Social Work - Master of Social Work (MSW) (Online)

B.C Matthews Hall (BMH)

B.C Matthews Hall (BMH) on Waterloo's Campus, across Columbia St W.

Take a holistic approach to social work with Canada’s health-focused Master of Social Work program.

You’ll advance your understanding of, and practice skills needed to be responsive to, the social and structural determinants of health in relation to individual, community, and global well-being.

Delivered primarily online with one week of on-campus attendance in an intensive Summer Institute course, you can choose to study full-time or part-time, giving you the flexibility to continue to participate in family and community life while pursuing a graduate degree. A 462-hour practicum gives you hands-on real-world experience so you can integrate your knowledge into practice and develop competence through a supervised social work experience that’s related to your learning goals.  

You’ll be prepared for advanced social work practice and leadership roles in health-related practice areas including clinical, community, health promotion and advocacy, program evaluation, policy, and research settings. Your MSW degree will also allow to pursue further research at the PhD level in social work, public health, health systems, and social justice education, among others.  

Program highlights

  • Flexibility of an online program that be can completed full- or part-time.  
  • Connection and network-building with graduate colleagues and faculty beginning from the in-person component.  
  • Hands-on professional experience to integrate your knowledge and build your skills. 

Program overview

Department/School: School of Social Work - MSW
Waterloo-affiliated university college: Renison University College
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: Online

Please note the first course of the program is offered as a 5-day long, intensive, on-campus course in August. The remaining courses (beginning in September) will be offered online.

Program type: Master's, Professional
Length of program: 12 months (full-time); 24 months (part-time)
Registration option(s): Full-time, Part-time
Study option(s): Coursework

Application deadlines

November 15 (for admission in September of the following year)

Note: All relevant documents pertaining to your application must be uploaded by December 1

Key contacts

Keri Raif Sura
kraif@uwaterloo.ca
519 884-4404, ext. 28698

Admission requirements

  • Minimum 75% average in the final two years of study (equivalent to last 20 half-credit courses).
  • Completion of a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from an accredited Social Work program. If an applicant's BSW degree is from a country other than Canada, the applicant is required to show proof that their degree is recognized as being equivalent to a Canadian Bachelor of Social Work Degree.
  • Successful completion of a half credit in Research Methodology. There is no specific minimum mark requirement.

Degree requirements

  • Review the degree requirements on the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, including the courses that you can anticipate taking as part of completing the degree.

Application materials

  • Resume
  • Supplementary information form (SIF)
    • The SIF contains questions specific to your program, typically about why you want to enrol and your experience in that field. Review the application documents web page for more information about this requirement
    • If a statement or letter is required by your program, review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completion
  • Transcript(s)
  • References
    • Three references, two must be professional and the third may be academic or professional
  • Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
    • TOEFL 90 (writing 25, speaking 25), IELTS 7.0 (writing 6.5, speaking 6.5)

Tuition and fees