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Admissions

Undergraduate Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree with a liberal arts background.
    It is expected that the quality of undergraduate record will be strong enough to ensure the candidate's ability to do work for credit at the graduate level.

Neither the content nor the major subject of the undergraduate program is rigidly prescribed. The master's program is built upon the assumption that students enter with a strong liberal arts education and a well-rounded knowledge of the social sciences obtained through study of some of the following subjects: economics, political science, sociology, history, cultural anthropology, and psychology.

  • 2.8 undergraduate grade-point average (on a 4-point scale) or above.
    Ordinarily, applicants with less than a 2.8 grade-point average will not be considered without a period of successful post-bachelor's social work employment.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required. However, applicants with low undergraduate grade-point averages may wish to submit their GRE Aptitude Test scores as a possible means of strengthening their applications.

  • It is desirable, but not a requirement, for students to have had at least an introductory course in United States government or history and in economics because social welfare programs, private as well as public, operate within and are affected by governmental structure and economic institutions.

It is to incoming students' advantage, but not a requirement, to have an introductory statistics course before entering the master's degree program.  Such a course provides valuable preparation for SSA's required research courses. We recommend that applicants who have not had a statistics course arrange to take one prior to the beginning of the school year.

Transfer Students. The transfer student who has completed a first-year program and a field placement (480 hours) in another accredited school of social work within the past 3 years is generally eligible to enter the School in the Autumn quarter and complete degree requirements in 3 quarters by following a regular second-year program, if the program in the other school covered the content of the first-year program at SSA. Transfer applicants should enclose with their supplementary materials packet a catalog from the school of social work in which their first-year program was taken.

Returning Students. Individuals wishing to return to the School after being out of residence must reapply for admission. Students absent from the program for 5 years or more will be required to repeat all coursework and internships.

Questions?
Answers to most questions are addressed in Admissions Frequently Asked Questions. However, inquiries about admission or about the progress of a particular application should be addressed directly to the Office of Admissions, The School of Social Service Administration, The University of Chicago, 969 E.60th St., Chicago, IL 60637. Students are encouraged to visit the campus prior to admission.

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