Hey there! This is the informational webinar for Boise State University’s Master of Social Work Online.
This program offers both regular and advanced options. In this webinar, we’ll talk through the differences between the regular standing and advanced standing options, and then we’ll talk through the program cost, application deadlines and the admissions process. Finally, we’ll dive into the application itself, giving you tips for making your application the best it can be.
Boise State Online offers both a regular standing MSW and an advanced standing MSW. Regular standing is for students with a bachelor’s degree in disciplines other than social work. Advanced standing is designed for students who have earned a bachelor’s degree from an undergraduate social work program that is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. Admission to advanced standing is evaluated on a case by case basis.
All applicants must demonstrate significant work practical experience on their resume. You may apply for the advanced standing program if you meet one of the three requirements.
One: You will graduate with a Bachelor’s of Social Work from a CSWE accredited program prior to starting our MSW.
[Two]: You’ve graduated with a BSW from a CSWE accredited school within the last five years.
Three: You graduated with a BSW from a CSWE accredited school within the last ten years and have significant post bachelor’s degree social work practice experience.
Applicants who do not meet these criteria are encouraged to apply to the regular standing program.
On this page are the cost associated with completing the MSW online here at Boise State University, starting with the Graduate College application fee [$65], followed by the background check fee [$49] that is completed during the application process. The tuition rate per credit hour is $565 per credit, and this is for all students as there is no out-of-state tuition fees. All students pay the same cost, regardless of which of the 50 states they reside in.
The advanced standing program is 37 credits to complete, and the regular standing program is 61 credits to complete. There is a practicum fee [$50] per field work semester completed that is two semesters for advanced handling students and four semesters for regular standing students. We also include a textbook estimate as you can see, it is a range [$1,000-1,800] that will fluctuate based upon where you source your textbooks from.
And the final fee is the graduation application fee [$25]. Total cost for both the advanced standing and regular standing programs are listed on the right side of the screen. [Advanced Standing: $22,144-22,444. Regular Standing: $36,304-36,604]
Boise State MSW online enrolls students three times throughout the year. Students who apply for the spring semester begin courses in January, and their application deadline is August 15th of the prior year. Students applying for the summer semester begin courses in May, and their application deadline is January 15th. Students applying for the fall semester begin courses in August and their application deadline is April 15th.
Please keep these dates in mind as you plan accordingly, and making sure that you are applying for the appropriate semester and are aware of the appropriate application deadline.
After the application deadline, student success coaches will review all applicants for that particular semester. We will ensure that all applications that are 100% complete go on to the admissions committee. All applications will be holistically reviewed by the admissions committee. Top candidates will be offered a virtual 30 minute interview, taking place about six weeks after the application deadline. Shortly after the interviews are completed, admissions recommendations will be made to the Graduate College and applicants will be notified of final decisions.
In this holistic application process, students who are successful oftentimes will show that they have a bachelor’s degree showing a distinction of liberal arts and social science courses. A cumulative GPA of 3.0 during the last two years of earning a bachelor’s degree or an overall undergraduate GPA of a 3.0. Evidence of social service practice and experience, whether it be paid or unpaid.
A personal essay written in a clear, well-organized manner with no or few grammatical errors. Additionally, recommendation letters that indicate strong potential to succeed in a graduate program. Students will also need to provide a completed background check and supporting documentation, if applicable. Finally, strong candidates will also show a willingness to understand and abide by the NASW Code of Ethics.
Finally, the application process and its components. There are several components of the application and they are listed on the screen. Step one is that you must apply to the university through the Graduate College. You must also provide letters of recommendation. You must request official transcripts. Submit program specific requirements such as the resume, the personal statement, and the notarized disclosure form. And finally, the background check.
Step One: Apply to the University through the Graduate College
Students must reside within the United States throughout the entire duration of the MSW program due to the in-person field work requirements, which require the supervision of an experienced master’s level social worker in an agency setting. Due to visa restrictions, international students currently living outside of the United States or in the United States on any visa are not eligible for admission to this program.
Once you start the application, please bookmark the link. The application system will save your progress. You will also need to log out of the application every time, or you will encounter an error code. Pay the nonrefundable graduate admissions application fee at the time you complete the application. On the program page within the application, select the appropriate program regular or advanced standing from the dropdown list. This will activate the program requirements and recommendation sections to appear.
Step Two: Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation are required. In the online application, you will provide information regarding the people who will write your letters of recommendation, including each recommenders name and email address. Please note that recommenders may be contacted to verify their information. Ideally, at least one letter must be sent by a previous instructor and at least one from a supervisor. The third can be someone from either category.
If it has been more than six years since you graduated, you can replace the academic recommender with another supervisor or letter. If you do not have professional work experience, either paid or unpaid, you can replace a supervisor letter with another academic letter of recommendation. Recommendations from relatives or colleagues will not be accepted.
Only a letter received through the Boise State online application system will be considered for review. Thus, you must complete all fields, including an email address for the recommender, as your letter must be uploaded through this system. The program will not accept letters sent hardcopy or emailed directly to the program. The process is streamlined and your recommendation writers will receive an email informing them of your request.
Your recommenders will be asked to create their own accounts and upload the recommendation letters into the portal. Please note under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, students have access to their educational records, including letters of recommendation. However, students may waive their right to see letters of recommendation, in which case the letters will be held in confidence.
In the application, you will be asked if you wish to waive this right and your decision will be communicated to your recommenders. Here are a few tips on completing the letters of recommendation.
