Faculty of Social Work

Pre-MSW Applicant Information Guide

Deadline Dates for Application:
For persons residing in Canada at point of application: January 15
For persons residing outside of Canada at point of application: December 1

Please Note: Applications submitted after the above mentioned deadline will not be
considered.
Where deadline dates fall on a weekend or statutory holiday, the normal office closing
time (4:30 p.m.) of the next working day will be used.

The Faculty of Social Work has adopted an Educational Equity Initiative (EE) for the
following priority groups who are residents in Canada: Canadian Aboriginal peoples,
LGBTTQ, people with disabilities, visible minorities, immigrants and refugees. The
details are enclosed in this package.
The Faculty of Social work offers admission to MSW students for Fall (September) start
only. Please indicate this start date on the Faculty of Graduate Studies Application for
Graduate Admission form.

This application information guide is intended to assist you through the application
process. The link for the application forms is included on the Faculty of Graduate
Studies website. It may also be accessed through the Faculty of Social Work website.

For information about scholarships and awards available to social work students, please
refer to the Facultys website.



I. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL PRE-MSW APPLICANTS

A. Possession of, or eligible for the granting of, a degree other than Social Work at point
of application from an accredited university which is recognized by the University of
Manitoba. Persons who plan to convocate in May of the year of application are
not eligible for admission.
B. One year (1680 hours) of relevant social work experience, paid or volunteer, at the
point of application.
Please refer to Section III, A2 for the description of the process for assessing work
experience.
C. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) is required in the last 60 credit hours of
university study at the point of application.
D. If courses have been taken subsequent to the degree as a Special Student and/or
Occasional Student and/or in a subsequent degree or Pre-Master program, they will
be calculated into the grade point average as part of the last 60 credit hours.
Courses not completed by January 15th of the application year will not be
considered. Only grades submitted in the form of official transcripts from all post-
secondary educational institutions at the point of application will be included in
the calculation of the GPA.
NB Failure to disclose relevant facts and/or submission of false
information or documentation may result in acceptance and
registration being withdrawn. If discovered in a subsequent session
it may result in dismissal from the University.

The Faculty of Social Work Educational Equity Initiative:
The purpose of this Educational Equity Initiative is to achieve equality in professional
education so that no person shall be denied educational opportunities or benefits for
reasons unrelated to ability. In fulfillment of this goal, the aim is to correct the conditions
of disadvantage in professional education experienced by Canadian Aboriginal peoples,
LGBTTQ, persons with disabilities, immigrants and refugees to Canada and persons
who are, because of their race or color, a visible minority in Canada. Giving effect to the
principle of educational equity means more than treating persons in the same way, but
also requires special measures and the accommodation of difference. (Adapted from the
Canadian Employment Equity Act.)

To qualify under this initiative applicants must identify themselves at point of application
using the definitions below.

Definitions of Educational Equity Priority Groups:
Canadian Aboriginal Peoples
Aboriginal peoples are all indigenous people of Canada including: First Nations, Mtis,
Dene and Inuit.
LGBTTQ
LGBTTQ are persons who self identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgendered/transsexual, two-spirited, queer or questioning.
Visible Minorities
Persons other than Aboriginal Peoples who are, because of their colour, a visible
minority in Canada.
Immigrants
Immigrants are those who do not record Canadian citizenship by birth, and whose native
tongue is not English.
Refugees
A refugee is an individual who has left his/her country of residence because of
persecution for belonging to a particular social, cultural, religious and/or national group,
and/or for holding particular political beliefs and has been accepted for residence in
Canada.
Persons with Disabilities
Persons with disabilities are those who would consider themselves disadvantaged by
reason of any physical, intellectual, mental, sensory or learning impairment.

Eligibility consideration under the Educational Equity Initiative for
applicants with less than a 3.0 grade point average:
A. If you have identified yourself at point of application as a member of one or more of
the Educational Equity priority groups, and have a grade point average between 2.50
to 2.99, you will be required to submit an additional form and your application will be
reviewed for special consideration. Applicants with grade point averages below 2.50
will not be considered.
B. Special consideration applications, as any other applications, will be scored on their
non-academic components: paid and unpaid work experience (see section III for
more information)
C. The MSW Admissions Committee refers all Educational Equity Initiative applications
to the Educational Equity (EE) Committee, which may request additional information
from applicants. The EE committee reviews each EE application and makes a
recommendation to the MSW Admissions Committee. The MSW Admissions
Committee will make a recommendation to the Dean of the Faculty of Social Work.
The final decision on admission rests with the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate
Studies.


II. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL APPLICANTS

A. A completed application for graduate admission to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

B. The application fee. The Faculty of Graduate Studies WILL NOT process ANY
application without the application fee also being submitted.

