January
Admissions
Our online Master of Social Work (MSW) 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 MSW 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.
Start Dates
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.
April
August
Upcoming Cohorts
| Cohort | Early Decision Application Deadline | Priority Application Deadline | Final Application Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
August 2023 | April 21, 2023 | May 19, 2023 | June 16, 2023 |
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 MSW 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 MSW 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.
Applicants with a BSW from a CSWE accredited program but are beyond 7yrs post-graduation must submit a written request for consideration (including a detailed statement of your social work experience and continuing education activities) to the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences and receive approval before applying. Demonstration of professional growth through social work experience, continuing professional education, leadership, and advancement in the social work field would be elements for consideration.
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