Tips for Applying to UWO’s King’s University College MSW Program
While applying to MSW programs is exciting, it can also be stressful and overwhelming. There are many schools you can apply to, each with slightly different requirements. Trying to understand what exactly each school is looking for and keeping track of requirements can be a challenge in and of itself. My hope is that this guide will help make the process a little bit easier for you by offering a comprehensive summary and practical tips for applying to the University of Western Ontario’s (UWO) King’s University College MSW program.
About the University of Western Ontario’s MSW Program
King’s University College, an affiliate of Western University, offers two MSW programs that are fully accredited by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE): a 1-Year Advanced Practice MSW program and a 2-Year Foundational MSW program.
What Makes King’s MSW Program Unique?
Every MSW program is a bit unique. Here are some of the most notable features of King’s MSW program:
Focus on Direct Practice: King’s Direct Practice MSW program is designed for applicants who want to work directly, in a hands-on and client-centred manner, with individuals, families, groups, and communities through clinical interventions and frontline support.
Small cohorts: Whereas many schools in Canada have large cohorts (50+ students), King’s welcomes relatively small cohorts. Exact numbers can vary year to year, but they generally accept about 20 students per program. While this can make the programs quite competitive, it also allows for closer relationships between faculty and students.
Do not accept academic references: King’s is one of the few schools that does not accept academic references, instead valuing the perspectives of work, volunteer, and professional sources.
Strong commitment to decolonization & Indigenous practice: King’s recognizes the harm social work has caused for Indigenous Peoples and the value of Indigenous knowledge and decolonization. They incorporate these themes into their coursework, professional ethics, and research, and have a Statement of Commitment to Indigenous Peoples.
Additional Considerations Form: This is an optional opportunity for applicants from marginalized communities and those who have faced other barriers to education to receive a 5% boost to their application score or one of the spots reserved for applicants who self-identify as Indigenous, Black, French-speaking, or a Person of Colour.
No thesis option, but a strong focus on practical research: While King’s does not offer a thesis option, it does have a strong emphasis on teaching students the practical research skills needed in direct practice.
Integrative Capstone Exercise: A unique practical learning opportunity where students demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout the MSW program by engaging in a comprehensive case study exercise that is evaluated by a small panel of social workers and faculty.
Tip: Look for opportunities to speak to some of King’s unique features and values in your personal statement. For example, can you speak to how your goals and experiences align with direct practice? Or your commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, and reconciliation?
MSW Program Options
King’s School of Social Work offers two pathways:
1-Year MSW (Advanced Standing): For applicants with a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from an accredited program.
2-Year MSW (Foundational): For applicants with a 4-year non-social work undergraduate degree.
Both programs start in September each year and are only offered full-time, on-campus, in London, Ontario. There are no options for part-time studies or distance education. Additionally, both programs are course-based, meaning there is no thesis option. However, there is a strong emphasis on building practical research skills that can be used in the direct practice context (e.g., learning to conduct research that examines the effectiveness of social work practice at the case and program level).
Western MSW Application Deadlines
Dates may vary from year to year, so be sure to check the King’s School of Social Work website, but here is the general timeline:
Applications Open: October
Deadline: MSW applications at King’s University College are typically due on January 15th (exact date varies – check the official website)
Initial offers sent out: March (by email)
Waitlist notifications: Can continue up until September 1st
MSW Admission Requirements
Academic Requirements
1-Year MSW (Advanced Standing):
Completion of an accredited BSW degree
Minimum 70% average in the last 2 years of full-time study or 20-half courses of part-time study (note: these can be at the undergraduate or graduate level)
Completion of and course syllabus for a university-level research methods course that covers both qualitative and quantitative research methods (note: no specific minimum grade required, and continuing education courses do not meet this requirement)
Provide unofficial transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended
2-Year MSW (Foundational):
Completion of a 4-year undergraduate degree in any discipline other than social work
Minimum 70% average in the last 2 years of full-time study or 20-half courses of part-time study (note: these can be at the undergraduate or graduate level)
Completion of and course syllabus for a university-level research methods course that covers both qualitative and quantitative research methods (note: no specific minimum grade required, and continuing education courses do not meet this requirement)
Provide unofficial transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended
Non-Academic Requirements
Applicants must also submit the following non-academic requirements:
Two non-academic references (e.g., work, volunteer, or professional)
Completed Resume Template Form
Completed Summary of Relevant Human Services Experience Form (minimum of 1,000 hours of relevant, paid or unpaid, social/human services experience required)
Completed Supplemental Questions Form (consider this your personal statement)
(Optional) Completed Additional Considerations Form
Additional Requirements for International Students
In addition to the academic and non-academic requirements above, international students have a few additional requirements:
Provide official proof of proficiency in English (TOEFL, IELTS, CAEL, or Duolingo English Test) if English is not your first language OR submit the English Language Exemption Form (can be obtained from Western University’s School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies) if coming from a country where English is an official language and your previous studies were taught in English.
