Admission Requirements

Ph.D. Program

To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the following requirements:

1. A Master of Social Work degree or an equivalent Master’s degree with a B+ average from an accredited program in a university of recognized standing.
2. Competency in basic statistical methods at an introductory level (an introductory statistics course is offered in the first term of the program to ensure that students meet this prerequisite).
   Note: Upon admission to the program all incoming doctoral students are required to take SWK 4506 Quantitative Data Analysis for Social Workers or pass an equivalent competency exam with a grade of at least A.
3. Educational and professional experience that will indicate a capacity to undertake research-oriented post-graduate work.
4. Must show evidence of facility in the English language. If your primary language is not English and you graduated from a non-Canadian university where the language of instruction and examination was not English, then you must demonstrate your facility in English by completing one of the tests listed below:

• TOEFL Paper-Based Test Score of 580 and TWE Score of 5
• Internet–based TOEFL Test Score of 22/30 for both the Writing and Speaking Sections, with an overall TOEFL Score of 93/120
• IELTS Minimum required score: 7.0 (Academic) with at least 6.5 for each component
• The Certificate of Proficiency in English (COPE) – Required score: 76 (with at least 22 in each component and 32 in the writing component)
• International ESL Program, School of Continuing Studies, University of Toronto Required score: a final grade of B in Level 60
• Cambridge English – C1: Advanced and C2: Proficiency Required score: 185 overall with at least 176 for each component. Cambridge University Press and Assessment directcs@cambridge.org http://www.cambridgeenglish.org. Applicants should use the “Send Your Result” function on the Candidate Results portal (https://candidates.cambridgeenglish.org) to send their results electronically to the University of Toronto.

For more information on the English language facility requirement please see the School of Graduate Studies web site.

Applicants educated at non-Canadian institutions should note that their educational background will be assessed for equivalency with a University of Toronto degree as described above. Please visit this web page and select a country from the list to determine which international credentials are required for masters and doctoral admissions at the University of Toronto.

Candidates are accepted for admission based on an assessment of their ability to complete the academic requirements of the program. Experience and professional achievements are considered, although greatest weight is placed on demonstrated academic performance.