PhD and MSW/PhD Application Process

Our application process is completely electronic. All documents should be submitted through the application portal.

Application Prerequisites

PhD Trad MSW/PhD Adv Stand MSW/PhD

Traditional MSW Prerequisites

  • Bachelor's degree (or international equivalent) in any discipline from an accredited institution. 
  • Minimum of 24 credits of undergraduate liberal arts coursework. Of those 24 credits:
    • 6 must be in the social or behavioral sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science).
    • 6 must be in the arts or humanities (e.g., history, English, foreign languages, philosophy, ethnic/gender studies).
    • 12 credits may be made up with any combination of the above or with courses from the natural sciences or mathematics.
  • Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 preferred.
  • Human biology undergraduate course (3 credits) must be completed prior to the advanced year MSW curriculum, if not fulfilled at the time of application.

Application Process

All application components (including recommendations) must be received by the deadline in order to be considered.

GRE Not Required

As of fall 2023, the GRE has been permanently removed as an admissions requirement for the School of Social Work's doctoral programs. 

If you choose to send your GRE scores, they will not be included or taken into consideration as part of your application in order to maintain consistency and fairness for all applicants.

In addition to all the above, MSW/PhD students must ALSO upload:

Questions?

Email us!
swinfo@buffalo.edu

New York Residency

To qualify for the in-state tuition rate, admitted students must provide proof of New York State residency. See accepted student information page for details. 

Felony Disclosure

If you have a previous felony or criminal conviction, please read our felony disclosure statement before applying.