C. Official transcripts and complete academic records of all post secondary attendance.
Official transcripts MUST be forwarded directly to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. A
transcript which is stamped Student Copy or Issued to Student is not considered an
official transcript, but can be accepted for assessment purposes only. Applicants
convocating in February of the year of application, must submit a special letter from their
home university and/or faculty indicating that the applicant is eligible for the granting of a
degree at February convocation.
D. Completed Paid/Volunteer Work History forms, if applicable.
E. Two recommendations (references) related to paid work and/or voluntary work experience
are required. One reference must be completed by the applicants most recent employer or
supervisor of paid work experience. The recommendation (reference) are to be provided on
the forms enclosed in the application. Where an applicant does not have work or volunteer
experience, 2 references must be submitted by persons whom the applicant feels can
address the questions asked on the reference form.
F. Identification with an Educational Equity Initiative priority group, if applicable (Optional).
G. Area of Specialization Statement.
H. Notarized copy of marriage certificate, or other official evidence indicating name change
(applicable only to those students who have had a change of name which differs from that
on the academic record or birth certificate).
I. English Language Test Score (new applicants whose native language is not English may be
required to successfully complete an English test approved by the Faculty of Graduate
Studies).

NOTE: The above documentation is required as part of the application. It is the applicants
responsibility to ensure that ALL the required documentation is received by the Faculty of
Graduate Studies no later than the deadline date.
Receipt of any of the above documentation after the deadline date constitutes a late
application and will not be considered.
An interview may be requested and required by the Faculty of Social Work, at its discretion.
Because there are a limited number of places available in the MSW and Pre-MSW
programs, the possession of minimum qualifications does not guarantee admission.


III. SELECTION PROCESS
A. The following is assessed in the selection process:
1. Grade point average. Maximum 45 points
2. Duration and relevance of work experience, paid and/or unpaid.

Maximum 40 points
Relevance and duration of work experience will be determined by the MSW Admissions
Committee from the information provided in the work and/or volunteer history statements.

Points for the duration of work experience will be scored using the following chart:
Years Points
5+ 40
3 -<5 30
2-<3 20
1-<2 10
0-<1 0

Relevant experience, whether paid or unpaid, is defined by the Faculty for the purposes of
admission as:
The involvement in programs and activities designed to enhance peoples development and
well being. This includes the planning, organization, development, and administration of
programs for, and the provision of direct service to, people. The human service field includes,
but is not limited to, the following seven areas: 1) personal social services, 2) health, 3)
education, 4) housing, 5) income and economic development, 6) justice and public safety, 7)
community organization and/or community development and/or advocacy work.
1

All work experience will be assessed for Social Work relevance according to the
process described below.
Tier I - Working in the capacity and having the responsibilities of a social worker
including a range of professional functions including assessment, planning,
intervention and evaluation. Work experience assessed as Tier I will be
scored at 100% of its duration.

Tier II - Working in a social service setting fulfilling a more limited range of
responsibilities than Tier I, including, but not limited to: residential case
worker, Child and Family Services support worker, case aide and research
interviewer. Work experience assessed as Tier II will be scored at 50% of
its duration.

1
Adapted, with amendments from Barker, Robert L (1991). The Social Work Dictionary, 2
nd
Ed.
Washington, D.C.: NASW Press.



Tier III - Working in a human service capacity as defined by relevant work experience
that falls outside the definitions of Tier I and II. Work experience assessed
as Tier III will be scored at 25% of its duration.

3. Educational Equity Initiative - (if identified at point of application). 10 points will be
assigned to each EE applicant who is within 10 points of the cutoff in the selection
process.
Total: Maximum 85 points
The following two items are required but not scored:
4. Area of Specialization Statement.
5. Two letters of recommendation (reference).
B. Applications are reviewed and scored by Faculty members.
C. Applicants will be advised if a Faculty Advisor is not available in the applicants area of
interest. The Faculty also reserves the right to reject an application when an advisor cannot
be assigned.
Faculty Areas of Interest may be found on the Facultys website.
D. Applicants will be notified by email regarding the status of their application.
E. Once accepted, Educational Equity priority group applicants can request an interview to
articulate needs and supports, and to assist the Faculty in advance planning with reference
to these needs.
F. In addition, the Faculty undertakes to ensure that persons admitted to the Faculty, and the
profession, have not engaged in behavior that is regarded as physically and mentally
harmful to others. In this regard, all applicants offered admission will be required to
submit a Criminal Record Statement and a Child Abuse Registry (CAR) check/
Vulnerable Sector Search (for a record of those registered as an offender).
The Faculty reserves the right, based on its findings, to interview all applicants selected for
admission with an assurance of confidentially regarding same. The existence of such a
record will not automatically exclude the applicant, but the Admissions Committee may
declare a candidate ineligible based on its findings.
Supplementary information is not accepted, and will NOT be used in the committees
decision (e.g. CV, resume, certificates, etc.)

IV. RECONSIDERATION

Applicants who believe that a procedural error has been made may request reconsideration of
the decision by submitting a written request to the Chairperson of the MSW Admissions
Committee. Requests for reconsideration must be made within 10 working days of mailing of
the committee decision.