MSW Application Information

Admission to the UAA Master of Social Work Program is a two-part application process, and both applications must be submitted by the January 15 application deadline.

1. Apply for admission to the University of Alaska Anchorage graduate programs. The application costs $75.
2. Apply to the University of Alaska Anchorage MSW Program through the Social Work Centralized Application Service (SocialWorkCAS). SocialWorkCAS charges a processing fee of $45 for each MSW program that you apply to. For more information, please visit How to Apply through SocialWorkCAS.

Please contact MSW Admissions (mswadmissions@alaska.edu) with questions about the MSW application or admissions process.

Required Application Documents

1. Professional Resume. The resume will be uploaded to the SocialWorkCAS application. At a minimum, the resume should include work experience, volunteer experience/community involvement, and awards and honors.
   
2. Personal Statement. The personal statement will be uploaded to the SocialWorkCAS application. Provide a separate response to each of the three questions below, and please number your response to each question. Submit the personal statement as a single electronic document titled “Personal Statement” and include your name. The personal statement should be typed, double-spaced, and should be no longer than three (3) pages. Respond to each of the following questions individually:
   1. Social work is a profession committed to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion and to advancing human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. Knowing this, share how your personal, volunteer, community involvement, education, and / or professional experiences led you to choose social work.
   2. Describe how an MSW degree from UAA will help you to meet your personal and professional goals.  Please specifically address your future career plans and reason for choosing UAA.
   3. Recount an ethical issue you have had in your personal, professional, or volunteer experience. Discuss your decision-making process and the factors that contributed to the ultimate outcome. Please protect confidentiality and do not reveal the names of people, communities, or organizations.
      

3.  Writing Sample. The writing sample will be uploaded to the SocialWorkCAS application. Submit the writing sample as a single electronic document titled “Writing Statement” and include your name. For the writing sample, please respond to the following:

Two issues (among many) that presently concern social workers and the profession of social work are income inequality and systemic oppression. Choose ONE of the issues and 1) describe your understanding of the issue and 2) discuss how social workers can work within society to address the issue.

• Please support your arguments with evidence from your lived experience and / or from outside sources of information.
• Outside sources of information are not required but if you use outside sources of information, then in-text citations are required using the APA author-date citation system. Each work cited must be included in a reference list provided at the end of the writing sample. The reference list is not included in the two-page limit of the writing sample.
• The writing sample should be typed, double-spaced, and should be no longer than two (2) pages (excluding the reference list). 

4. Professional Letters of Reference. Three professional reference forms will be submitted through SocialWorkCAS.

• Please select professional references from your work, educational, and volunteer experiences who can best speak to your qualities that make you suitable for a career as a social worker. Please do not use relatives or friends as references.
• Applicants with a BSW who are applying for advanced standing: One of the three professional references must be provided by a BSW faculty member who can address the applicant’s readiness for advanced standing, such as the applicant’s BSW practicum seminar instructor, the BSW program coordinator, the BSW practicum coordinator, or the student’s academic advisor. Be sure that the BSW faculty member responds to the advanced standing question on the reference form.
• Applicants Transferring from another MSW program: One of the three letters of reference must be from the MSW program director/coordinator or MSW advisor stating that you are currently in good standing in the MSW program from which you are transferring, and that you have completed all courses in the generalist curriculum including practicum education.

5. Official Transcripts. Official transcripts will be submitted in the UAA Graduate Application and the SocialWorkCAS application. Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended reflecting completion of all baccalaureate or master degrees as well as any transcripts with graduate credit must be submitted in the UAA application and in the SocialWorkCAS application. Transcripts from UAA, UAS, or UAF do not need to be submitted in the UAA application.

MSW Admission Information

Please visit the UAA Master of Social Work catalog for information on the criteria for admission to the UAA MSW program and the UAA Advanced Standing MSW program.

Transfer Credits

Up to 9 semester credits not used toward an undergraduate degree may be transferred to UAA from an accredited institution and counted toward a graduate degree. Up to 9 graduate credits may also be transferred in the case of a second master’s degree, although doctoral degree credits may not be used toward an additional master’s degree unless that degree is in a distinctly different field. Acceptance of transfer credit toward graduate program requirements must be approved by the individual program faculty, college dean and Graduate School. 

Transferring from an MSW program

Transfer applicants must submit a full MSW application by the January 15 deadline. Applicants who have not completed the generalist curriculum can apply to the full MSW program and transfer up to 9 credits, and applicants who have completed the full generalist curriculum, including course work and practicum, can apply to the advanced standing program. To be considered, applicants must be currently enrolled in a CSWE accredited MSW program, must be in good standing, and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. Per UAA Graduate School Policy, all graduate degree requirements must be completed within 7 years.