1-Year MSW (Advanced Standing): Provide confirmation from the Canadian Association of Social Workers that your foreign BSW degree has been assessed as equivalent (note: this is not necessary if you obtained your BSW in Canada).
2-Year MSW (Foundational): Provide confirmation from the World Education Services (WES) that your 4-year degree has been assessed as equivalent to a 4-year degree in Canada (if 4-year degree was obtained outside of Canada)
Note: Western University must receive all test scores and documents by the application deadline. Due to the time it may take to gather necessary documents and receive test scores, it is highly recommended that international applicants begin the application process well in advance of the deadline.
Application Components & Tips for Preparing Them
References
A unique aspect of King’s MSW application is that it requires TWO non-academic references. In fact, professors can only submit a reference if they are writing it as the supervisor of a research assistantship or teaching assistantship.
Instead, King’s requires that one of your references must be from a work source, while the other can be from a work source, volunteer source, or professional source. These source types are defined as follows:
Work Source (REQUIRED): A direct supervisor from either your workplace or practicum.
Volunteer Source: A supervisor or representative from a voluntary board, organization, or group with whom you’ve volunteered (preferably someone who supervised you).
Professional Source: A social worker, physician, nurse, psychologist, psychiatrist, chaplain, or similar community-based professional who knows you in a professional capacity. Note that references from this source must be from a professional perspective. Personal references are not allowed, nor are references from social workers, psychologists, or other health professionals from whom you obtain personal services.
Your referees will be asked to complete an online form which includes a checklist of criteria King’s is looking for in MSW applicants and a request for written responses to the following two questions:
Using any of the criteria included on the reference form, please provide two specific examples that indicate why this applicant should be accepted into a graduate program in Social Work.
Please explain how this candidate would make a contribution to the profession of Social Work in the future.
Tips for Strong References
Consider the questions that referees will be asked to answer: Select individuals who you feel will be best able to answer them. This means considering which individuals have sufficient knowledge of your potential for undertaking graduate studies in social work and making a contribution to the profession. You can even provide potential referees with the questions and ask if they feel they would be able to provide a strong reference supporting your application.
Ask early and submit your reference contact information as early as possible: Your referees must submit their references by the application deadline, so ensure you ask potential referees early and submit their contact details to the school as soon as possible to make sure they are completed in time.
Provide referees with your resume and personal statement: For the strongest references possible, provide your referees with your resume and personal statement. Ideally, you can provide them with your final version, but a draft is fine as well since time is of the essence.
Follow up with your referees: Make a plan and set reminders to follow up with your referees, ensuring they received the reference instructions (they may go to a spam or junk folder) and have everything they need to complete them. You also may need to provide a friendly reminder to ensure your references are completed before the deadline.
For more advice on getting strong references, see the following MSW Helper blog posts:
Additionally, if your referee is new to writing social work references and would like some additional support, feel free to pass along our Reference Writing Guide for Employers
Resume
Another unique component of King’s MSW application is that applicants are expected to submit their resume information using a template form
This means you don’t have to worry about whether you’re formatting your resume to their expectations or not since their form will format it for you; all you need to do is gather and enter the information.
