Social Work Admissions

On the Program page within the application, select the appropriate program from the dropdown list.

Social Work Online-Regular Standing

Select this option if you do not have a bachelor’s in social work OR if you have a bachelor’s in social work but do not meet the years since degree requirements listed in the section Social Work Online-Advanced Standing, on this page.

Social Work Online-Advanced Standing

Select this option if ONE of the following applies:

1. You will graduate with a bachelor’s in social work from a CSWE (Council of Social Work Education) accredited school prior to the semester you are applying for.
2. You graduated with a bachelor’s in social work from a CSWE-accredited school within the last five years.
3. You graduated with a bachelor’s in social work from a CSWE-accredited school within the last 10 years and have significant post-bachelor’s degree social work practice experience.

Application Notes

• Once you start the application, please bookmark the link. You will also need to log out of your application every time or you will encounter an error code.

• Pay the non-refundable Graduate Admission Application fee online at the time you complete the application.

If you have questions or need additional assistance, contact your student success coach at (208) 426-5921 or MSWOnline@boisestate.edu.

Note to international students: Due to visa restrictions, international students currently living outside the United States or in the United States on any visa are not eligible for admission to this program.

Submit the Boise State University Graduate Admissions Application

Submit official transcripts from all accredited institutions where you’ve earned college credit. Transcripts must be sent directly to Boise State Graduate Admissions either electronically or by mail. Please note that transcripts uploaded by the applicant will not be considered official.

If you have served in the military, please make sure to send your Joint Services Transcript and/or Community College of the Air Force transcript.

How to submit official transcripts to the Boise State University Graduate College

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 recommender’s name and email address. Please note that recommenders may be contacted to verify their information.

About Letters of Recommendation

At least one letter must be sent by a previous instructor and at least one from a supervisor, the third letter can be someone from either category. Recommendations from relatives, friends or colleagues will not be accepted. If it has been more than six years since you last worked with the selected instructor, you can replace this recommendation with a letter from a second supervisor. If you do not have professional work experience, you can replace the letter from a supervisor with a recommendation from another instructor.

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 in hard copy 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/documents.

Note: Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, students have access to their education records, including letters of recommendation. However, students may waive their right to see letters of evaluation, 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 the recommenders.

The program application requires the following elements:

• Personal statement
• Current resume
• Background check
• Sign and notarize a disclosure form

The use of any form of generative AI in application materials is prohibited.

Personal Statement

Your personal statement will address how your experiences, strengths and distinguishable qualities will make a positive contribution to the Master of Social Work program and the field of social work.

Your statement should reflect your best professional writing. You need to answer all prompts below in no more than seven double-spaced pages with one-inch margins on all sides. You must begin each section of your statement with the required heading. Your statement will assist the admissions committee in evaluating your capacity and readiness for graduate social work education. In essence, this is an opportunity for the admissions committee to get to know more about you and your previous experience, and why you want to pursue an MSW.

Your statement must include headings and adhere to the following formatting.

Heading for Section One: Pursuing an MSW

What has led you to seek a graduate degree in social work? Why do you want to be a social worker? What specifically led you to apply to a social work program rather than programs for other helping professionals such as psychology, counseling or healthcare? Do you have specific career goals within social work? (one to two pages).

Additional question for Advanced Standing students ONLY: How has your bachelor’s in social work education prepared you for graduate work and influenced your decision to pursue your graduate degree?

Heading for Section Two: Case Review

Read the following case study. Write a short statement (one to two pages) using the questions that are provided as a guide.

You are a social worker in a community health clinic, and you will be seeing a new client today named River, who is 52 years old and lives with their long-time partner. The clinic where you work serves people who are uninsured and come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. It is a common part of your job to give out bus passes and referrals to the food bank and help your client navigate the application process for various needs-based programs, such as food stamps.

River has set up this appointment to address some of these tasks, but the doctor also at the clinic felt they would benefit from counseling as they have been experiencing some depressive symptoms. As you begin the meeting with River, they note to you that the intake forms that they completed prior to your visit only included binary gender options (i.e., female/male), and River identifies as genderqueer. They found the intake form troubling and non-inclusive, especially for a clinic that seeks to serve a wide range of underserved populations.