Procedure for applying as an MSW transfer student:

• Submit the UAA Graduate Application and the MSW program SocialWorkCAS application by January 15.
• One of the three letters of reference must be from the MSW program director / coordinator or MSW advisor stating that you are currently in good standing in the MSW program from which you are transferring, and that you have completed all courses in the generalist curriculum including practicum education.
• Transfer students might be asked to submit syllabi for courses taken in the previous program for review by the MSW Program Chair, who will review for course equivalency. Admitted students may be required to take additional generalist coursework at UAA as a condition of admission. 

Admissions Decisions

The UAA MSW Admissions Committee is composed of faculty of the UAA School of Social Work, UAA MSW alumni, and members of the professional social work community. The Admissions Committee reviews all complete applications to the MSW program.  Only complete applications are reviewed by the Admissions Committee, and incomplete applications will not be reviewed until all application materials have been submitted. The Committee conducts a holistic review of MSW applications and determines admission based on a combination of factors, including:

• Academic preparation and readiness for graduate social work education. While a minimum GPA of 3.0 is desired, exceptions may be for special circumstances based on a review of the entire application packet, particularly if the grade point average in the last 60 credits is above 3.0.
• Leadership, community engagement, and volunteer / work experience
• Understanding of the field of social work and connection of MSW to career goals
• Demonstration of social work values, ethics, and commitment to social justice, diversity, and anti-racism
• Demonstration of critical thinking, organization, and graduate-level written communication  

Notice of Admission Decisions

Applicants to the UAA MSW program will receive a written notice of the admission committee’s recommendation from the UAA School of Social Work by April 1. Applicants will also receive a formal written admission decision from the UAA Office of Admissions. At the time of admission, students are assigned an MSW advisor.

Types of Admissions Decisions

1. Admitted. All admissions requirements were met, and the applicant is selected for admission to the MSW program. 

An Intent to Enroll form is enclosed with the UAA School of Social Work notice of admission, and applicants must return this form to the School of Social Work by the date specified in the letter in order to confirm their seat in the MSW program. Students admitted to the full-time program will be required to provide practicum education placement information with the Intent to Enroll form.

2.  Admitted with provisions. Applicant showed potential for success in the MSW program but did not meet all the admission requirements, so admission is contingent on completing provisions. For example, applicants who are enrolled in the last semester of their undergraduate program or who have not completed the prerequisite courses will be given a provisional admission. Provisions must be completed by the date specified in the letter of admission. If the provisions are not met within the specified deadlines, the student may be removed from graduate degree-seeking status.  

An Intent to Enroll form is enclosed with the UAA School of Social Work notice of provisional admission, and applicants must return this form to the School of Social Work by the date specified in the letter to confirm their seat in the MSW program. Students admitted provisionally to the full-time program will be required to provide practicum education placement information with the Intent to Enroll form.

3.  Waitlisted for admission. A small number of applicants may be selected for a waitlist. If space becomes available, applicants will be removed from the waitlist and offered admission. If space does not become available, then applicants on the waitlist must reapply to be considered for admission in subsequent years. 

4.  Denied admission.  Applicants who do not meet admission criteria and do not demonstrate readiness for graduate education are denied admission. Applicants who are denied admission may reapply in subsequent years. 

Deferring admission

Applicants who are admitted or admitted with provisions to the MSW program may request to defer admission to the MSW program for one year. The MSW Admissions Committee reviews all requests for deferral of admission. Applicants may submit a request for a one-year deferral of admission by completing the following steps:

• Submit the Intent to Enroll Form to the School of Social Work by the date specified indicating a request to defer admission for one year. 
• Enclose a written request for deferral that is addressed to the MSW Admissions Committee. The written request should describe the reasons for requesting a one-year deferral. 

Non-attendance

Admitted applicants who cannot attend should indicate their decision on the Intent to Enroll form that is sent with the letter of admission. The Intent to Enroll form should be returned to the School of Social Work by the date specified in the letter of recommendation.  

Admitted applicants who fail to submit the intent to enroll form and who do not enroll in the required summer semester MSW course by the end of the add/drop period for summer semester will be removed from the MSW program. Accepted applicants removed for non-attendance who wish to pursue the MSW degree must reapply for admission.

Practicum Placement Notification 

The UAA MSW Program requires MSW students to complete two years of practicum placements (480 hours for each practicum placement). Many practicum agencies require students to complete a criminal background check, drug screening, or communicable disease screening before accepting a student into the agency. Having a criminal record or being unable to pass drug or communicable disease screenings could impact the ability of the UAA School of Social Work to place a student in a practicum placement, which may result in the student being unable to complete the practicum instruction sequence as planned or possibly prevent a student from completing the MSW program.

Felony Policy

The School of Social Work MSW Admissions Committee will, at its discretion, deny an applicant for admission if the committee finds that the applicant’s history of felony or misdemeanor convictions make the applicant unfit for social work practice. The committee will consider the number and recency of any convictions, and the relationship those convictions may have to license eligibility and social work practice.

Notwithstanding the above, a person who has been convicted of a felony crime against a person, described in AS 11.41, within the ten years before the date of application, is unfit for admission to the MSW Program and will be denied.