University of Waterloo MSW Application Guide
Considering applying to the University of Waterloo’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program? This guide will help you understand if it’s the right MSW program for you, explore admission requirements, and offer tips on how to answer their personal statement prompts.
About the University of Waterloo MSW Program
The University of Waterloo offers an advanced standing MSW program for those who already have a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree.
This MSW program accepts new students each fall and can be completed either full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years).
What Makes the University of Waterloo’s MSW Program Unique?
Canada’s first health-focused MSW program. Prepares students for advanced social work practice, including leadership, in health-related social work across clinical, community, policy, research, and advocacy settings. With a holistic approach, the program emphasizes health equity, health promotion, treatment and rehabilitation, and building community partnerships, while offering opportunities to develop both clinical and macro-level practice skills.
Delivered primarily online. On-campus attendance is only required on one occasion, which is 5 days in August at the start of the program. The rest of the program is delivered fully online, with mostly asynchronous classes.
Is this the right school for me if I want to pursue clinical social work?
It depends on what your goals are. Are you interested in doing clinical work in healthcare settings? Do you want to build clinical skills while also being exposed to broader health and social justice frameworks? If so, this program might be a good fit for you.
The University of Waterloo’s MSW program emphasizes a holistic and integrated approach to health, not just clinical practice. It also introduces students to micro, mezzo, and macro interventions focused on health, encouraging students to think across individual, organizational, community, and policy levels. However, students can also develop clinical skills through coursework and field placements.
Program Structure and Course Curriculum
You will take 8 courses, 2 of which are offered in an intensive format called Summer Institutes. The first Summer Institute is the first course you’ll take in the program, and it’s delivered on campus over a 5-day period (Monday to Friday) in August. This offers a fantastic opportunity to build relationships with your new peers in person.
The second Summer Institute is a 3-week online course, with some synchronous components in the second week, that is held at the end of the program in August. All other courses are 12-week online, asynchronous courses, offering a lot of flexibility for those who work or have other commitments.
In addition to coursework, there are two milestones in the program:
A 450-hour practicum – students have flexibility in how they complete their practicum, with the ability to set a schedule of 2, 3, 4, or 5 (7-hour) days per week.
Master’s Integration Seminar and Capstone – completed at the same time as the practicum, providing an opportunity to reflect on your practicum experiences and MSW learning journey.
Note: There is no thesis option in this program.
What Courses Will I Take?
Checking out the courses you’ll take in an MSW program is a fantastic way to determine if it’s the right program for you. Students in the University of Waterloo’s MSW program take 6 required courses and select 2 electives.
Required Courses:
· SWK 600R – Health Equity Social Justice (on-campus, 5-day intensive)
· SWK 601R – Health Policy
· SWK 602R – Social Work Practice in Health
· SWK 603R – Social Work Leadership in Health Care (online, 3-week intensive)
· SWK 606R – Advanced Social Work Research
· SWK 608R – Health Issues and Ethics
Elective Courses (select 2):
· SWK 609R – Clinical Practice in Mental Health Addictions
· SWK 610R – Substance Abuse and Chemical Dependency
· SWK 651R – Relational Practice with Families in Oncology
· SWK 653R – Grief and Palliative Care in Social Work
· SWK 654R – Indigenous Health and Social Justice
· SWK 680R – Critical Topics in Social Work and Health
Note: SWK 609R and SWK 610R are anti-requisites, meaning you can only take one or the other, but not both.
How can I learn more about the required courses, elective options, and field education?
To learn more about the required courses and electives, including course descriptions, check out the University of Waterloo Academic Calendar.
To learn more about field education (i.e., practicums), check out the University of Waterloo’s Field Education Guide.
Application Timeline
While application due dates are often the same year to year, they can vary, so be sure to double-check their MSW admissions page. With that said, here is the typical timeline:
· Applications Open: September 1st
· Application Deadline: November 15th
· Supporting Documents Deadline: Dec 1st
· Notifications of Admission: Typically sent out in March
University of Waterloo MSW Admission Requirements
· Completion of a BSW degree
· Minimum 75% GPA in the final 2 years of study
· Completion of a university-level course in Research Methodology (no minimum mark requirement)
Note: If you did not complete a research course as part of your degree, you can meet this requirement by enrolling in an approved research methods course as long as your final grade is available before July 1st of the year you will start the program.
Applying with international credentials? Check out their guide on admission requirements for international applicants and applicants educated outside of Canada.
How to Apply
Applying to the University of Waterloo’s MSW program is a two-step process:
Step 1: Apply through Graduate Studies
During this step of the process, you will be asked to enter information for each school you’ve attended, along with contact details for your 3 referees.
You can apply for either full-time or part-time studies, but not both.
This application must be submitted by the application deadline (typically November 15th).
Step 2: Submit your Supporting Documents
Supporting documents, including your unofficial transcripts, resume, supplementary information form (SIF), and reference letters, must be submitted by the supporting document deadline (typically December 1st).
Note: The University of Waterloo lets applicants know that they may or may not be called for an interview during the application process. To help prepare, see our guide on preparing for your application interview.
