Apply To BSW Program

READ AND FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY!

The Department of Teacher Education and Social Work looks forward to your application for admission to the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program. Acceptance into Middle Georgia State University (MGA) does not automatically grant you acceptance into the Department of Teacher Education and Social Work. A separate application process must be completed in order for you to be considered for the formal BSW program.

WHEN TO APPLY

Students apply to the formal program during the SOCW 2500 course, which is taken in the spring or summer semester prior to the intended fall start. Students taking the SOCW 2500 course in the spring, will complete the application by April 15th while students taking SOCW 2500 in the summer will complete the application by July 15th. All other applications or reapplications should be submitted directly to the BSW Program Director. *Late applications may be considered if space is available.

BSW PROGRAM APPLICATION DUE DATES

SOCW 2500 Semester APPLICATIONS DUE
Spring April 15
Summer July 15

Admission Requirements

Full acceptance to the formal BSW Program requires:

  • Admission to MGA
  • Completion of 85% of Core Curriculum, Area F, andGeneral Elective hours before formal admission. Students entering the formal program should have minimally completed 57 out of 69 hours of Core Curriculum, Area F, and General Electives at the time of admission decision. The BSW Program Director must approve any exceptions to this policy.
  • Completion of the following prerequisite courses: MATH 1401, PSYC 1101, PSYC 2103, SOCI 1101, SOCI 1160, SOCW 2215, SOCW 2500 with a C or better. The BSW Program Director must approve any exceptions to this policy.
  • GPA of 2.5 or above at admission decision for full admission. When a student’s overall GPA is below 2.5, the institutional GPA may be used for admission. For new transfer students, the overall GPA is used to make the admission decision
  • Completed BSW Program Admission Application Packet, as found on the BSW program website.
  • Upon acceptance (provisional or full) into the formal program, students are referred to as “BSW Candidates.”

Application Process

Application information and the necessary forms may be found at https://www.mga.edu/education-behavioral-sciences/teacher-education-social-work/apply-social-work.php. Students are guided through the application process during the SOCW 2500 course, which is taken in the spring or summer semester prior to the intended fall start. Students taking the SOCW 2500 course in the spring, will complete the application by April 15th while students taking SOCW 2500 in the summer will complete the application by July 15th. All other applications or reapplications should be submitted directly to the BSW Program Director. *Late applications may be considered if space is available.

Students complete the application within the BSW Dashboard course found in a student’s Brightspace D2L options. The application is completed during the SOCW 2500 class. The steps are as follows.

Step 1: Students must be enrolled in the D2L BSW Dashboard course. If you do not see this course in your D2L options, please email to be added.

Step 2: Complete, sign, and submit the following documents to the Program Application dropbox found in the D2L BSW Dashboard course. *All forms except the application essay are fillable PDF forms.

  1. Student Information Sheet.
  2. BSW Application Checklist
  3. BSW Advisement Agreement
  4. Expectations of Satisfactory Academic Progress and Student Conduct form
  5. Progression of Program form
  6. BSW Application Essay

A completed application includes all forms and documents shown above and the two required references (see below). Submit your documents in a .docx or .pdf file.

Step 3: Identify two professional or academic references (coworkers, supervisors, professors) and then email the following Google Form link to the persons providing your references: https://forms.gle/jgfvot5SP8czQ3dC9. If a reference wishes to submit a written letter in addition to the form, they may upload one to the Google Form. It is the applicant's responsibility to send the recommendation Google Form to the persons providing references. Recommendations are due by April 15th or July 15th.

Acceptance is granted on a space-available basis. When needed, applicants may be ranked according to their qualifications and admitted in order of their rank, starting with the most qualified, until all available spaces are filled. As such, not all individuals who meet the admission requirements may be admitted.

Application Decisions

After faculty review of the student’s application, the student is notified electronically (MGA email) regarding acceptance status. Students are notified within two weeks of the end of the semester in which the application was made.

  • Full acceptanceinto the major requires the student to meet all of the admission standards, including a completed application, a well-written and thoughtful essay, and average to strong recommendations by all references.
  • Provisional acceptance may be granted to any student who does not currently meet course prerequisite requirements but who has a plan to complete these before the fall program start or who has a written exception approved by the BSW Program Director, a GPA at or above 2.25 but below a 2.5 at the time of the decision, or a poorly written essay (structural or content). The letter of decision lists provisions. To gain full acceptance, the student must complete all listed provisions.
  • Denialis made due to a GPA below 2.25 at the time of the decision, no recommendation or recommendation with reservations made by student’s references, particular concerns observed by faculty that may inhibit successful completion ofcourses and fieldwork, or a significant event or a consistent pattern that violates the NASW Code of Ethics or the University Student Code of Conduct.

Students receiving a provisional acceptance should request a reevaluation at the time requirements are met and before the deadline noted in the student acceptance letter. Reevaluations follow the same process as new applications, except for the review of an essay or references. Application reevaluation decision letters are sent to the student's MGA email within the beginning two weeks of the semester immediately following the student request.

Appeal of Decision

Students denied admission to the BSW program may appeal to the Chair of the Department of Teacher Education and Social Work for a reevaluation within ten days of the original decision. The appeal is made in writing and must present evidence that the student has met the reasons specified for the denial, or that the student’s application warrants, minimally, provisional acceptance.

Transfer Students

All core curriculum (general education) courses must be evaluated by MGA Admissions. Transfer students should contact the MGA Admissions office at 478.471.2725 or by email at . Transfer students can also find more information by visiting https://www.mga.edu/admissions/transfer-students.php.

Social work practice courses will not be accepted from social work programs that are not accredited, or in candidacy, by the Council on Social Work Education.

Up to 12 hours of transfer credit for social work courses can be evaluated on a course-by-course basis by the BSW Program Director, who will make the final determination. Social work practice courses are only accepted from social work programs that are accredited or in candidacy by the Council on Social Work Education. No field course credit can be transferred.

Students seeking to transfer social work courses into the BSW Program must take the following steps:

  1. The student submits the following to the BSW Program Director for evaluation for credit.
  2. SOCW Course Equivalency Evaluation form (Appendix Cof the BSW Handbook) for each transfer course sought. This form will ask for the following information:
    1. The course number and title of MGA SOCW course for which transfer credit is sought.
    2. A course description
    3. A link to the course description in the credit-granting institution’s academic catalog
    4. A course syllabi
    5. If credit is sought for a practice course (see page 26 of the BSW Program Handbook for a list of courses determined by the MGA BSW program to be practice courses), verification of the credit-granting program’s CSWE accreditation or candidacy status. This can be a link to the program’s CSWE Outcomes report or the program entry in the CSWE accredited program directory.
    6. A completed and signed course exception form found at https://www.mga.edu/registrar/docs/Course_Substitution-Exception_Form.pdf).
  3. Upon receipt, the BSW Program Director reviews the request and makes a determination using the rubric shown on the SOCW Course Equivalency form.
  4. If the course is approved for credit, the student is notified via their MGA email and the Course Exception form will be processed with the MGA Registrar.
  5. If the course is not approved for credit, the student is notified via their MGA email, and their plan of study is updated to reflect the needed credit.