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Qualifying Year

Qualifying Year of Study for Entry into the MSW Program (non-thesis)

The Qualifying Year of study for entry into the MSW Program (non-thesis) is designed for students who already have completed an undergraduate degree in a discipline other than Social Work and would like to pursue a graduate degree in Social Work (MSW).  The main objectives of this Qualifying Year are to provide students with foundation knowledge and skills pertinent to the practice of social work and to prepare them for entry into the MSW program.

Applicants admitted into the “Qualifying Year” for entry into the MSW are immersed, over two terms of full-time study only, in coursework and field placement. This full-time qualifying year of study is comprised of 15 credits per term in which coursework and field placement are integrated and run concurrently. No part-time option for study is available.  Candidates who secure a minimum B+ in all courses and successfully complete their fieldwork will apply and be recommended for admission to the MSW (non-thesis option only).  Applications into the Qualifying Year are accepted for Fall admission only.

Downloadable Forms

    Admission Requirements for Qualifying Year

    • Applicants demonstrating academic excellence and prior human services experience are considered for admission to the Qualifying Year of study in preparation for entry to the MSW (non-thesis) program. Applicant’s undergraduate record must meet a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.2 on a 4.0 scale.
    • Applicants are required to have completed a bachelor degree (DCS/DEC from CEGEP plus a minimum of a 90-credit, or three-year university degree; or, a high school diploma plus a minimum of a 120–credit or four-year university degree) prior to entry into the Qualifying Year.  Please note that transfer students are not eligible for application.

    • Applicants will have the equivalent of at least 1 year of full-time voluntary and/or paid social work/human service experience.

    • Applicants will have completed by August 15th the below noted prerequisite courses at the university level. Please note that applicants will be required to append a calendar course description and/or course syllabus for the “Research Methods”, “Statistics”, and “Human Development Across the Lifespan” courses when uploading the Social Work Application Form.

      • one 3-credit undergraduate research methods course*
      • one 3-credit undergraduate statistics course
      • three 3-credit (9 credits total) social science courses  
      • one 3-credit undergraduate course in human development 

      * Please note the social science disciplines are:  Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Political Science, and Anthropology. A grade less than B (minimum 70%) in Research Methods will lessen the applicant's probability of admission.  Applicants are expected to have completed the above noted pre-requisistes withing the last 5 years.

    • For a list of examples of courses considered equivalent to our prerequisites, please see Course Equivalencies for Q-Year and MSW Prerequisite Courses

    Applicants to the Q-Year must also demonstrate an adequate level of proficiency in English prior to admission, regardless of citizenship status or country of origin. Normally, applicants meeting any one of the following conditions are NOT required to submit proof of proficiency in English:

    • Mother tongue (language first learned and still used on a daily basis) is English.
    • Has obtained (or is about to obtain) an undergraduate or graduate degree from a recognized foreign institution where English is the language of instruction.
    • Has obtained (or is about to obtain) an undergraduate or graduate degree from a recognized institution in Canada or the United States of America (anglophone or francophone).
    • Has lived and attended school, or been employed, for at least four consecutive years, in a country where English is the acknowledged primary language.

    Applicants who DO NOT meet any of the above-listed conditions must demonstrate proficiency in English using one of the following options:

    • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – International applicants must achieve a minimum score of 96* on the internet-based test. * each individual component of reading, writing, listening, and speaking must have a minimum score of 24.
    • the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) –International applicants must achieve a minimum overall band score of 8.0**. ** each individual component of reading, writing, listening, and speaking must have a minimum score of 7.5.
    • MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery): a mark of 85% or higher.
    • University of Cambridge ESOL Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): a grade of "B" (Good) or higher.
    • University of Cambridge ESOL Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): a grade of "C" (Pass) or higher.
    • Edexcel London Test of English - Level 5 - with an overall grade of at least "Pass".
    • McGill Certificate of Proficiency in English or McGill Certificate of Proficiency - English for Professional Communication: Certificate of Proficiency awarded.

     In each case, applicants must ensure that official test results are sent to McGill directly by the testing service. Applications cannot be considered if test results are not available.

    N.B. As the Qualifying Year is a non-degree program, students are not eligible for external fellowships.

    Application Procedure for Qualifying Year

    Please note the applications for the 2014-2015 academic year will be available as of October 2013.

    Please note that the School admits new students in the Fall term only. The University will not refund application fees for errors in selecting the wrong term.

    All supplemental application materials and supporting documents must be uploaded directly to the McGill admissions processing system. See www.mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/apply/submitting-your-documents for information and instructions.

    Applicants to the Qualifying Year Entry into the MSW program are required to complete a two-part application process. First, applicants are required to complete the online McGill Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies application form by January 1st.  Second, applicants are required to complete the School of Social Work application form, and upload electronically all required supporting application documents by January 15th.  All applicants are responsible for ensuring that their letters of reference are uploaded by January 15th.  

      Qualifying Year Courses

      Fall Term:

      • Public Social Services in Canada (SWRK 221)
      • Field Practice 1 (SWRK 322)
      • Social Work Skills Laboratory (SWRK 350)
      • Introduction to Practice (SWRK 353)
      • Foundations in Social Policy in Canada (SWRK 404)

      Winter Term:

      • Field Practice 2 (SWRK 323)
      • Anti-Oppression Social Work Practice (SWRK 325)
      • Practice with Individuals and Families 2 (SWRK 326)
      • Approaches to Community/Group Practice (SWRK 405)
      • Critical Though & Ethic in Social Work (SWRK 525)

      Streams:

      Students applying to the Qualifying Year are required to locate themselves in one of three streams of study which will be pursued when entring into the MSW.  Below please find descriptions of each stream with a link to the courses offered per stream.

