Candidates seeking to enrol for a Master of Social Sciences (Social Work by Research) should have the following qualifications:

• An NUS Honours degree (at least Distinction / Second Class Upper Division) or equivalent (e.g. a four-year Bachelor's degree with an average grade above B) in social work, subject to approval by the Faculty; or
• A Bachelors degree in social work with at least two years of relevant work experience, subject to approval by the Faculty and Board of Graduate Studies, on a case-by-case basis; and
• Graduate Examination Record (GRE), where applicable.

All applicants (except graduates from NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD) must submit the GRE General Test report.

The GRE Board policy states that scores are reportable for five years and score reports are valid only if our University receives them directly from Educational Testing Service. The University Code is 0677.

• TOEFL/IELTS, where applicable

Applicants whose native tongue or medium of university instruction is not in English should submit the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score as evidence of their proficiency in the English language.

TOEFL and IELTS are only valid for two years after the test and the validity should not expire before the beginning of the application period for the research programme. The Faculty's TOEFL institution code is 9081.

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has indicated that score reports are valid only if our University receives them directly from ETS.

General Information

Please refer to https://fass.nus.edu.sg/prospective-students/graduate/research/application-information/ for general information on application periods, application materials and fees.

To successfully graduate with a Master of Social Sciences (Social Work by Research), students are expected to achieve the following:

• Complete and pass 4 courses (at least 75 % of the total unit requirements must be at level 5000 or 6000, including an essential course SW6770).
• Where applicable, obtain a satisfactory grade in the graduate English course at advanced level
• Submit and pass a Thesis
• Obtain a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.00

For more information on the programme requirements, please click here.