Admission Requirements

Regular Admission

  • A baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited college or university.
  • Submit ALL official transcripts from colleges and universities attended (regionally accredited colleges and universities only).
  • Complete and submit a Daemen University graduate school application (application fee: $25.00) and fulfill the graduate admissions requirements of Daemen University.
  • Complete and submit a 3-4 page typed personal statement that focuses on the following points:
    • Your experience in social work, including volunteer experience.
    • The life experiences that impacted your interest in social work.
    • Your personal qualities that will be useful in serving others as a social work professional.
    • Your values that will be useful in serving others as a social worker.
    • Your career goals and how social work education will help you achieve these goals.
  • Provide three letters of reference: 2 from an academic source and 1 from a volunteer experience/internship/employer. No personal references accepted. 
  • Provide documentation of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) completion within five years prior to application for admission. Note: You may submit your application for committee review before completing examination. 
  • Have an overall GPA of 2.7 or higher.
  • Have completed courses in Human Biology and Statistics with a grade of “C” or better.

Advanced Standing

Applicants desiring to gain admission to the Master of Social Work Program at Daemen University must meet the following admissions criteria for advanced standing:

  • Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work (BA, BS or BSW) within the last five years from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)-accredited program.
  • Submit ALL official transcripts from colleges and universities attended (regionally accredited colleges and universities only).
  • Complete and submit a Daemen University graduate school application (application fee $25.00) and fulfill the admission requirements of the Graduate School at Daemen University.
  • Complete and submit a 3-4 page typed personal statement that focuses on the following points:
    • Your experience in social work, including volunteer experience.
    • The life experiences that impacted your interest in social work.
    • Your personal qualities that will be useful in serving others as a social work professional.
    • Your values that will be useful in serving others as a social worker.
    • Your career goals and how social work education will help you achieve these goals.
  • Provide three letters of reference: 2 letters from academic sources (BSW/BASW Program Director encouraged) and 1 letter from a volunteer experience/internship/employer. No personal references accepted.
  • Provide a copy of final field evaluations (Field Instruction I and II).
  • Provide documentation of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) completion within five years prior to application for admission. Note: You may submit your application for committee review before completing examination. 
  • Have an overall GPA of 3.0 and GPA of 3.2 or higher in major courses such as:
    • Social Work Methods I/II
    • Research Methods I
    • Human Behavior in the Social Environment I/II
    • Field Instruction I/II
  • Have completed courses in Human Biology and Statistics with a grade of “C” or better.
     

Provisional Admission

Applicants not meeting one or more the minimal requirements for admission will be evaluated for provisional admissions to the Master of Social Work Program at Daemen University. Applicants who are admitted provisionally must enroll in at least 9 credit hours (full-time) during the first semester and must achieve a 3.0 overall GPA at the end of their first semester in the Master of Social Work Program at Daemen University.

* Daemen University’s MSW Program does not award credit for life experience