outside of the United States must submit an official evaluation from a NACES-approved evaluation service (such as World Education Services), as well as original transcripts and official translations of all documents not in English. All costs related to document translation and evaluation are the applicant's responsibility.

• International Application
  Applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents must submit an International Student Application and Certification of Finances, in addition to the program application. No additional application fee is required.