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Being a Golden Hawk means more than just cheering on our (really good) varsity teams – it means being a student who cares about your community, who works hard in the classroom, and who takes advantage of all the learning opportunities that can happen outside the classroom, too.
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Application Deadlines
For Programs Requiring a Bachelor Degree
- MSW 2-year (full-time): Jan. 15.
- MSW-MDiv (full-time): Jan. 151.
- MSW 3-year (part-time): Jan. 15
For Programs Requiring a Bachelor of Social Work Degree
- MSW advanced standing (full-time): Dec. 1.
- MSW advanced standing (part-time): Closed for this application cycle.
- MSW Aboriginal field of study (full-time and part-time): March 1.
Visit our Graduate Admissions Toolkit for more information about applying.
Application Checklist
After you have submitted your online application, paid the non-refundable application fee, and Laurier has received your application, you'll receive an email from fgps@wlu.ca advising you to upload the additional required documentation to Laurier’s Online Viewing system.
An application for admission to all MSW programs must include:
- The application summary available from the online application.
- Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work.
- A completed personal statement.
- A completed summary of experience in human service organizations form.
- A résumé of your academic and work experience. Include a history of your publication and scholarly paper activity and any other information you feel will interest the admissions committee.
- Completed reference forms. Three references are required.
Note: A professional reference is someone who can speak to your work and/or volunteer experience in human services. Do not include personal references from friends and family. Reference forms are electronically submitted to Laurier by the referee and do not need to be uploaded. Applicants who have been out of school for three or more years, and who cannot obtain an academic reference, will be required to submit an additional professional reference in its place.
Proficiency in written and spoken English is essential to graduate studies at Laurier. Applicants whose language of instruction during their previous postsecondary education was not in English must submit evidence of proficiency in English. If applicable, results from accepted testing services must be uploaded to Laurier’s Online Viewing system.
1For MDiv/MSW program applicants: This program is jointly administered by Waterloo Lutheran Seminary and the Faculty of Social Work at Laurier. Applicants are required to apply to each area separately (Seminary and Social Work) and to complete the application form and submit documentation and application fees as required for each area, by the specific deadlines for each program. When applying to the Faculty of Social Work, indicate in your personal statement that your anticipated program is the MDiv/MSW. Only applications for September (fall term) starts are considered.
Why Choose Laurier?
We have an outstanding reputation as one of Canada’s top graduate schools for social work education:
- Since 1966, we have graduated nearly 3,600 social workers.
- More than 85% of our graduates find full-time employment in the field.
- Our field education team works with more than 500 agencies to secure approximately 250 placement opportunities each year across southern Ontario.
- All of our programs are offered on both a full-time and a part-time basis.
- Classes usually do not exceed more than 30 students; this allows for strong relationships between faculty and students and encourages personal learning.