The resume template allows you to showcase a wide range of experiences. While you are not expected to have experience in all areas, you can include any experiences you have in the following categories:
Paid employment
Volunteer experience
Practicum experience
Leadership experience (including supervisory and field instruction)
Membership in volunteer associations (including committee involvement at post-secondary institutions)
Membership in professional associations (including the Ontario Association of Social Workers, Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, and other related associations)
Community recognition (awards and other forms of recognition by the community)
Education and Professional Development (degrees, diplomas, certificates, academic awards achieved any time, along with any workshops, conferences attended, and ongoing professional development activities in the past 3 years, and language skills, including sign language)
Research activities (including any research grants awarded, any products of the research, presentations given, and publications)
For more advice on completing the resume portion, including how to write your role descriptions in a way that emphasizes your transferrable skills, see our Resume Writing Guide
Summary of Relevant Human Services Experience
In addition to submitting a resume, applicants are expected to submit a summary of their relevant human services experience using a template form they call the Experiences Summary Form
The difference between the resume and the summary of relevant human services experience form is that while your resume will include all work, volunteer, and education experiences, the Experiences Summary Form will only list experiences that are relevant to direct and indirect social/human services. For instance, an applicant may list their job in a bank or retail business on their resume, but they would not include it in the Experiences Summary Form.
King’s requires applicants to have a minimum of 1,000 hours of relevant experience (paid or unpaid) in social and/or human services. However, preference is given for direct practice hours in a social work capacity, and for experiences completed in organizations mandated to provide human services.
What Counts as Relevant Experience?
Applicants often wonder what counts as “social and/or human services,” which can be made all the more confusing by the fact that schools often have slightly different definitions. King’s School of Social Work explains that they are looking for experiences including both direct social services work and indirect human services work.
Examples of Direct Social Services:
Mental health agencies
Crisis centres & victim services
Shelters
Casework/management
Settlement work
Examples of Indirect Human Services:
Camp counselling
Administrative assistant
Sports and recreation coaching
Research (including research assistantships)
Teaching
Volunteer coordination
Event planning
Please note that these are not exhaustive lists, and King’s does keep their definition of social/human services broad, allowing applicants to highlight all potentially relevant experiences.
Supplemental Questions (Personal Statement Equivalent)
Similar to the Resume Form and Experience Summary Form, there are also forms for the Supplemental Questions:
For the 1-Year MSW program, there are four supplemental questions:
Prompt #1: What are your career goals or aspirations following the completion of graduate education in Social Work? Please comment on how the King’s MSW program will meet your learning needs. (maximum 100 words)
This prompt is looking for a clear vision of what you plan to do with your MSW and whether their program is a good match for your career goals. I recommend being specific about your career goal(s), explaining why your goal(s) matter to you, and explicitly connecting your goals to specific aspects of King’s MSW program (e.g., its direct practice focus, faculty with expertise in your area of interest, the program’s mission and values). You may also want to establish the need for social workers in your area of interest, specific ways you will create change as a social worker in this area, and how their program will equip you to accomplish these goals. I cannot emphasize enough the need to be specific and make this section unique to you.
Prompt #2: Describe the experiences and/or personal identities or qualities (e.g., disability status, racialized identity, gender, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, etc.) that you bring that would be helpful in working with diverse populations. (maximum 150 words)
This prompt is seeking lived experiences, professional experiences, identities, qualities, and skills you have that will enhance your ability to work with diverse populations. It also provides an opportunity to demonstrate self-awareness and a commitment to culturally responsive practice, which are important social work values. To answer this prompt, I recommend identifying aspects of your identity or experiences that shape your perspective on diversity, explaining how exactly these experiences or qualities influence your ability to connect with diverse individuals, and demonstrating how these experiences or qualities will make you a better social worker.
