• Qualifying for Admission to the Professional Years
• Admissions to Honours Bachelor of Social Work Years 3 and 4
• Assessment of the Application
• Equity Admissions
• Offers of Admission
• APPLICATION - Word 2003 Format (.doc)
• APPLICATION - Word 2010 Format (.docx)
• APPLICATION - .PDF Format

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) is a professional degree preparing graduates for entry into the profession of social work. It qualifies graduates to apply for registration as a registered social worker in the province of Ontario and is generally accepted as professional certification throughout the developed world.

Qualifying for Admission to the Professional Years
 

Students enrolling at the University of Windsor in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences may choose Social Work as their major. Such students are considered to be social work students and are welcomed and encouraged to participate in the activities and governance of the School of Social Work, including the Social Work Student Association.

Students may also apply to the 2-year post degree program if they have a 3-year or general degree, or if they have a diploma from the St. Clair College Child and Youth Worker (CYW) Program. See below for details.

Admissions to Honours Bachelor of Social Work Years 3 and 4

Students who Began in the 4-Year Program

In order to continue in the professional years of the social work program, students must apply to the School of Social Work on or before February 1 of their second year. In order to be assessed for admission, students must have completed or be in a position to complete the twenty pre-requisite courses by September (this allows students to complete courses over inter- and summer session). Students who have not completed the required courses are assessed, but any offer of admission is conditional upon completing the courses and maintaining the appropriate grades.

Students must have achieved a cumulative average of C+ (7.0) and a major average of B- (8.0).

Students Applying to the 2-Year Program

As with students in the 4-Year Program, students who wish to apply to the 2-Year post degree program must apply on or before February 1.

Students must have a minimum cumulative average of 70% (B- or 8.0 or equivalent) overall or over their last 20 courses. There are no specific course requirements.

Application Process

All students applying for admission to the professional years of the program, complete a formal application package. This package asks students to complete a personal statement, which is designed to allow them to articulate their understanding of Social Work as a profession, their motivation for choosing Social Work as a professional career, and how their life experience has contributed to their interest in and preparation for the Social Work profession.

In addition, each student provides three references; one academic and two from responsible, unrelated individuals who have had an opportunity to monitor or supervise the student’s interaction with others in either a volunteer or paid employment capacity.

Finally, each applicant is asked to provide a resume outlining their work and volunteer history.

The Application is available at: http://www.uwindsor.ca/socialwork/BSW-Application 

Assessment of the Application

Students must meet the minimum grade requirements in order for the application to be assessed. 

• Full time faculty members, in the School of Social Work, read, assess and score the personal statement and letters of reference.
• The personal statement is assessed regarding the student’s clarity of expression, apparent written communication skills, their understanding of social work as a profession, their motivation for pursuing social work as a career and their ability to articulate what experiences have contributed to their interest in social work.
• Each reference is assessed in terms of appropriate demonstration of skills and values related to Social Work practice. The assessment of these references is strengthened by accompanying written examples, from the referee, of how these skills or values have been demonstrated.
• Finally, faculty members assessing the application may add to its assessment score based upon the amount and quality of volunteer or human service work experience reflected in the resume.

Equity Admissions

Students who have declared themselves as Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities, and/or those who identify as LGBTare encouraged to apply and are eligible to request assessment through the School of Social Work Equity Admissions Policy. 

Offers of Admission
 

It is the intention of the School of Social Work to have assessed all applications received before or by the deadline by the end of April each year. This is a working timeline and subject to change. Therefore, we cannot project when initial offers of admission to the professional years (year 3) of the BSW program will be made.

Admissions are based upon ranking of the student’s application, using a formula which takes into account their cumulative average, their major average and the scoring of the personal statement, references and past experience. Offers are made starting with the highest ranked applications and moving in descending order.

The School of Social Work establishes the number of admissions to be offered each year, based upon the available School and community resources. This number is expected to be between 75 and 90 for the foreseeable future.

Once the target number of admissions has been offered, the remaining applicants, who qualify for admission, are placed on a waiting list and offers are made to these students in rank order as vacancies occur. The School of Social Work will not disclose your position on the waiting list.

Admission to the professional program in Year 3 requires that students apply to the Office of the Registrar prior to February 1st. Early applications are very much encouraged.

• Minimum grade requirements must be met.
• References must accompany the application.
• Entry is for the next Fall term only and enrolment is limited.

Selection of candidates for admission will be based on grades, personal statement and references. Years 3 and 4 require full-time study.

Applications from Aboriginal Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities and other distinct groups are encouraged.

Volunteer and/or human service work experience is a definite asset.