What exactly do I need to apply to the MSW program?

1. Complete the ISU Graduate School online application.

2. Once your ISU Graduate School online application is complete, you will receive an email from socialwork@ilstu.edu with a link to our supplemental information Web site. This is where you will provide specific information needed to fulfill our application requirements (information the ISU graduate school did not request). Be sure to add socialwork@ilstu.edu to your address book so that the message is not sent to your junk mail.

The supplemental information you will need to provide via the Web site is:

CONCENTRATION
Choose whether you will be pursuing the Child and Family Practice concentration or the School Social Work concentration. If you are applying to the School Social Work concentration, you must take the Basic Skills Test. These test scores are required to complete your application for the School Social Work concentration.

RESUME
Resume must include your educational and relevant employment history, social work-related activities and volunteer involvement, publications by you, and any professional organizational affiliation (i.e. National Association of Social Workers, etc.).

ESSAY ANSWERS
Only the provided Word form will be accepted. See guidelines and useful tips about answering the essay questions.

TRANSCRIPTS
You must have your transcripts available, which list your liberal arts coursework. The liberal arts coursework must include at least:

15 hours in Behavioral/Social Sciences. Examples: Anthropology, Biomedical History, Communications, Economics, Environmental Studies, Ethnic Studies, Geography, History, International Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Urban Planning, and Women’s Studies.

9-10 hours in Natural Sciences. MUST include a human biology class and statistics class. Other examples: Astronomy, Atmospheric Sciences, Biological Structure, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Engineering, Fisheries, Forest Resources, Genetics, Geology, Mathematics, Microbiology, Nutritional Sciences, Oceanography, Physics, Speech and
Hearing Sciences, Statistics and Zoology.

14-15 hours in Humanities. Examples: Architecture, Art, Art History, Classics, Comparative Literature, Dance, Drama, English, Landscape Architecture, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Speech Communication, all foreign languages and literature.

For each course, you will list the name of the course, the name of the college, grade earned, and the number of semester hours earned.

UNIVERSITY IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (UID)
You should have received your UID in an email after you applied to the University. If you do not know your UID, log in to Welcome2ISU

THREE PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES
Guidelines for professional references:

They must be in the correct format. We DO NOT accept traditional reference letters to complete your application, although we will include it in your file if a letter is sent. Remember, only the provided form will complete your application.

References should be from academic or professional sources only; personal references will not be accepted.

Applicants who received their undergraduate degrees within the last two years must submit two academic references and one social/human service related reference.

Applicants who have been out of school for more than five years, may submit any combination of references that addresses their academic and social/human service experience.

Applicants who currently employed or volunteering in a social service agency should include references from their supervisors.

The appropriate box on all reference forms must be marked to indicate whether the applicant has waived the right to review the reference. Click here to download the professional reference form

Applicants who completed an internship in their undergraduate education should include a reference from their internship/field supervisor, whenever possible.

3. Once we have received all of the required supplemental materials, we will send you a confirmation email. If you have any questions about the status of your application, please feel free to Contact the Director of Admissions and Recruitment.