Hold or be in the process of completing a master's degree in social welfare or master's degree in criminal justice, criminology, or comparable degree. Applicants with master's degrees in related disciplines will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Identify the following in the Personal Statement section of the Graduate School application:
Which of the program's four areas of specialization (Applied Behavioral Health, Applied Gerontology, Criminal Justice, or Family and Child Welfare) they wish to pursue.
Their reasons for seeking a doctoral degree in social welfare.
Their goals as future scholars.
A topic or issue in the field that they consider to be particularly challenging and worthy of study.
Submit a current copy of a professional resume or curriculum vitae to the Social Welfare PhD Program. This should contain information on:
All post-secondary education, including institutions, degrees and dates of completed programs of study, plus institutions, dates, and types of study that did not lead to a degree.
All employment by the applicant in social work, criminal justice, and related areas, including dates and employing organizations.
Employment unrelated to social work or criminal justice within the past five years.
Information on any past or current professional licenses held.
Submit scores from within the past five years on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test to the Social Welfare PhD Program.
Submit three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the applicant's achievements and academic potential, including at least one current or former graduate program instructor to the Social Welfare PhD Program.
Submit a sample of written work to the Social Welfare PhD Program that demonstrates: the applicant's knowledge of social work and/or criminal justice theory, practice, and research, ability to think analytically, and writing skills. The sample should be at least 1000 words in length and represent work for which the applicant was the sole author.
A graduate degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA.
Submission of official TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) results with a minimum required score of 79 on the Internet-based TOEFL (IBT) and a minimum recommended sub-score of 18 in each skill).

Submission of official IELTS (International English Language Testing System) results with a minimum required score of 6.5, with a minimum recommended sub-score of 6.0 in each skill.