The MSW program requires candidates to have completed a Bachelor's degree from an accredited regional institution of higher education with a GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (BASW degree and 3.5 GPA for Advanced Standing program). Applicants must also demonstrate having met the requirements for a Bachelor's degree or a comparable course of study as an undergraduate.

In addition to a Bachelor’s degree, applicants must also complete the following prerequisite coursework to be eligible for admission: Native American Studies. Coursework may be in progress at the time of application, but must be completed by the applicant’s program start date. Proof of enrollment is required for in-progress courses. We do not require Stats or GRE!

 Native American Studies

Coursework must demonstrate a general introduction to the history and culture of Native peoples of North America and the unique and sovereign relationship between tribal nations and local, state and federal governments. The course has to be under NAS or similar department. It has to include three main themes: Indigenous Nations self-determination, Sovereignty, and Federal Indian Law.

Eligible courses at Humboldt:

• Matriculated students : NAS 104, NAS 107, NAS 200, NAS 306, NAS 361
• Available to public: SW 420 – Decolonizing Social Work with Indigenous Peoples. The Department of Social Work offers a 1.5 unit online course through the College of Extended Education & Global Engagement the last 8 weeks of Fall & Spring semester that meets the Native American Studies prerequisite for the MSW program. Students can call the office at (707) 826-3731 or GO ONLINE TO REGISTER.  Fees (currently $450) are due at the time of registration.

For a list of NAS courses that have been previously accepted as meeting this prerequisite, please click this link: Accepted NAS courses

We also reccomend the California Virtual Campus to look for classes.

Please email socialwork@humboldt.edu to see if the course you have taken or want to take qualifies. Remember it has to have include the 3 main themes we require. We do not accept courses focusing singular themes such as art, literature, music etc. A generalist introductory class is recommended - see list of previously accepted classes to give you an idea.

IMPORTANT: Courses not listed on this page from other four year campuses and community colleges need to be approved by the MSW director before they can be considered as a substitute course. We require information such as College name, class name and number, and a course description from the catalogue or syllabus.