Have additional questions about admissions or the MSW program? Check out their Frequently Asked Questions page.
Supporting Documents
As part of your application, you must submit the following:
Unofficial Transcripts
3 References (1 academic and 2 professional)
Resume
Supplementary Information Form (i.e., Personal Statement)
Supplementary Information Form (SIF)
This is a form with 6 program-specific questions you must answer, which is essentially their equivalent of a personal statement.
Question 1: Critical Reflection and Personal Growth (250 words)
Prompt:
Social work requires ongoing reflection, humility, and a willingness to grow – especially when it comes to recognizing privilege, unlearning assumptions, and receiving feedback.
Describe a time when you became aware of your own privilege, bias, or assumption. How did this impact your understanding of social justice and your relationships with others?
Share an experience where you received difficult feedback or encountered discomfort in a learning environment. How did you respond, and what did you learn about yourself?
Tips for Answering this Prompt:
Address both parts. Make sure you respond to both the privilege/bias and feedback/discomfort prompts.
Be vulnerable. It’s okay to admit you didn’t know something or even held a problematic belief at one point, as long as you demonstrate how you’ve grown.
Avoid unnecessary background details. You don’t have much space to cover both examples, so focus on the essentials: what happened, how you responded, and what you learned.
Be specific in your reflection. Don’t just describe the situation or say, “I learned a lot.” Show exactly how your thinking or behaviour changed and why it matters for your practice.
Link your reflections to social work values. Show how the lessons you gained connect to principles like equity, humility, or relational practice.
Question 2: Commitment to Social Justice in Action (250 words)
Prompt:
At the heart of social work is a commitment to equity and justice – not just in belief, but through action in everyday life. Given our program’s health focus, we are especially interested in how you have addressed health-related inequities or barriers.
Please describe a situation where you took action to challenge a social injustice, barrier, or inequity – whether formally or informally, personally or professionally.
What guided your decision to act, and what did you learn about yourself, others, or the systems involved?
Tips for Answering this Prompt:
Highlight action, not just awareness. Show how you moved beyond recognizing injustice to doing something tangible.
Connect to health if possible. Even if your example isn’t explicitly “healthcare,” link it back to health equity, access, or well-being.
Name your guiding values. Make explicit how social work ethics, justice commitments, or personal values shaped your response.
Demonstrate systems thinking. Reflect on how this experience revealed structural or systemic barriers, not just individual struggles or injustices.
Show personal/professional growth. Explain how this experience sharpened your sense of responsibility as a social worker entering advanced practice.
Question 3: Lived Experience and Motivation for Social Work (200 words)
Prompt:
Social work calls on us to draw from both our formal education and the lived experiences that have shaped who we are. Many people are drawn to the profession through personal, community, or cultural experiences that inform their values and commitments.
Please share an experience in which you navigated a challenging or unfamiliar environment due to aspects of your identity, background, or circumstances — including, if relevant, experiences in online or remote contexts.
What personal strengths did you develop through that experience, and how do you see those strengths informing your studies and future practice?
Tips for Answering this Prompt:
Consider connection to your motivation and goals. Choose an experience that not only shows your strengths but also explains why you’re pursuing an MSW.
Choose depth over breadth. Focus on one meaningful lived experience instead of trying to cover multiple.
Emphasize transferable strengths. Identify clear skills (e.g., resilience, empathy, adaptability, boundary-setting) that came from that experience.
Draw the through-line. Show how those strengths directly inform your approach to social work and graduate-level studies.
Link to health or equity. If possible, highlight how your lived experience gives you insight into barriers or inequities related to health, well-being, or social justice.
Question 4: Practicum Interests and Learning Goals (200 words)
Prompt:
Your practicum will be a central part of your MSW journey—a key opportunity to apply your learning, integrate theory with practice, and grow through real-world experience.
Please describe the practicum settings, populations, or practice areas you’re most interested in, and how they align with your professional goals.
What skills or knowledge do you hope to build, and how will you contribute to your placement as a developing social work professional?
Tips for Answering this Prompt:
Identify clear practice areas. Avoid being vague (e.g., community work). Instead, name specific populations or settings (e.g., palliative care, youth mental health, immigrant health).
Align with the program’s focus. Explicitly connect your interests to health equity, access, or systemic change.
Show readiness for graduate-level learning. Since you already have a BSW, frame your goals as building depth and specialization.
Balance learning with contribution. Don’t forget to explain how you’ll contribute to the practicum setting (e.g., skills from your BSW training, work/volunteer experiences, or lived experience).
Signal flexibility. While stating your interests, note that you’re open to exploring related areas to broaden your skillset as well.
Question 5: Truth and Reconciliation Engagement (250 words)
Prompt:
Social workers have a responsibility to engage meaningfully with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and with Indigenous knowledge, histories, and communities — particularly in relation to health and well-being.
Please describe your current relationship to this work.
What have you done to learn, unlearn, or contribute — and what commitments do you hold moving forward?
Tips for Answering this Prompt:
Be concrete. Ground your response in actual actions (e.g., coursework, trainings, community engagement, personal unlearning, advocacy efforts).