Answer the following questions in your statement:

• Discuss professional values and ethical principles outlined in the NASW Code of Ethics that apply to this case. How might you address River’s concern professionally during the session? After the session? What specific guidance from the Code of Ethics informed your response?
• What issues are raised for you as you consider this case? How will you approach those issues as a professional social worker?

Heading for Section Three: Social Issues and Navigating Different Beliefs

Take a position on a social issue of your choice (e.g., “The death penalty prevents violent crime”). Prepare one to two pages of argument, including facts/research in support of that position. You will be assessed on the quality of your argument, not on the position you have chosen to take on the social issue.

Imagine you are leading a group with another clinician from your agency. After the group ends, while clients are still in the room, the other clinician expresses an opinion about a social issue and denigrates people who hold the opposite opinion. In a brief statement (one to two pages), explain what you would say or do. What are important principles and practices to utilize when discussing different personal and/or professional beliefs?

Current Resume

While you are in the online admissions application, you will be asked to upload your resume. The document must include any paid or unpaid social work experience – including volunteering – shown in chronological order, with the most recent activity listed first. We recommend you compose your resume as if you are applying for a position in social work.

List each paid or unpaid social work experience. Include the following details:

• Agency/Company name
• City and State where Agency/Company is located
• Start and End dates (mm/dd/yyyy)
• Position title
• Major responsibilities of this position

Background Check

A background check must be completed as part of the application process. To order your background check, you should complete the following steps prior to the application deadline:

• Go to portal.castlebranch.com/BJ53
• Place an order with Boise State University School of Social Work’s package code (BJ53)
• Pay background check fee

To protect your privacy, DO NOT upload your full background check document into your application. When we review your background check results, we will do so through the secure CastleBranch portal.

About the background check

A background check is required for all social work students. To ensure the safety and well-being of all clients/patients, background checks are becoming a standard requirement for employment in social services and healthcare. 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 Online program complete a background check before a final recommendation of admission can be made.

The School of Social Work offers professional education in preparation for social work licensure and practice. Evaluation for the license to practice social work in Idaho and 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.

Sign and notarize a disclosure form

At the time you are in the online admissions application, you will be asked to upload a signed and notarized form covering criminal and substantiated abuse history, verification of candor and accuracy, and licensing certification and program disclosure. The form is available for download.

Download Disclosure Form (PDF)

Licensing Certification and Program Disclosure

If you answer “Yes” to certain questions within the Licensing Certification and Professional Program History Disclosure portion of the form, you are also required to upload additional documentation. Detailed instructions for this documentation are available within the form.

A “Yes” answer to question(s) on the Licensing Certification and Professional Program History Disclosure form does not necessarily mean you will be denied admission to the School of Social Work program. Additional documentation and/or information may be requested if the submission with your application is deemed insufficient.

Criminal and Substantiated Abuse History Disclosure

If you answer “Yes” to any of the questions within the Criminal and Substantiated Abuse History Disclosure section of the form, you are also required to upload a separate statement with complete information with respect to all circumstances and the final result, if such has been reached. You must submit a complete narrative of the circumstances that occurred for each and every criminal action, conviction, plea-in-abeyance and/or deferred sentence, including the year of disposition, and also an explanation of your plans to cope with potential post-MSW limitations on your practice of social work. You must also enclose copies of all applicable police report(s), court record(s), and probation/parole officer report(s). If you are unable to obtain any of the required records, you must submit documentation on official letterhead from the police department and/or court indicating that the documentation is no longer available.

A “Yes” answer to question(s) on the Criminal and Substantiated Abuse History Disclosure portion of the form does not necessarily mean you will be denied admission to the School of Social Work program. Additional documentation and/or information may be requested if the submission with your application is deemed insufficient.

Applicant’s Verification of Candor and Accuracy

The Applicant’s Verification of Candor and Accuracy portion of the form verifies that your application is a complete and accurate representation of your application materials.

For additional support accessing the form, locating a notary or uploading the signed and notarized form to your application, contact a student success coach at MSWOnline@boisestate.edu or (208) 426-5921.

All applicants to the program are holistically reviewed by the admission committee. Top candidates will be offered a virtual 30-minute interview. This interview is the next step in the admission process.