Prompt #3: Considering professional readiness for practice how have you prepared yourself both personally and professionally for graduate-level studies and practice? What do you see as your personal strengths and what do you identify as areas for growth? (maximum 150 words)
This prompt is looking for evidence of preparation for graduate-level social work studies on an academic, professional, and personal level, including your ability to identify your strengths and areas for growth. First, read the professional readiness for practice document they link to, ensuring you have a strong idea of what they are looking for in applicants. Then, using that document, identify and explain how your education, work, and personal experiences match their essential requirements (e.g., self-care, empathy, communication skills, linking knowledge to practice). Next, discuss your key strengths, acknowledge your areas for growth, and explain how you are actively working on them. For more support answering this prompt, see our guide on What are your professional strengths and weaknesses?
Prompt #4: Describe a relevant contemporary social issue of interest to you. Discuss how this issue relates to a Direct Practice MSW program, like the one offered at King’s, and how you might develop a response to this issue within this Direct Practice context. (maximum 300 words)
This prompt is looking for a social issue that aligns with direct practice social work and, ideally, your past experiences and future career goals, creating a compelling and cohesive narrative. It seeks a concise but in-depth analysis of why this issue is significant, including its causes and impact on individuals and communities, along with a discussion of how you could address this issue as a direct practice social worker. You may also want to point out specific aspects of King’s program that will equip you to address this social issue. For more tips on how to answer this type of question, check out our guide on Answering social justice issue questions
For the 2-Year MSW program, there are three supplemental questions:
Prompt #1: Describe your personal and professional experiences and interests as related to your future career goals, and how they align with King’s MSW program. Identify the population(s) that you would be interested in working with in the future and why. Conversely, are there populations that you wouldn’t want to work to work with? If so, please explain why and how you would manage yourself in a professional context if you were to encounter such populations. Please explain and give examples. (maximum 300 words)
This question is looking for multiple things. First, they want to obtain a clear understanding of why you’re pursuing an MSW, both in general and at King’s. Consider the personal and professional experiences that have shaped your interest in social work, and ensure that you make a clear case for why social work is the right fit for you and your goals rather than counselling psychology, clinical psychology, or another helping profession. Additionally, you want to make a strong case for why a direct practice MSW is ideal for you, including specific examples linking specific aspects of their program to your goal(s). For additional support crafting your answer to this part of the question, see our guides on Why do you want to be a social worker? and Why are you a good fit for this program?
The second major area this question asks you to address is your population(s) of interest and a thoughtful response about populations you might find challenging to work with. While the first part – the population(s) you want to work with – is relatively straightforward, you can strengthen your answer by considering why you are drawn to this population and what insights you have gained from working with this population in the past. From my discussions with the school when I was completing applications, the second part of this question – the population(s) you may find challenging – is particularly important. While this is presented in a way that makes it seem optional, it is important to thoughtfully acknowledge any populations that may be more difficult for you and how you would handle working with them professionally since we don’t always get to choose who we work with as social workers. Your answer to this question can help demonstrate your self-awareness, professionalism, and commitment to ethical practice.
Example: Through my work in crisis intervention, I have developed a passion for trauma-informed mental health care. I am especially interested in working with survivors of domestic violence and individuals with complex trauma. My experience volunteering at a shelter exposed me to the systemic barriers survivors face, including discrimination, lack of resources, and ongoing safety concerns. As a future social worker, I seek to support survivors in regaining stability and safety through trauma-informed, strengths-based interventions. While I am open to working with diverse populations, I recognize that working with individuals convicted of violent crimes, including domestic violence, may be personally challenging. However, I am committed to ethical practice, including respecting the dignity and worth of all people (Canadian Association of Social Workers, 2024), and will seek supervision to ensure I provide competent professional services to all clients.
Prompt #2: Describe the experiences and/or personal identities or qualities (e.g., disability status, racialized identity, gender, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, etc.) that you bring that would be helpful in working with diverse populations. (maximum 150 words)
This prompt is seeking lived experiences, professional experiences, identities, qualities, and skills you have that will enhance your ability to work with diverse populations. It also provides an opportunity to demonstrate self-awareness and a commitment to culturally responsive practice, which are important social work values. To answer this prompt, I recommend identifying aspects of your identity or experiences that shape your perspective on diversity, explaining how exactly these experiences or qualities influence your ability to connect with diverse individuals, and demonstrating how these experiences or qualities will make you a better social worker.
