Application Information & Proceedures
Application Procedures
How you apply to the PhD and MSW-PhD programs depends on whether you have ever been enrolled as a graduate student at OSU.
- Applicants new to the OSU Graduate School apply using the on-line OSU graduate application. You will upload your documents, including the GA form via this applicaiton.
- Previous OSU MSW or other graduate students apply directly to the College of Social Work PhD Program and submit a request for Transfer of Graduate Program to the Graduate School.
- If you have been a graduate student at OSU and it has been six or more years since your attendance or graduation from the MSW or other graduate program at OSU, you must submit an official transcript for each intitution you have attended. For those coming from the MSW program at OSU, if it has been fewer than six years, we will requrest transcripts from the MSW Office. If you are transferring from another graduate program at OSU, confirm with that program that they have and will send copies of all your transcripts. As the applicant, you are responsible to confirm that all transcripts have been sent to and received by the PhD program.
- If you are applying to the MSW-PhD program and think that you might be eligible for the ASAP program (summer admission), please contact the MSW Office for eligibility requirements and additional application materials.
- All applicants should submit to OSU via ETS (GRE) or confirm that OSU has current (no older than 5 years) GRE scores.
New OSU Graduate Student Applicants
For information on or to apply to The Ohio State University Graduate School, please visit the Graduate Admissions website. The site will provide you with application requirements and instructions. Applications to OSU must be completed on-line and you should be prepared to pay the application fee when you submit your application. You will also be asked to submit all other application documents and should have them ready to upload.If you submit your OSU application, but do not submit all of your documents, you will need to mail your remaining documents to the PhD Program Office.
http://www.gradapply.osu.edu/
Application Documents
All applicants should submit the materials listed below. New OSU applicants should submit them on-line via the OSU graduate application. Applicants who have been OSU graduate students, including the MSW program, should submit these items directly to the PhD program.
- College of Social Work PhD/MSW-PhD application form (applicants new to the OSU Graduate School do not need to submit this application form)
- Three OSU reference forms and Letters of Recommendation (MSW-PhD applicants should also submit the MSW letter of recommendation form)
- Background and Professional Goals Statement (5 double-spaced pages)
- Resume or CV
- Writing Sample
- One transcript from each institution attended, other than OSU. If you are admitted and plan to enroll, you will be required to submit official transcripts. Applicants from the MSW and other OSU graduate programs should provide transcripts if it has been 6 years or longer since you were in the MSW or other gradute program or if you have taken additional coursework since being a graduate student at OSU. Applicants from other OSU graduate programs should confirm with your previous program that all transcripts can be sent to the Social Work PhD program.
- Graduate Associateship Application form (required only of applicants seeking funding)
- MSW-PhD applicants - MSW Recommendation form in addition to the OSU form and letter of recommendation.
- ASAP applicants - any document required by the MSW program for ASAP applicants.
More Details
Letters of Recommendation
All applicants must have three letters of recommendation sent directly to the College of Social Work (previous OSU MSW or other graduate students) or submitted on-line as part of the OSU graduate admissions application (applicants new to the OSU Graduate School). Persons providing references should include graduate or undergraduate faculty members who can address the applicant's suitability for the doctoral program and a research career. In addition to sending a letter of recommendation on the recommender's office letterhead stationery, recommenders must complete a reference form provided by the Ohio State University Admissions Office. On-line reference letters should be as thorough as those provided on letterhead stationary as it is a formal recommendation. Recommendation forms may also be downloaded from the Graduate and Professional Admissions website. Applicants are responsible for obtaining references and confirming that recommendation letters were sent and received.
Background and Professional Goals Statement
The Background and Professional Goals Statement is the document that ties your application together and provides the admissions committee with insight as to why you would like to pursue the PhD or MSW-PhD and what your qualifications and goals are. It is given considerable weight and should be prepared with great care. The document should be approximately five double-spaced typewritten pages.
The Background and Goals Statement should include the following:
- Background (undergraduate and graduate education, employment, and professional activities)
- Specific interests in social work and/or other disciplines
- Research experience, including thesis and other published and unpublished writings
- Research interests and the contributions your research will make to social work
- Reasons for pursuing a PhD or MSW-PhD in Social Work and how the degree(s) fit(s) into your career goals
- Reasons you wish to pursue the PhD or MSW-PhD in Social Work at The Ohio State University.
Writing Sample
The writing sample should be written solely by you, the applicant, demonstrate your ability to write and think analytically, and reflect the highest level of research that you have conducted to date.
Transcripts
If you are a new OSU Graduate student applicant, you should upload one transcript for each institution attended as part of your OSU application. Once admitted, you will be required to submit official transcripts. See the Admissions website for more details: http://www.gradapply.osu.edu/.
If you have been an OSU Graduate student within the last six years, you need not send OSU transcripts, but should send to the PhD Program Office one official transcript for all institutions attended since attending OSU. If your transcripts are not on file, we will request them from you and you will be required to submit them in order for your application to be considered.
If it has been longer than 6 years since you last attended graduate school at OSU or since you earned your graduate degree, send an official transcript from each institution you have attended.
GRE
The GRE is required of all PhD and MSW-PhD applicants. MSW-PhD applicants not holding a master's degree need a combined verbal and quantitative score of 1100 (old test) or at least a 40th percentile (new test) on each of the verbal and quantitative sections and a writing score of 3.5 or better. Although, the PhD Program does not have minimum score requirements for other applicants (i.e. we will review all completed applicaitons), higher scores strengthen your application.
We strongly encourage applicants preparing to take the GRE to familiarize themselves with the test and dedicate some regular study time to prepare for the exam prior to taking it.
Applicants can request that ETS send GRE scores for exams taken previously. Typically scores are good for 4-5 years. On its website, GRE will indicate a cut-off date for previous exams. If your exam scores are older than this, even if recorded in OSU’s student data, you are required to take the exam again in order to complete your application.
For information on the GRE, other tests, and official GRE study materials, please see: http://www.ets.org/. You can find information concerning score interpretation on the GRE website.
GRE codes
- 1592 = OSU Institution code
- 5001 = Social Work Field code
Please see the Admissions website for more details on admission requirements: http://www.gradapply.osu.edu/
Please see the Graduate School website for more details on fellowship requirements or Transfer of Graduate Program proceedures: http://gradsch.osu.edu/
International Applicants
International applicants must meet financial and English requirements for admission. See the Admissions website for information on these requirements.
University requirements for English proficiency have typically been 550 (TOEFL paper test), 213 (TOEFL computer test), 79 (TOEFL internet test), 82 (MELAB), or 7 (IELTS). These tests should have been taken within the last two years.
Admitted international students must attend an international student orientation program offered by the Office of International Affairs – International Students prior to being permitted to register for classes. English composition placement tests are part of this orientation. Please be sure to see the OSU ESL Programs website for information on required written and spoken English language testing (composition course placement and requirements for teaching assistants).
- Admissions: http://admissions.osu.edu/grad/index.asp
- Office of International Affairs: http://oia.osu.edu/
- ESL Programs: http://www.esl.ohio-state.edu/
PhD Program Contact Information
To submit application documents directly to the PhD Program or to contact us with questions, please refer to our "Contact Us" information.
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