The National Catholic School of Social Service is committed to educating students to contribute responsibly to the fulfillment of social welfare objectives and to enhance the effective social functioning of individuals, families, groups, and communities. Through the admissions process, NCSSS seeks to enroll those who will be successful in the M.S.W. program, and effective and proficient as social work professionals.

M.S.W. applicants may apply for the 60 credit hour degree program, the 30 hour advanced standing program for B.S.W. graduates, as a transfer student from another M.S.W. program, or for the dual degree program with the Columbus School of Law (contact the law school directly for their application materials).

For those M.S.W. applicants who are interested in a second career or need more information to determine if professional social work is the right choice, we encourage you to apply as a non-degree seeking student and take one to three courses to help you with this decision.

Once a complete application portfolio has been received by the NCSSS Office of Admissions, applications are reviewed by the Admissions Committee according to the following criteria:

1. Evidence of student's ability to do graduate work including readiness to engage in scholarly work, evidence of analytic and conceptual thinking and strong writing skills. Evidence of the above may be found in previous academic work, (usually optional) test scores and the personal statement. Academic work should reflect a liberal arts foundation, including both social and behavioral sciences. Coursework in human biology as well as social statistics is recommended. A G.P.A. of 3.0 and above is preferred.
2. Evidence of personal qualifications essential for professional practice, including an interest in people and the processes of human relationships; a sensitivity and openness to others; an alertness to current social issues; strong interpersonal skills; readiness for increased self knowledge; and respect for the values and ethics of the profession.
3. Commitment to the social work profession, which may be evidenced by human service employment or volunteer experience, to be listed on the resume and discussed in the personal statement.