Application & Procedures for Masters Programs

In an effort to increase accessibility and empower our prospective applicants, the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice has eliminated the application fee for master's degree programs this year.

A minimum of three recommendations are required, two of which should address your academic ability. References should be qualified to discuss your aptitude for both graduate study and social work. No more than four letters of recommendation may be submitted.

• Current undergraduates or recent graduates must include at least two academic references.

• Transfer students and Advanced Standing Program applicants must include two academic references and a reference from a current or recent practice professor or field instructor who can evaluate your performance in field placement or submit a final field evaluation. 

• Applicants who are or recently have been employed must include one reference from an employment supervisor. Ask your professional references to speak to your analytic and critical thinking skills. 

   

Please write a three to four page statement addressing the following two prompts:

1. Students graduating from the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice pursue careers and assume leadership roles in diverse areas across a range of social sectors (e.g., child and family welfare, health, mental health, education, housing, violence prevention, criminal justice, etc.) that cross individual, family, community, management, and policy levels, both domestically and globally. Please tell us what inspires your decision to pursue a degree at the Crown Family School, the type of work you hope to pursue, and how an education at the Crown Family School will help you pursue your passions and achieve your career goals. [No more than 500 words, ~2 double spaced pages]
2. Please discuss how your core values and the sense of purpose motivating your career plans aligns with the Crown Family School’s mission, values, and guiding principles as you understand them. In your answer, describe how your personal and/or professional experiences have shaped your commitment to equity and social change and might inform your work as a student, professional, and future leader in your chosen field.  [No more than 350 words, ~1.5 double-spaced pages]

Transcripts are required from every post-secondary academic institution where an applicant has taken three or more courses--unless the courses with grades appear on the home institution transcript; this includes courses taken Pass/Fail.

Applicants may submit unofficial transcripts for the application review process. Transcripts should be accompanied by the institutional grading and credit system information, which is most commonly found on the reverse side of paper transcripts. If your institution does not provide digitized transcripts, applicants may upload scanned paper transcripts to the online application. Please make sure to include the reverse side with the grading and credit system information. Alternatively, applicants may send paper transcripts to:

Office of Admissions
Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
969 E. 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

If college work is incomplete at the time of application, a final transcript must be sent when final grades and degree conferral have been recorded. 

Students who have completed or will be completing their undergraduate education at an institution outside the United States are expected to have a baccalaureate-level degree or its equivalent and to have completed social work training in the home country and/or to have had work experience in a social service agency before applying for admission to the Master's Program.

If admitted, international academic credentials, including courses taken, grades received, and degrees granted, should be sent directly to the Admissions Office by the issuing institution. If this is not possible, copies in the applicant's possession may be acceptable if they have been certified by the proper school authorities. Applicants may not validate their own documents. The class or division of the degree must be stated if this is the customary method of reporting the quality of academic work. If the Admissions office is unable to complete a degree verification based on the documentation submitted, the Admissions office reserves the right to require a credential evaluation by an approved outside agency.   

A current resume outlining experience.

Applicants to the graduate schools and divisions of the University of Chicago who do not meet the criteria below must submit proof of English language proficiency. This policy applies to all graduate programs; the score level required for admission varies by program. Only the TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic tests are accepted as proof of proficiency.

Waiver Criteria:

• English has been a primary language of communication and schooling for you since childhood; or
• You were enrolled for at least one academic year in full-time status in a course of study at an accredited English-medium post-secondary institution in one of the following countries or territories within the past ten years: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States.
• Education in English-medium institutions in other countries or territories does not qualify for the exemption.

The minimum required score for the TOEFL is 104 overall (IBT) with a sub-score of 26 in each category. The minimum required score for the IELTS is 7 overall, with sub-scores of 7 in each category. Check the TOEFL and IELTS sites for more information about the test. The results of the test will be sent to the University by the Testing Service. Official reports of any required scores must be received in order for a decision to be issued. Committees will use unofficial scores for review purposes if an official score report is not available, but you should provide official reports of any required scores as soon as they are available. Applications will not be given final consideration until the results of the test have been received. The University of Chicago Institutional Code for TOEFL is 1832; the department code for Crown Family School is 95.

Transcripts are required from every post-secondary academic institution where an applicant has taken three or more courses--unless the courses with grades appear on the home institution transcript; this includes courses taken Pass/Fail.

Applicants may submit unofficial transcripts for the application review process. Transcripts should be accompanied by the institutional grading and credit system information, which is most commonly found on the reverse side of paper transcripts. If your institution does not provide digitized transcripts, applicants may upload scanned paper transcripts to the online application. Please make sure to include the reverse side with the grading and credit system information. Alternatively, applicants may send paper transcripts to:

Office of Admissions
Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice
969 E. 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

If college work is incomplete at the time of application, a final transcript must be sent when final grades and degree conferral have been recorded. 

Students who have completed or will be completing their undergraduate education at an institution outside the United States are expected to have a baccalaureate-level degree or its equivalent and to have completed social work training in the home country and/or to have had work experience in a social service agency before applying for admission to the Master's Program.

If admitted, international academic credentials, including courses taken, grades received, and degrees granted, should be sent directly to the Admissions Office by the issuing institution. If this is not possible, copies in the applicant's possession may be acceptable if they have been certified by the proper school authorities. Applicants may not validate their own documents. The class or division of the degree must be stated if this is the customary method of reporting the quality of academic work. If the Admissions office is unable to complete a degree verification based on the documentation submitted, the Admissions office reserves the right to require a credential evaluation by an approved outside agency.   

Two letters of recommendation are required.

Please submit a 4-page, double-spaced statement that addresses each of the following prompts

• What personal and professional factors have led you to pursue a master’s degree in Social Sector Leadership and Nonprofit Management at this time? What are your professional goals and how will this master’s degree provide a way to achieve them? What in particular influenced your decision to pursue this degree from the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice?
• What, in your view, are the characteristics of an effective leader and manager in the social sector? What existing strengths and prior experience will you bring to this program, and what do you still need to learn or develop in order to become an effective leader and manager?
• Identify a population or social issue which you feel passionate about and would like to affect through your work. Provide a critique of how current institutions, services, policies, or community practices have failed to adequately address this issue or the needs of this population, and suggest how the social sector could respond.

A current resume outlining at least 3-5 years of experience working in a social sector organiza­tion.

Applicants to the graduate schools and divisions of the University of Chicago who do not meet the criteria below must submit proof of English language proficiency. This policy applies to all graduate programs; the score level required for admission varies by program. Only the TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic tests are accepted as proof of proficiency.

Waiver Criteria:

• English has been a primary language of communication and schooling for you since childhood; or
• You were enrolled for at least one academic year in full-time status in a course of study at an accredited English-medium post-secondary institution in one of the following countries or territories within the past ten years: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States.
• Education in English-medium institutions in other countries or territories does not qualify for the exemption.

The minimum required score for the TOEFL is 104 overall (IBT) with a sub-score of 26 in each category. The minimum required score for the IELTS is 7 overall, with sub-scores of 7 in each category. Check the TOEFL and IELTS sites for more information about the test. The results of the test will be sent to the University by the Testing Service. Official reports of any required scores must be received in order for a decision to be issued. Committees will use unofficial scores for review purposes if an official score report is not available, but you should provide official reports of any required scores as soon as they are available. Applications will not be given final consideration until the results of the test have been received. The University of Chicago Institutional Code for TOEFL is 1832; the department code for Crown Family School is 95.