Social Work (Master of Social Work) is a master's degree in Social Work programme offered by University of Calgary in Calgary, Canada. The programme is delivered in a hybrid format. Tuition for international students is CAD 2,724 per credit (CAD 980 per credit for local students).
This is a course-based Master of Social Work (MSW) at the University of Calgary, described on its program page as a nationally accredited program preparing graduates for advanced professional social work practice. Students choose one of three specializations: Clinical Social Work Practice, International and Community Development, or Leadership in the Human Services. The course load depends on prior education: holders of a Bachelor of Social Work complete 12 courses (36 units), while those entering with another four-year bachelor's degree complete 21 courses (63 units); full-time study runs continuously without a scheduled break and takes two to three years depending on entry route, with six years as the maximum. No thesis is required. Delivery combines online real-time classes with self-paced online learning, supplemented by mandatory in-person residencies held in Calgary or Edmonton. Admission requires a Bachelor of Social Work or an equivalent four-year bachelor's degree, a minimum 3.0 grade point average over the final two years of undergraduate study, and the equivalent of two years of full-time paid work or at least 3,000 hours of paid or volunteer experience in the human services field. The program is described as appropriate for students intending to provide direct service in the field of social work.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:3.00 / 4.0
Admission Requirements: Admission requires a Bachelor of Social Work degree from an accredited institution, or a four-year bachelor's degree in another discipline, conferred by March 1, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale over the last two years of full-time study (at least 60 units). Applicants must also have the equivalent of two years of full-time paid work, or a minimum of 3,000 hours of paid and/or volunteer work, in the human services field. The programme page defers language testing to the Faculty of Social Work's own graduate English Language Proficiency standard, which sets IELTS Academic 7.0 overall (no band below 6.0), TOEFL iBT 97 overall (no section below 20), PTE Academic 68, or Duolingo English Test 130 (no sub-score below 110); applicants with a bachelor's degree taught in English at a recognised institution are exempt. Required documents include a program proposal on social work perspectives and goals, a resume, and two references, one academic and one professional.
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.