Prompt #3: Considering professional readiness for practice, how have you prepared yourself both personally and professionally for graduate-level studies and practice? What do you see as your personal strengths and what do you identify as areas for growth? (maximum 150 words)
This prompt is looking for evidence of preparation for graduate-level social work studies on an academic, professional, and personal level, including your ability to identify your strengths and areas for growth. First, read the professional readiness for practice document they link to, ensuring you have a strong idea of what they are looking for in applicants. Then, using that document, identify and explain how your education, work, and personal experiences match their essential requirements (e.g., self-care, empathy, communication skills, linking knowledge to practice). Next, discuss your key strengths, acknowledge your areas for growth, and explain how you are actively working on them. For more support answering this prompt, see our guide on What are your professional strengths and weaknesses?
Supplemental Questions Evaluation Criteria
King’s School of Social Work explains that your supplemental questions will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
Writing style, quality, and clarity: They are considering your academic essay writing skills and your ability to communicate clearly, including your use of language, organization, and comprehensibility. Ensure you proofread your paper multiple times and, ideally, have someone else proofread it for you as well.
Demonstrated analytic ability, including evidence of scholarship: A great way to do this is to back up your points with scholarly literature using APA 7 style citations.
Creativity and originality: Avoid using vague or generic statements that any applicant could put in their supplemental questions form. Make sure your answers are unique to you, emphasizing the unique experiences, perspectives, and insights YOU will bring to the program.
Completeness of answers: Ensure you fully answer every part of each question prompt. However, make sure you stay within the word limit for each question since answers beyond the word limit will not be read.
Additional Tips for Strong Supplemental Question Answers
You may want to check out our free MSW Personal Statement Template to help brainstorm ideas for your answer, or our free webinar on how to write a compelling MSW personal statement.
Also, if you’re struggling to get under King’s maximum word limits, our guide to meeting and staying within the word count might help.
Additional Considerations Form (Optional & If Applicable)
The Additional Considerations Form is an optional component of King’s MSW application that provides applicants from marginalized backgrounds and who have faced significant barriers in their education with the opportunity to boost their chances of admission in one of two ways:
King’s School of Social Work reserves a limited number of spots for Indigenous applicants, Black applicants, French-speaking applicants, and People of Colour in celebration of diversity and recognition of the systemic barriers faced in pursuing education.
They also offer the opportunity for marginalized individuals and those who have faced significant barriers in obtaining education to receive an additional 5% to be added to their application score if they are willing to self-identify.
What Counts as Marginalized or Facing Barriers to Education?
King’s definition of what counts as marginalized is quite comprehensive, including:
Visible minorities (racialized persons)
Indigenous Peoples (inclusive of various Nationhoods, such as Inuit, Innu, and Métis who are Indigenous to North America)
Disability status (inclusive of physical, mobility, perceptual, illness-related, mental health, developmental, and environmental disabilities)
People who self-identify as Two-Spirit, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transexual, transgender, or queer
People who face other barriers to education (e.g., socioeconomic, caregiving, religious, cultural)
What is Required to Self-Identify?
Applicants are asked to provide details regarding their experiences through a lens of equity, diversity, and inclusion when answering one or two of several questions, depending on which category they fall into:
Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour: Please discuss how your culture has influenced your decision to pursue a career in social work and/or how it would benefit a career in social work. (maximum 150 words)
French-speaking: Please discuss how the French language has influenced your decision to pursue a career in social work and/or how it would benefit a career in social work. (maximum 150 words)
Marginalized and/or other barriers to education: Please state the nature of the barrier(s) and how it negatively impacted your education. (maximum 150 words)
Note: You must meet all admission requirements to be considered for one of the reserved spaces in the program.
Are There Any Risks to Self-Identifying?
