Dual Degree Applicants
Interested in pursuing one of our three dual degree programs?
Go here to learn more our dual programs in education, public health and theology. Then check out the requirements for applying listed below.
- First, if you are interested in pursuing cross-disciplinary study with BU’s graduate schools in education, public health, or theology, you’ll need to apply to and be accepted into both school programs.
- In each of the dual degree programs, tuition and financial aid are handled by the school in which the you are taking the majority of your credits in a given semester (the current primary school of residence).
- Please note that newly matriculated students only need to pay one tuition deposit to the “host” school, which is the school in which you are first enrolled.
- Most BU Wheelock College of Education and Human Development and School of Public Health (SPH) dual degree students begin at the School of Social Work (SSW) and pay the tuition deposit once to SSW.
- School of Theology (STH) dual degree students begin at the School of Theology and pay the tuition deposit to the School of Theology, not the School of Social Work.
Please email busswad@bu.edu for more information on tuition deposits.
Application Process
Social Work & Education/Social Work & Public Health
- If you apply to the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development or the School of Public Health simultaneously with the School of Social Work, you must accept the offer of admission to one school and defer the offer of admission at the other school to the following year.
- Typically, students in the MSW/MPH program and MSW/EdM programs begin their studies at the School of Social Work and defer their acceptance at the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development and School of Public Health.
- If you are already a student at the School of Social Work, we encourage you to apply to the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development or School of Public Health during your first year of study.
Social Work & Theology
- For this dual degree program you are encouraged to apply to both schools simultaneously, preferably by the January priority deadline at both schools.
- This timing allows you to matriculate as a dual-degree student from the start of your program and also allows you to receive an admission decision around the same time.
- If you are a School of Theology student, you do not need to defer either acceptance offer.
Social Work & Education
Dual degree options in social work and education include:
Master of Social Work (MSW) and Master of Education (EdM) in Special Education
Master of Social Work (MSW) and Master of Education (EdM) in Educational Leadership
- You may apply to social work and education programs simultaneously, or you can apply to one school before the other.
- If you apply to one school before the other, you are encouraged to apply to the second school at the end of your first semester of graduate study.
- If you are interested in applying to and obtaining simultaneous admission to both schools, you should contact both the School of Social Work admissions team at busswad@bu.edu and the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development admissions team at whegrad@bu.edu for information about application requirements and the dual degree program.
- A grade point average of 3.0 or its equivalent in previous undergraduate or graduate coursework is required.
- The most recent grades (i.e., the last two years of undergraduate study) or recent graduate study will be given priority.
Current students at Wheelock interested in applying to SSW are asked to do the following:
- Request your current official transcripts from BU and any previous colleges/universities attended (students can ask Wheelock to forward transcript materials from the Wheelock admissions application to SSW).
- Request that two recommendations from your Wheelock application be forwarded to the SSW Admissions and Financial Aid Office.
- Submit one additional reference in the SSW online application.
- Complete and upload a personal statement using the SSW guidelines.
- Provide an updated résumé.
- Complete an SSW application online.
- A fee waiver can be granted as long as you send an email requesting a fee waiver one week prior to the application deadline and indicate your current student status.
Social Work & Public Health
Dual degree options in social work and public health include:
Master of Social Work (MSW) and Master of Public Health (MPH)
The MSW/MPH dual degree program at BU is the longest running program of its kind in the country and largest of the three BUSSW dual-degree programs.
Learn more about SPH admissions requirements.
Simultaneous application to SSW and SPH:
- If you are interested in applying to and obtaining simultaneous admission to both schools, please contact both the School of Social Work admissions team at busswad@bu.edu and the School of Public Health admissions team at asksph@bu.edu for information about application requirements and the dual degree program.
- Both schools offer application fee waivers to applicants who meet fee waiver criteria. Be sure to review information about how to obtain a fee waiver for the SSW application.
- Upon acceptance into the dual degree program, you’ll work with the MSW/MPH Program Director Luz Lopez and MSW/MPH Program Advisor Rick Cresta.
- Generally, dual degree students begin at SSW and start taking courses at SPH in their second semester of the program.
- Please explore both SSW application requirements and SPH application requirements.
Current students at SPH who are interested in applying to SSW are asked to do the following:
- Attend an MSW/MPH information session and then make an appointment with our MSW/MPH Program Director Luz Lopez or MSW/MPH Program Advisor Rick Cresta.
- Request your current official transcripts from BU and any previous colleges/universities attended (you can ask SPH to forward transcript materials from the SPH admissions application to SSW).
- Submit three references using the SSW online system. Recommendations should address your interest in public health social work.
- Complete and upload a personal statement using the SSW guidelines.
- Provide an updated résumé.
- Complete an SSW online application.
- A fee waiver can be granted as long as you send an email requesting a fee waiver one week prior to the application deadline and indicate your current student status.
- An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and a graduate GPA of 3.3 are strongly recommended.
- If you have “incompletes” or are in the process of a formal status review, unfortunately you are ineligible to apply to the program.
Social Work & Theology
Dual degree options in social work and theology include:
Master of Social Work (MSW) and Master of Theological Studies (MTS)
Master of Social Work (MSW) and Master of Divinity (MDiv)
- For this dual degree program, you are encouraged to apply to both schools simultaneously, preferably by the January priority deadline at both schools.
- This allows you to matriculate as a dual-degree student from the start of your program and also allows you to receive an admission decision around the same time.
- You do not need to defer either acceptance offer.
- If you are interested in applying to and obtaining simultaneous admission to both schools, please contact both the School of Social Work admissions team at busswad@bu.edu and the School of Theology admissions team at sthadmis@bu.edu for information about application requirements and the dual degree program.
For additional questions, please contact the SSW/STH Program Director Hope Haslam Straughan.
Current students at STH who are interested in applying to SSW are asked to do the following:
- If you are apply to the School of Social Work after you have already begun at the School of Theology, you’ll need to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or better at the School of Theology.
- Request your current official transcripts from BU and any previous colleges/universities attended (you can ask STH to forward transcript materials from the STH admissions application to SSW).
- Request that two recommendations from your STH application be forwarded to the SSW Admissions and Financial Aid Office.
- Submit one additional reference in the SSW online application.
- Complete and upload a personal statement using the SSW guidelines.
- Provide an updated résumé.
- Complete an SSW application online.
- A fee waiver can be granted as long as you send an email requesting a fee waiver one week prior to the application deadline and indicate your current student status.