First, have a conversation beforehand with each of your recommenders, letting them know of your plans. Give them plenty of time, at least a month if possible, in order to be able to write your letter to the best of their ability.
Inform your recommenders on what to expect in the process. Let think letting them know they will receive an email from Boise State with a link that will allow them to submit a letter that will be connected to your application. Consider emailing them your formal request to provide them with helpful information in writing your letter, providing things such as why you’re interested in the program and what you have been doing since graduating or last working or volunteering for them, including a resume of your work experience and highlighting anything that you learned or how you were inspired or skills that you attained in your time with them.
Remind them of any relevant projects or papers that you have completed that may assist in writing your letter. Once your recommenders have submitted their letters of recommendation, you will be informed via their application portal. It is recommended to send a thank you letter as these letters are an important part of the application process.
Step Three: Order Official Transcripts
Boise State University Graduate College requires you provide official transcripts for every higher education institution you have previously attended. Official transcripts can be provided in one of two ways. The first, and most common for a U.S. institution is through electronic transcripts attending systems such as Clearinghouse or Parchment. Students will need to reach out to their previously attended institution and request or order transcripts to be sent to the Boise State Graduate College.
Paper transcripts are the second and lesser common way of providing official transcripts. Paper transcripts must be sealed and stamped with the institutional stamp, as well as have all security features intact in order for them to be considered official.
Step Four: Program Requirements
This will include your personal statement, your resume, and your disclosure form. We’ll start with your personal statement. Your personal statement will address how your experiences, perspectives and distinguishable qualities can positively contribute to the MSW program and the field of social work. There are few formatting requirements to keep in mind as you complete this application requirement.
Your personal statement shall be no more than seven pages and must be double spaced. No title pages required, but if you choose to include one, the title page will not count towards your page count. Your personal statements must have one inch margins on all sides. The 12 point font in a standard typeface, and you will begin each section with the required heading.
We’ll talk through those headings on the next slide. Use your best professional writing as this will assist the admissions committee in evaluating your capacity and readiness for graduate social work education. Your personal statement must use the following headings. Section one is pursuing an MSW. Section two is case review and section three is social issues and navigating different beliefs.
This is your opportunity for the admissions committee to get to know your previous experience, why you want to pursue an MSW, and what distinguishable qualities you bring to the field.
The next program requirement is the resume. In your resume, you will list each paid and unpaid social work experience, including volunteering. You will do this in reverse chronological order, starting from your most recent experience and going back. You’re going to compose this as if you’re applying for a role in the social work field.
There are few requirements that you need to include in the details of your resume for each position you list. You will list the agency or the company or organization name. The city and state where the role is located. The start and end date of your experience. The position, role and title. Major responsibilities of the position, and then any particular highlights or achievements from that position.
And the final program requirement is the signed and notarized disclosure form.
The notarized disclosure form consists of three sections. The Licensing and Certification Professional Program History Disclosure. The Criminal Unsubstantiated Abuse History Disclosure, and the applicants verification of candor and accuracy. This is what that form looks like. As you can see on the top left is the Licensing, Certification and Professional Program disclosure section.
You will see a series of yes and no questions. And then if you answer yes to certain questions, you will be prompted to provide additional documentation for those answers. The Criminal and Substantiated Abuse section begins on the bottom portion of the first page. Once again, you will have a series of yes and no questions, and if you answer yes to any of those questions, you’ll be prompted to provide additional information for your answers.
The final section is the applicant’s verification of candor and accuracy. In that section, you will sign and date that you are who you say you are and you have completed this form to the best of your ability, with the most accurate information that you have. This form will be printed and completed and you will need to bring it to a notary.
Oftentimes, students will use a library or a bank or a UPS store for the notary services. The notary will complete the bottom portion of the form and provide their seal or stamp, verifying that you have shown your identification and you are who you say you are and have completed this form. Once this form has been notarized, you will upload a PDF of the completed form into the application portal.
Step five: Background Check
A background check is required for all social work students. To ensure the safety and well-being of all clients and patients, background checks are becoming a standard requirement for employment in social services and health care. Background checks are required by most agencies that serve as field placement sites for social work students. It is therefore important that all applicants being considered for admission into the MSW program complete a background check before final recommendation of admission can be made.
The School of Social Work offers professional education and preparation for social work licensure and practice. Evaluation for the license to practice social work in Idaho and in other states also includes a review of the applicant’s criminal record. After graduation, a past conviction may impact the ability to be licensed as well as employability. Here’s what you’ll need to do in order to meet the background check requirement of the application process.
You will need to go to the Boise State specific Castle Branch website seen on the screen: portal.castlebranch.com/BJ53
You will order your background check and you will pay your background check fee. Once you have paid your background check fee, you will receive an order confirmation email. Attached in that email as a PDF is the screenshot to the right. You will download the PDF and upload it into the application portal.
For your privacy, do not upload the full results of your background check. The order confirmation page is the only thing required for the application process.
Step Six: Interview and Beyond
Please note that only top applicants will be invited to the virtual interview process. Applications will be sent to the admissions committee after the deadline passes. The admissions committee will take up to six weeks to review all applicants. The top applicants will be invited to a virtual interview process. Interviews will be scheduled for two months after the application deadline.
Interviews will be individual, virtual and with one or two members of the admissions committee. Final decisions will be made shortly after the interviews are completed. The admissions committee will inform the Graduate College who will send formal notice of acceptance, waitlist or denial of admission.
[Thank You]