These instructions are only for applicants who currently hold an MSW degree or who will hold an MSW by Fall 2010 from an accredited U.S., Canadian, or South Korean Institution. If you will NOT hold an MSW by Fall 2010, please click here. If you have questions about the acceptance or equivalency of foreign degrees, please contact the Doctoral Office at ssw.phd.info@umich.edu.
These instructions are meant as a guide for your application process. Please read all instructions carefully before starting the application process. They contain critical information for application material you submit online as well as for material you mail in. Applicants are responsible for ensuring the submission of a complete application.
Please do not contact the Doctoral Office to check the status of your application. All applicants will receive an email regarding the status of their application once the deadline has passed. All applicants will be given an opportunity to send in any materials that may be missing within a reasonable amount of time before the review process begins.
There are two sections to this checklist. Part I describes material that can be submitted online. Part II describes material that must be submitted by mail to the Doctoral Office.
I. Application Materials to be Submitted Online:
Application Forms:
Please read the instructions carefully before completing the application forms. Where there are differences in instructions, follow the instructions on this website.
Statement of Purpose:
The Statement of Purpose is part of your Rackham online application. It is perhaps the single most important item in your application. Keep in mind that it will be reviewed by faculty in both social work and your preferred social science. Therefore, you need to help your readers understand how your interests are relevant to the professional and intellectual commitments of both social work and your social science. We also want to understand why the Joint Doctoral Program is more appropriate for you than a doctoral program in social work or a social science alone.
We recommend that you prepare this statement as a separate document and upload it into your application. This statement should not exceed five double-spaced typewritten pages, using a font no smaller than 10 points. It should give clear information on:
- The research questions or problems that interest you
- Your interest in and preparation for doctoral studies in social work
- Your interest in and preparation for doctoral studies in your preferred social science
- Your interest in the joint PhD
- Your career objectives
- The connection between your research interests and those of U-M faculty, either in social work or in your social science
Even if you do not have academic training and/or professional experiences in social work or your social science, your essay must demonstrate an understanding of the social science discipline and the social work profession. The extent or lack of previous work will not, in and of itself, affect your application to either program.
Personal Statement:
This should be a concise, well-written statement about how your personal background
and life experiences, including social, cultural, familial, educational, or other opportunities
or challenges, motivated your decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of
Michigan. This is not an Academic Statement of Purpose, but a discussion of the personal
journey that has led to your decision to seek a graduate degree.
Résumé: Applicants must submit a current curriculum vita or résumé, listing relevant employment and volunteer experience, academic honors, financial awards, research experience, publications, presentations, theses, other major papers, honor society and other memberships, and other relevant activities and experience.
II. Additional Materials that Must be Mailed In:
Even though the main application can be submitted online, the following application materials must be mailed to our office.
Mailing Address:
Doctoral Applications
School of Social Work
University of Michigan
1080 S. University, rm. 3704
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106 USA
Recommendations:
Three letters of reference are required for a complete application. Where possible, at least two of the letters should be from university faculty or advisors who can assess your potential for doctoral studies in a research-oriented program. If you have been employed in social work or a related field in the past two years, at least one letter should be from a supervisor familiar with your work. Provide each referee with a copy of the recommendation form. Letters without the form are acceptable but should provide similar information. Letters of recommendation should be mailed directly to the Doctoral Office (see address above) with the signature of the referee across the seal. Please download and use these forms. 
DO NOT use the forms found on the Rackham application website.
Transcripts: Please have only the colleges or universities attended where a degree or certificate was received either send an official transcript directly to the Doctoral Program, or have the transcript delivered to you in a sealed envelope to include with your application. Two copies of each transcript must be submitted for a complete application. One copy to the School of Social Work and one copy to Rackham Graduate School. International applicants and applicants who have received degrees from non-U.S. institutions must have two copies of official transcripts from all universities and colleges they have attended either submitted directly to us or included with their application.
Rackham Graduate School
Attention Transcripts/U-M ID# (if known) or Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy)
915 E Washington St
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070
USA
Graduate Record Examination (GRE): All applicants are required to submit GRE scores (verbal, quantitative, and analytical) to: University of Michigan (Institution Code R1839), School of Social Work (Department Code 5001). If the GRE has been taken more than once, we accept the highest score. GRE scores obtained before September 1, 2004 are not accepted. GRE scores are just one element of your application and are judged in conjunction with your Statement of Purpose, transcripts, experience, and background. Applicant should contact Educational Testing Service (ETS) to ensure official scores will arrive in the Doctoral Office by December 1.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): Applicants whose native language is not English must submit scores from the TOEFL or MELAB exam. NOTE: Applicants who have earned a degree from an institution where the language of instruction is English and within a country where that native language is English are exempt from this requirement. Please contact the Doctoral Office if you wish confirmation of your exemption.
Other Written Materials: Applicants in social work and anthropology, political science, or sociology MUST submit a writing sample (e.g. senior thesis, term paper, research report, grant application). The writing sample should be NO MORE THAN 30 PAGES, UNBOUND. It should provide evidence of writing ability, creative and critical thinking, and potential for independent research. Applicants in social work and economics or psychology do NOT need to include a writing sample.
Applicants in Social Work and Psychology must download this form and send it by mail or fax to the Social Work Doctoral Office at the address given above. DO NOT send this form as an email attachment. If you wish to send it by email, type it out completely, paste it into the body of the email, and send it to ssw.phd.info@umich.edu. The SUBJECT line of your email should read: "Supplemental Application Sheet: Psychology."
Applicants in Social Work and Sociology must download this form and send it by mail or fax to the Social Work Doctoral Office at the address given above. DO NOT send this form as an email attachment. If you wish to send it by email, type it out completely, paste it into the body of the email, and send it to ssw.phd.info@umich.edu. The SUBJECT line of your email should read: "Supplemental Application Sheet: Sociology."
BE SURE TO CHECK THE WEB PAGE OF THE SELECTED SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT FOR ANY ADDITIONAL MATERIALS REQUIRED. ALL OF THESE SHOULD BE MAILED TO THE SOCIAL WORK DOCTORAL OFFICE. DO NOT MAIL ANY MATERIALS DIRECTLY TO THE SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.