Applicants are admitted to the CSULB Master of Social Work (MSW) program for the Fall semester only; we do not offer Spring admission. Applications are accepted on a rolling admission basis beginning October 1, 2023, and are reviewed on a first-come-first-served basis until spaces are filled. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their application early. The deadline for all application materials is January 15, 2024.
The School of Social Work at CSULB offers the following three program plans for the completion of the MSW degree: 2-Year, 3-Year, and an Advanced Standing option. For more information regarding the MSW program and the various program options, please review the “MSW Program Overview - Program Plans” tab above. Additionally, the 3-Year MSW Program is also offered at off-campus locations throughout the state. Distance Education applications will be accepted next for the Fall 2025admission cycle, beginning October 1, 2024. Please review the “Distance Education” flyer in the "MSW Program Overview - Program Plans" tab above.
To be considered for the Advanced Standing MSW program, applicants must meet additional eligibility requirements. In addition, applicants are required to respond to an additional question in their Personal Statement and include specific references in their application via Cal State Apply. Applicants to the Advanced Standing MSW program should read through these application guidelines closely to ensure they have met all of these requirements. Applicants are provisionally admitted to the Advanced Standing MSW program until they have successfully completed the Summer Bridge program. Refer to the “MSW Program Overview - Program Overview” tab for more details.
Information Meetings
Prospective applicants are encouraged to attend one of our information meetings for timely information regarding admission requirements and the application process. Those in attendance will have an opportunity to ask questions, meet others who are also interested in the social work field and assess the educational opportunities provided by the MSW program at CSULB.
For Fall 2024 admission, Information Meetings may be held virtually. Please see the MSW Information Meeting accordion tab for more information.
Tuition Cost*
Tuition fees are set by University Enrollment Services (fall & spring classes) and the College of Continuing & Professional Education (summer classes) and are subject to change. Total tuition costs for the CSULB MSW program varies by program plan and California residency status. The table below provides estimated tuition costs for the three MSW program plans for California residents (as of 6/01/2023). These costs are for tuition and fees only and do not include the costs for books, room and board, or other living expenses.
- Advanced Standing (California Resident): $12,672.00
- 2-Year (California Resident): $16,844.00
- 3-Year (California Resident): $27,110.00
- Distance Education (California Resident): See Distance Education Link on the School of Social Work website for more information.
*IMPORTANT: These estimated tuition costs are based on the fee schedule posted on 6/01/2023 and are subject to change at any time. Non-residents are required to pay an additional $396 per unit. International students must meet minimum enrollment requirements that may incur additional tuition costs and should contact the Center for International Education for more information. The School of Social Work does not set tuition fees for the MSW program. Applicants should consult the University Enrollment Services website for the most up-to-date tuition and fee information.
Financial Aid
Graduate students are eligible to apply for financial aid, so applicants to the MSW program at CSULB can apply for financial aid. Applicants who need more information on financial aid and how to finance their education should consult the CSULB Financial Aid website.
Application Process
The application process to the MSW program hastwo distinct parts. Each applicant must apply online to the University (CSULB) by completing Quadrants One through Three. Each applicant also must complete Quadrant Four, including the Recommendation requests and Document uploads, for the School of Social Work. All Quadrants are submitted simultaneously.The following information provides details about the application process.
STEP 1: Application to the University (CSULB) as a Graduate Student
Quadrants One through Three via Cal State Apply
Each applicant must apply to the University as a graduate student by completing Quadrants One through Three ofCal State Apply. There is a $70.00 application fee for the University application. Each applicant must have official transcripts from thepostsecondary school where your degree is either in-progress or was completedsent directly to “CSULB Enrollment Services/Admissions, CSU Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840.” Refer to the “Transcripts” section for more information.
NOTE TO DISTANCE EDUCATION APPLICANTS ONLY: When applying to the University, applicants to the Distance Education MSW program must choose “Long Beach Campus” as the Campus/Program to which they are applying and must select “Master of Social Work” under “Long Beach Extension.”
STEP 2: Application to the School of Social Work MSW Program
Quadrant Four via Cal State Apply
The second step in the application process is to complete the School of Social Work specific questions, recommendation requests and document uploads in Quadrant Four via Cal State Apply.
