Master of Divinity / Master of Social Work

This program is offered jointly by Martin Luther University College (Luther) and the Faculty of Social Work at Laurier. It integrates the curricula of both programs in such a way that a student can fulfil the requirements in four years (excluding any time required by a student's church for internship) and graduate with two degrees. This program is particularly valuable for those who are interested in positions of leadership in social agencies connected with faith communities or the community at large. Such positions would include special ministries in hospital, prison, leisure or counselling centre settings; placements in social work agencies which work closely with faith communities; and occupations in groups which are involved in broad-based programs of leadership development and community renewal. Because the completion of the joint program results in the receipt of both the MDiv and the MSW degrees, persons graduating from the joint program are also qualified to apply for other positions within the fields of social work and pastoral leadership.

The joint MDiv-MSW program normally involves two years of registration in Luther and two years of registration in the Faculty of Social Work. Students pay fees and are only eligible for scholarships, bursaries and awards applicable to the program in which they are registered. 

There are a limited number of positions in the joint MDiv-MSW program. Therefore, it is desirable to apply for admission to this joint program at the earliest possible date (see the Graduate Admissions Toolkit for dates).

Additional Information
 
Admission Requirements

  • A bachelor's degree from an accredited Canadian university, or the equivalent;
  • A record of scholarship, documented by transcripts, which indicate a minimum average of B in the final year of the bachelor degree program, or an average of B in the final year of full-time academic work beyond the bachelor's degree;
  • A social science background which includes four credits in social science, a half-credit course in research methodology in either psychology or sociology, and a half-credit course in statistics (or one full credit which is equivalent to both of these half-credit courses).
  • An applicant who is academically eligible, but does not have the necessary prerequisite courses, must complete all the prerequisites prior to beginning the program. Additional courses required for admission to the MSW program that are completed after the requirements for the bachelor's degree have been met will be calculated into the final year GPA. To be considered for admission, the recalculated GPA must be at least a B average.
The assessment for suitability to this joint program is made by Laurier and Luther on the basis of the applicant's autobiographical statement, references and pre-admission interview. All applicants will be required to complete a computer-based test (CASPerTM) as part of the selection process. There is a fee to the student for taking this test.

 
Program Requirements

Students in the joint program simultaneously take courses at Luther and the Faculty of Social Work. Each student is required to complete the courses listed in the MDiv program requirements at Luther and in the Faculty of Social Work. Students in the contextual option of the MDiv degree will also be required to fulfil their church's internship requirements. The practicum requirement of the MSW program fulfils the requirement of CPE/SPE for the MDiv program.