Acknowledge positionality. If you’re not Indigenous, acknowledge that and name your responsibility as a settler/ally.
Show ongoing engagement. Emphasize that this is a continuous process and highlight what you’re committed to doing next.
Consider the connection to health. Show how reconciliation connects to health outcomes and to your role and goals as a social worker.
Avoid performative language. Focus less on “good intentions” and more on accountability and concrete steps.
Question 6: Contextual Insight (optional; 150 words)
Prompt:
We recognize that every applicant’s journey is different — and invite you to share any additional context that helps us understand yours. Is there anything else you would like the admissions committee to know about you? This may include gaps in your academic history, challenges you've overcome, or other aspects of your story that help explain your path.
Tips for Answering this Prompt:
Use this strategically. Only answer this question if you have something important to add that wasn’t addressed elsewhere in the application (e.g., addressing a low GPA).
Avoid repeating earlier content. Only include information not covered elsewhere in your application.
Frame challenges as resilience. Briefly acknowledge the context (e.g., a lower GPA due to a personal hardship), and then focus on what you learned, how you adapted, and what you bring because of it (e.g., a unique perspective, lived experience, or skills).
Related Reading:
Note: You will also be asked to give details about the Research Methods course you took, which is one of their admission requirements.
Evaluation Criteria
Your supplementary information form will be rated by two independent assessors, and each answer will be evaluated against the following criteria:
Writing style (ability to communicate clearly, including use of language, organization, and comprehensibility)
Demonstrated analytic ability (including evidence of scholarship)
Creativity and originality
Completeness of answers
Resume
Applicants are required to provide a resume in PDF format that covers any or all of the following areas:
Education
Practica
Employment Experience
Volunteer Experience
Social Action & Activism
Membership in Volunteer Associations
Membership in Professional Associations
Supervisory Experience
Research Activities
Presentations Given
Publications
Additional Skills, Attributes, or Other Information (e.g., languages, certifications)
For each of these sections they have specific requirements for how they would like the information presented (e.g., having sub-headings for “pre-BSW,” “during BSW,” and “post-BSW” for your experience sections), so it’s important to follow their resume instructions carefully.
For additional resume support:
Check out “How To Write Your Social Work Resume" and "119 Social Work Skills You Can Add To Your Resume (A Comprehensive List)."
Consider our social work resume service, which includes instant access to three resume templates tailored to social work, a customizable cover letter, practical tools and training to help you get started, and professional resume editing.
References
Three references are required – one academic and two professional.
Academic Reference
Must be from a course instructor with whom you’ve taken a class with within the last 3-4 years.
Professional References
Can come from any of the following sources:
Employment (e.g., director, manager, practicum supervisor)
Volunteer work (e.g., a representative from a volunteer board, organization, or group with whom you have volunteered)
Professional source providing a strictly professional perspective (e.g., social worker, physician, nurse, psychologist, psychiatrist, chaplain, or similar community-based professional).
Ideally, your two professional references should come from individuals from two different organizations.
However, the School of Social Work understands that some people have only worked within one organization and will not penalize you for it. They simply ask you to try to have each reference speak to different aspects of your suitability and potential to succeed in graduate-level social work studies.
For more information, check out their guide on reference letters.
What if I don’t have a recent academic reference?
If your degree was completed three or more years ago and you are unable to obtain an academic reference, you may submit a third professional reference.
This is something you could briefly address in Question 6 of the Supplementary Information Form (SIF).
Related Reading:
Unofficial Transcripts
You’ll need to submit unofficial transcripts for all post-secondary institutions (both universities and colleges) you’ve attended, even if a degree was not awarded. This includes:
Post-secondary institutions where you earned transfer credits.
Post-secondary institutions where you began a program but didn’t complete it.
Degrees that are still in progress.
You do not need to submit a transcript for studies completed at the University of Waterloo, since they already have access to your academic records. However, you do need to declare that you attended the University of Waterloo on your online application.
For more information on transcript requirements, check out the school’s detailed information on other application pieces.
Final Tips for a Strong Application
Start early and stay organized. Double-check deadlines and requirements, give yourself plenty of time for reflection and revisions, and plan your schedule so you’re not rushing at the last minute.
Tailor your application to Waterloo’s program. This MSW program emphasizes health, equity, and social justice. Even if the questions don’t explicitly ask for it, look for opportunities to highlight experiences that connect to these themes.
Be specific. Avoid broad, generic statements if you want to stand out. Instead, be specific about what you did and what you learned through stories and examples that highlight your motivation, strengths, goals, and fit with the program.
Mind the word count. Staying within limits demonstrates you can write concisely, a highly valued skill in graduate school.
Proofread carefully. Writing quality signals readiness for graduate-level studies. Review your documents thoroughly, and consider asking a mentor (ideally one with social work experience) to provide feedback. You can also use a service like MSW Helper’s Personal Statement Editing Services. We’ve reviewed over 2,000 personal statements and know how to make them stand out.
Check out our other school-specific application guides:
MSW Helper is not affiliated with or endorsed by any university. Information is for educational purposes only and may change—please verify all details directly with your chosen program.
