Admissions 

Our online Master of Science in Social Administration (MSSA) is designed for professionals eager to become leaders in their organizations and communities. 

As a top-ranked1 school of social work, we maintain the same admissions standards for our online MSSA program as we do for our on-campus social work master's degree and intensive weekend social work master's degree programs. Admission is granted on a selective basis determined by the quality of the overall application and the individual’s demonstrated capacity to succeed in graduate-level education.

  • All applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
  • The undergraduate GPA must be 2.7 or above.
  • The GRE is not required.

In addition, each applicant must show evidence of the personal qualities and values essential to the professional practice of social work:

  • Strong moral character
  • Proven analytical and verbal skills
  • A caring and compassionate nature
  • A personal commitment to social justice; empowering individuals; and serving vulnerable and underrepresented groups, communities and organizations.

Our online program has three annual start dates, in January, April and August. Our admissions team accepts and reviews applications year-round. To ensure our online master’s in social work is even more accessible to people passionate about making a difference, there is no application fee.

Upcoming Cohorts

Upcoming Cohort Deadlines and Start Dates, Advanced and Traditional Standing Track & Transfer Applicants
Cohort Early Decision Application Deadline Priority Application Deadline Final Application Deadline Classes Begin
April/Summer 2021 Friday, January 8, 2021 Friday, January 29, 2021 Friday February 26, 2021 Monday, April 26, 2021

Traditional Track

Consisting of 60 credits, the traditional program track can be completed in as few as two and a half years. A Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree is not required to earn your MSSA degree on this program track.

Advanced Standing Track & Transfer Applicants

To qualify for the advanced standing program track and earn up to 21 credits toward your MSSA degree, you must hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from a CSWE-accredited institution, earned within the last seven years. You can complete this program track in as few as one and a half years.

Disability Resources

For information about how to request accommodations, students with disabilities should contact us via email at disability@case.edu or 216-368-5230. If you have already been admitted to Case Western Reserve University and have a CWRU Network ID and Password, please start by filling out a new student application on the Accessibility Information Management (AIM) system.

Please note that it can take up to two weeks to review accommodations requests. Approvals cannot be applied retroactively.

Take the Next Step

Become part of our community of change agents and join us on our mission to create a more just world.

1The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences was ranked No. 9 by U.S. News & World Report in 2019 Return to footnote reference