University of Calgary offers MA/MS in Social Work, a master's degree in Social Work programme in Calgary, Canada. The programme is delivered in a hybrid format.
Also offered as: Bachelor's Degree, Doctorate
At a glance
Degree:Master's Degree
Field:Social Work
Delivery: Hybrid
We have no tuition fees on record for this programme yet — see the official programme page.
— it helps other students.
This is a Master of Social Work (MSW), a nationally accredited, course-based (non-thesis) program from the University of Calgary requiring residency in either Calgary or Edmonton. Students entering with a Bachelor of Social Work complete the degree in 24 months across 12 courses, while those entering without a social work background first complete nine foundation courses over 12 months before starting the 24-month MSW, for a combined 36-month path; full-time completion is expected within two to three years, with a six-year maximum. Within the program, students choose one specialization: Clinical Social Work Practice, International and Community Development, or Leadership in the Human Services. Delivery is by distance (online) learning, mixing synchronous sessions with self-paced coursework, alongside in-person residencies in Calgary or Edmonton that students may be required to attend. The program suits applicants intending to provide direct service in the field, and admission requires roughly two years of full-time-equivalent paid work or a minimum of 3,000 hours of paid or volunteer human-services experience. Graduates work in hospitals, mental health clinics, schools, non-profits, government agencies, child welfare, and correctional settings, or in private counselling practice.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:3.00 / 4.0
Admission Requirements: Admission requires a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale over the last two years of full-time study (at least 60 units) of the undergraduate degree, and either a Bachelor of Social Work from an accredited/recognized institution or a four-year bachelor's degree in another discipline, which must be conferred by March 1 (a letter of completion cannot substitute for the degree parchment). A laddered pathway exists through two Graduate Certificates in Leadership in the Human Services, though completing them does not guarantee admission to the MSW. Programme page's English language proficiency (ELP) section defers to the Faculty's ELP requirements in the Academic Calendar without publishing programme-specific scores, so the university-wide English Language Proficiency requirement from ucalgary.ca (IELTS Academic 6.5, TOEFL iBT 86 legacy scale, or Duolingo 120) is cited as the general reference per institution excerpt; exemptions apply after prior study in English per that page.
Application Details
Start Date:May
Application Deadline:For Fall 2027 entry, the University of Calgary opens undergraduate applications for domestic applicants on 1 October 2026 and for international applicants on 15 August 2026, both closing on the same firm application deadline of 1 March 2027, with supporting documents due by 15 March 2027 and offers accepted by 1 May 2027. International applicants follow the identical March 1 deadline; the university publishes no separate, later international closing date. Applications are not accepted on a rolling basis after the deadline for most direct-entry programmes, though a small number of programmes (e.g. Nursing) run further selection rounds into the summer while space remains. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
