Apply To BSW Program

 a word cloud of social work terms

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 should apply to the formal program when they have completed the majority of the Core Curriculum and Area F coursework. Applications are to be submitted by the due date in the semester before the student’s intended formal program start. Students start the formal program in the fall semester. *Students should apply by April 15th or July 15th.

Late applications or reapplications should be submitted directly to the BSW Program Director. *Late applications are only considered if space is available.

BSW PROGRAM APPLICATION DUE DATES

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, and General 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, SOCW 2215, SOCW 2400, SOCW 2500, and SOCW 2700 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 Application
  • Upon acceptance (provisional or full) into the formal program, students are referred to as “BSW Candidates.”

Application Process

  1. Students planning to join the BSW program should first plan with their advisor as to the best time to apply to the program. Should the advisor be unknown, the student should schedule with the BSW Program Director ().
  2. Transfer students should schedule directly with the BSW Program Director to plan for the application.
  3. When appropriate and by the due date, students should complete the application found at https://forms.office.com/r/uey6bUtGRY. *All application steps are integrated into the Microsoft Form. 

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.

COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION NOW

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 acceptance into 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.
  • Denial may be 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 of courses 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 admissions@mga.edu. 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 C of 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.