While we can’t say for sure, King’s does emphasize that the Additional Considerations Form is confidential and will NOT become a permanent part of a student’s official Western or King’s School of Social Work record. It is only used for MSW admissions purposes, meaning it is only accessible to the MSW Programs Liaison and Admissions Review Committee. At the end of the admissions period, the form is removed from the applicant’s file and destroyed.
Obtain Any Additional Documentation
Don’t forget to obtain any additional documentation you are required to submit, such as unofficial transcripts for all post-secondary institutions you’ve attended and the course syllabus for the Research Methods course you took. You may have to email past schools to obtain this information or fill out forms, so start early to ensure you give yourself enough time to do so.
International applicants will also have to obtain proof of English proficiency from approved sources (e.g., TOEFL, IELTS, CAEL, or Duolingo) or the English Language Exemption Form, which can be obtained from Western’s School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Additionally, in terms of your bachelor’s degree, you will need to provide proof of equivalency:
1-Year MSW (Advanced Standing): Provide confirmation from the Canadian Association of Social Work that your foreign BSW degree has been assessed as equivalent (not necessary if your BSW was obtained in Canada)
2-Year MSW (Foundational): Provide confirmation from the World Education Services (WES) that your 4-year degree has been assessed as equivalent to a 4-year degree in Canada (if 4-year degree was obtained outside of Canada)
All of these additional documents must be received by the application deadline, so plan accordingly and start early!
How Applications Are Evaluated & Scored
King’s School of Social Work is quite transparent about their process for evaluating and scoring applications. Each applicant is evaluated holistically using a structured point-based scoring system that balances both academic and non-academic factors 50/50.
First, to be considered for admission, applicants must meet all of the academic requirements. If they do, an academic score out of 100 is calculated.
Additionally, applicants must score a minimum of at least 65 of the total 100 non-academic points, comprised of:
Up to 40 points for your Resume and Human Services Experiences
Up to 60 points for your Supplemental Questions
Candidates who meet both of these academic and non-academic requirements are assigned a total overall score out of 100 using the following method:
Your academic score out of 100 points is multiplied by 0.5
Your non-academic score out of 100 points is multiplied by 0.5
Applicants’ total overall scores are then ranked from highest to lowest to determine who is offered admission based on the number of spaces available that year.
Final Tips for a Strong Application
Double-check deadlines & start early – Don’t wait until the last minute, start early! Also, remember to check the King’s School of Social Work website for the most up-to-date information and forms.
Attend information & drop-in sessions – King’s actively supports applicants, providing informational presentations, drop-in sessions, and in-depth application guides. From my experience, information and drop-in sessions tend to include hints about what the admissions committee values and provide you with the opportunity to clarify what the school is looking for when they ask particular questions.
Tailor your application – Demonstrate why you’re a strong fit for their unique program and why their program is ideal for equipping you with the knowledge and skills needed to meet your career goals.
Proofread everything – Clarity and writing quality are weighed heavily in applications, so proofread everything and obtain support if needed.
King’s University College MSW Application Checklist
Hopefully, you now have a better sense of what King’s University College School of Social Work is looking for in the MSW application. Here is a summary checklist of what to include in your application:
Required Components
Complete and submit the online application form and pay the required fee (start early)
Request that two non-academic referees submit their reference forms online before the application deadline (give them ample time to do so)
Upload unofficial transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
Complete and upload the Resume Form
Complete and upload the Human Services Experience Summary Form (minimum of 1,000 relevant hours, paid or unpaid)
Complete and upload the Supplemental Questions Form
Upload course outline/syllabus for Research Methods course (must cover both qualitative & quantitative methods at a university-level; continuing education courses do not meet this requirement)
Complete and upload Additional Considerations Form (if applicable and willing to self-identity)
All of the above forms and more information can be found on the King’s School of Social Work website.
Applying to King’s College MSW program at UWO requires careful planning and preparation. By following the steps outlined here and focusing on showcasing your unique qualifications, you will be in a strong position to submit a competitive application! Good luck, and feel free to connect with us at MSW Helper if you would like additional support!
