Master of Social Work

The two-year MSW program is designed for students who have received a non-BSW bachelor degree from a recognized university. The first year of the program provides training in foundational social work knowledge and skills. The second year of the program provides students with an opportunity to specialize in a specific field of study (as listed below). Degree requirements are normally completed within two years, with a maximum time length of three years. The two-year program consists of 17 half-credit courses for a total of 8.5 full-credit equivalents (FCE). This includes the practicum courses, which over the course of two years, are equivalent to one and a half credit courses.
Human services are among the fastest growing sectors of the Canadian economy. Along with the growth is an increasing diversification of the sector, with fields of practice rising up around specific areas of need. The country as a whole will need social workers to staff new, more specialized service agencies of the future. While the notion of generic social work has a role to play in this increasingly complex environment, it is clear that graduates will also require more specific skills if they are to thrive in the new human service sector. In other words, generic social work is a necessary, but no longer sufficient preparation for practice. ​The overall aim of the program is therefore to produce graduates who are ready to enter the field of their choice after first receiving a thorough grounding in the knowledge, values, and skills common to all social workers. The specializations are built upon the expertise of core teaching faculty and have all been developed with the very active participation of partner agencies in each of the respective fields.

Applicants with an appropriate bachelor's degree with a minimum average equivalent to at least a University of Toronto mid-B in the final year of full-time study from a recognized university are admitted to a two-year MSW program.

Applicants who hold a BSW degree with mid-B average in the final year of full-time study, or its equivalent from a recognized university, may be eligible for the MSW advanced-standing option.

All applicants must have included 3.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) in social science courses, including 0.5 FCE in research methodology. A mid-B is strongly recommended in the research methodology course.