      Children & Families Stream

      The McGill School of Social Work has a long tradition of teaching in the area of "Children & Families", a specialization urgently needed for community, health and mental health practice. Today’s graduates are required to have a broad understanding of family life, mental health disorders and clinical capacity to offer effective services for families increasingly presenting with an array of complex social, psychological, physical and mental health problems. This area of study aims to develop students’ child and family clinical knowledge and practice skills to serve our increasingly diverse family populations within Québec and Canada. This area of study incorporates a broad-based theoretical and clinical perspective informed by research best practice methods. It includes curriculum on advanced methods of child and family assessment and treatment, couple counselling, child and youth mental health, child welfare, violence against women and youth justice. Practicing in this field involves working with children and their parents; couples and family systems including extended family and larger protective, social and legal healthcare networks that influence children and their families. Guiding principles include an understanding of the heterogeneity and diversity of the post-modern family integrating the lens of gender, race, poverty, social class and multiculturalism into child and family practice with attention to the intersection of social service, health and legal care structures. The goal of this area of study is to introduce the concepts and skills related to a developmental-systemic understanding of children and their families with a focus on culturally-informed models of assessment and treatment of child and family functioning and development. It is ideal for students considering careers in child and family protective services, child and adult psychiatry, including hospital based in-patient and out patient services and specialized community services for children and their families. It is also ideal for students from a multi-disciplinary background including social work, counseling psychology, clinical psychology, nursing, and other mental health disciplines.

      Please consult the MSW website for the courses associated with this stream.

       Health & Social Care Stream

      Changing population demographics, shifts from institutionalization to community-based care, and restructuring of health care systems create a demanding context for social work. This changing context of care requires a detailed understanding of care systems and their impact on populations in need of health and social services. The "Health & Social Care" stream is designed to better prepare students for social work in fields such as gerontology, health, disability, and mental health by exploring and examining the theoretical, historical and practical contexts of care, contemporary tensions and debates in the field, and by promoting the development of specialized skills for advanced practice across varying adult care settings. This area of interest considers health and social care practices on national, provincial, federal and international levels. Courses are organized around social care, ageing, mental health, disability, caregiving, and loss and bereavement. Drawing on relevant theory, research and policy, the courses in this area of interest situate contemporary issues within the historical context of social welfare; explore conceptual challenges embedded in concepts such as 'dependency' and 'disability'; address planning and practice for populations across the life course, and in late life; explore therapeutic practice in mental health settings; outline social work with persons with disabilities; focus on illness and palliative care, as well as articulate in-depth explorations of cross-cutting concerns of caregiving, loss and bereavement, ethics, and resilience. This area of interest is ideal for students considering careers in social work practice in community and institutional settings with older people, children and adults with disabilities, and mental health issues. Students in this area are likely to be interested in hospital social work, home care, various group-home settings for adults, palliative care, community organizations with a clinical focus, as well as areas of health or social care policy. The Health & Social Care stream is suitable for students with undergraduate degrees in social work, as well as psychology, health-related domains, women's studies, health policy or disability studies.

      Please consult the MSW website  for the courses associated with this stream.

      International & Community Development Stream

      Over the past several decades, interest and opportunities in International & Community Development within social work have burgeoned. To this end, this area of study has been developed to serve our increasingly diverse populations within Québec and Canada as well as our progressively more interconnected world. This area of study incorporates a global perspective for local, national, and international practice. It includes curriculum on social welfare, international and community development, cross-cultural knowledge and understanding, comparative social policy, global and local peace-building initiatives, as well as advocacy and practice focused on immigrant, refugee and war-affected populations. Practicing in this field involves working with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities to influence laws, legislation and policies. Guiding principles are human rights, global justice and diversity. The goal of this area of study is to introduce concepts and skills relating to internationally-related domestic practice and advocacy, professional exchange, community and international practice, and community and international policy development. This stream is ideal for students considering careers in international and community development, practice work with immigrants, refugees and war-affected populations, advocacy work on global policy issues, and those aiming to broaden their domestic practice competence through understanding the international dimensions of community and social issues. It is also ideal for students with undergraduate degrees in social work and international development studies.

      Please consult the MSW website for the courses associated with this stream.

       

      Tuition Fees

      Information on fees can be obtained from the Student Accounts website.

      Faculty Research Interests

      See individual faculty pages by clicking here.

      Course Descriptions

      The course descriptions and class schedule are available on the Web. Please note that courses may be rescheduled, or new courses added, from time to time; check online Class Schedule for the most up-to-date information. The schedule of courses to be offered in the summer will be available in January.

      Contacts for Qualifying Year Applicants

      trudy [dot] blumstein [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Trudy Blumstein )
      Qualifying Year Admission Advisor 

      graduate [dot] socialwork [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Lillian Iannone)
      Student Affairs Coordinator 
      Tel: 514-398-2679

      Julia [dot] krane [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Dr. Julia Krane)
      Graduate Program Director, MSW & Qualifying Year
      Tel: 514-398-7063

      francine [dot] granner [at] mcgill [dot] ca (Francine Granner)
      Field Coordinator, Qualifying Year
      Tel: 514-398-4069

       

       

      Downloadable Forms

       

      Updated on Thu, 2013-09-05 12:10
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