A complete MSW Application must include the following:
- Quadrant Four School of Social Work Questions
- Professional, Volunteer and Social Services Experience/RésuméDocument
- PersonalStatement Document
- Unofficial Transcript Document (if Elementary Statistics Course does not appear on under official transcript from undergraduate degree institution)
- At least three (3) References, submitted via Cal State Apply
- Elementary Statistics Course Syllabus (if applicable, see instructions - submitted via email)
The following includes a detailed description andinstructions for the MSW applicationmaterials:
(A) Cal State ApplyQuadrant Four - School of Social Work Specific Questions
Complete the questions in Quadrant Four of the Cal State Apply application for the CSULB School of Social Work.
- The applicant must complete these questions.
- The applicant must agree to the Acknowledgement Box to be considered an applicant to the MSW program.
(B) Professional, Volunteer and Social Service Experience/RésuméDocument
Please submit a document that includes relevant experience.
- The applicant should include all paid, internship, and volunteer experience in the résumé and list the most recent Social Work or Social Work-related experience first.
- For each position, the applicant must include all of the information requested under the document instructions on the Documents tab of Quadrant Four of the Cal State Apply application.
- Upload documentvia Cal State Apply.
- Please note: the School, University and Council on Social Work Education regulations do not permit the substitution of life or work experience for curriculum or degree requirements.
(C) PersonalStatement Document
The statement must include the applicant’s responses to the specific questions under the document instructions on the Documents tab of Quadrant Four of the Cal State Apply application.
- The statement must be typed, double-spaced, 12-pt font, and 4 - 6 pages in length.
- Advanced Standing applicants must respond to Question #10 in addition to Questions #1 - 9 in their statement.
- Upload documentvia Cal State Apply.
(D)Unofficial Transcripts
The University requires an official transcript from the institution where you received your undergraduate degree. If you completed your elementary statistics course at a different institution, upload the unofficial transcript document that includes this course for verification you completed the prerequisite.
- Upload documentvia Cal State Apply.
(E) At Least Three (3) References
Applicants must request at least three (3) References via Cal State Apply from the following individuals:
- One reference must be from an academic source (e.g., professor, instructor)
- One reference must be from a professional source (e.g., supervisor, program or agency director)
- The third reference can be from either an academic or professional source
- A fourth reference can be requested as a back-up, but only three will be evaluated. Applicants should rank their choices for evaluationinQuadrantFour under the Questions tab on Cal State Apply, there is a specific field for identifying and ranking references.
- Applicants should provide references from professors or professionals who are able to comment on the applicant’s qualifications for graduate study in social work.
- Recommenders will have the ability to provide additional detail in a comments section on the form.
- Once you have saved an electronic recommendation request in Cal State Apply, an email request will automatically be sent to the recommender on your behalf. Please advise the recommender to look for this email in their inbox, as well as their spam or junk-mail folder, as emails do occasionally get filtered out.
- Please request that the recommender submit the recommendation form within three-to-six weeks after the initial request to support the evaluation process.
- Recommendations are required by the School of Social Work, but considered by the University to be additional documents during the application process. It is possible for an application be forwarded to the School of Social Work with one or more of the Recommendations not received;the School of Social Work considers these applications to be still incomplete and will not evaluate these applications. Be sure to follow-up with your Recommenders during this process.
Advanced Standing Applicants only:
- Applicants who wish to be considered for admission to the Advanced Standing program must submit references from the following individuals. Please also identify the references as outlined in Quadrant Fourunder the Questions tab on Cal State Apply.
- The applicant’s Senior-Year field instructor/field supervisororfield liaisonorthe Director/Coordinator of field education for the applicant’s BASW/BSW programorif you graduated two or more years ago and work in the social work field, your current supervisor
- The applicant’s Social Work Academic Advisorora Social Work (BASW/BSW) professor whose course the applicant completed or is currently taking
- The third reference must be from a professional source (i.e. a supervisor from a paid or volunteer position NOT from the BSW internship)
(F) Elementary Course (Elementary Course Syllabus, if applicable)
The applicant must earn a grade of “C” or better in an approved statistics course no later than Spring 2024 [a grade of “C minus (C-)“ does not meet this requirement]. The School of Social Work has posted a list of approved statistics courses on the School website, linked below. The applicant must verify that the prerequisite course in elementary statistics s/he completed is included on the list of approved courses.
If the course is not included on the approved list, the applicant must submit a copy of the course syllabus via email to the following email address for evaluation - CHHS-SWApplications@csulb.edu.
The syllabus will be reviewed, and the applicant will be notified via email as to whether or not the course is approved.
Document
School of Social Work Approved Elementary Statistics Courses June 2023.pdf
Submission of Application
To be considered an applicant to the MSW program, the application and uploaded documents must be submitted via the Cal State Apply application by the deadline.
Admission Decisions
Decisions will be sent after the supplemental School of Social Work application materials are evaluated and a decision is rendered, that decision can be as late as the end of May each admission cycle.
Acceptance and Denial emails from the University will be sent to the email address you supplied via Cal State Apply, Acceptance Documents specific to the School of Social Work will also be sent from the School of Social Work Admissions Office if you are accepted into the MSW program.
Please note, starting with Fall 2024 Admission, CSULB will require an enrollment deposit of $150 when graduate applicants confirm their acceptance via the MyCSULB Student Center. Waivers are available, please consult with the University Admissions website for more information.
Official Transcripts
Applicants must have an official transcriptfrom thepostsecondary school where you received your undergraduate degree or your undergraduate degree is in-progresssent directly to “CSULB Enrollment Services/Admissions, CSU Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840” or electronically to CSULB Enrollment Services at ES-IDPTrans@csulb.edu by January 15, 2024. Please note the following guidelines regarding transcript submission:
- CSULB Graduates: Applicants who completed (or are completing) their undergraduate degree at CSULB do not need to request transcripts.
- Reapplying Applicants: If an applicant submitted a transcript that shows degree conferral to University Enrollment Services at the time of theirinitial application and has not completed any additional coursework, theydonot need to submit new transcripts. If the degree has been conferred after the initial application, an updated transcript will need to be submitted to verify completion of degree.
- Degree in Progress: Applicants who have a degree in progressat the time of application must send another updated transcript that reflects the degree conferral to University Enrollment Services no later than July 1, 2024.
- Statistics Course In-Progress: Applicants who have astatistics course in-progress at the time of application must send another updated unofficialtranscript that reflects the statistics course grade to the School of Social Work via email (CHHS-SW@csulb.edu) no later than July 1, 2024.
Incomplete or Late Applications
Incomplete applications will not be processed. Late applications will not be considered. Once the application closes, you will be unable to update or submit an application.
Reapplying Applicants
Applicants who applied to the CSULB MSW program in a previous year are welcome to reapply in a future term. Applicants who choose to reapply must meet the eligibility criteria of the term for which they are reapplying and follow the complete application process. Applicants who are reapplying should also refer to the “Transcripts” section for more information.
International Applicants
International applicants who hold a non-immigrant (student or exchange) visa must review the information posted on the College of Professional andContinuing Education (CPaCE) website for University admission requirements. In addition to University admission requirements, international applicants must complete the Social Work specific questions and documents under Quadrant Four of Cal State Apply. Please confer with the CPaCE website for all updated deadlines and policies regarding international admission requirements.
Application Deadline
The MSW application deadlineis January 15, 2024. The Cal State Apply online application system closes at midnight on January 15, 2024.
Due to the complexity of the application process, applicants should be mindful of the requirements and the time needed to compile and submit the application.
Applicants must also have an original transcripts from thepostsecondary school where you received your undergraduate degree or your undergraduate degree is in-progress sent directly to “CSULB Enrollment Services/Admissions, CSU Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840” or to the U.E.S. email address (ES-IDPTrans@csulb.edu) by the January 15th deadline.
Transfer Credit
Applicants cannot “transfer” from one MSW program into the MSW program at CSULB. Applicants who have completed approved graduate education related to social work in another institution with a grade of B or better may be allowed to transfer up to 6 semester credit hours providing:
- The maximum amount of transfer credit is no more than 6 semester credit hours
- All requirements for the degree are satisfied, including completion of all transfer and School of Social Work courses, within the required time limit (7 years)
- The student is in good standing with the previous social work program
- The student has a G.P.A. of 3.0 or better
- The Field Director reports the student was in good standing in field placements
Units accepted must be for CSWE-accredited courses only. No continuing education courses or non-accredited training courses qualify for transfer into the MSW program. The Graduate Program Directorwill make the final decision regarding the acceptance of units.
Questions?
Please attend one of the information meetings for the most current and up-to-date program criteria and information. Specific questions regarding the MSW application process should be directed to:
School of Social Work - Admissions Office
California State University, Long Beach
SS/PA Building - Room 162
1250 Bellflower Boulevard
Long Beach, CA 90840-4602
Phone: 562) 985-5654
Fax: 562) 985-5514
Email: CHHS-SW@csulb.edu
