Department of Social Work

If you are passionate about helping to make a true difference in people’s lives and want the potential to work in a wide variety of settings you should become a social worker. The Department of Social Work at MSU Denver will help you get there with a high quality and accredited education, which includes nearly 500 hours of experience in the field. We’ll teach you how to assess social problems so you can partner with individuals, families and communities to create real solutions.

A bachelor’s degree in social work provides you four semesters worth of real experience with a community agency and a master’s degree requires two to four semesters depending on if you are in the Regular or Advanced Standing Program. Our students can choose a field placement among one of over 700 organizations in Colorado including mental health clinics, public schools, state and local departments of human services, police departments, health care settings like hospitals and clinics, and many more. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in social work from a Council on Social Work Education-accredited program may qualify for our Advanced Standing Program, which earns you a master’s degree in just one more year at MSU Denver.

As one of the very first graduate programs at the University, the Master of Social Work Program is one of MSU Denver’s most in-demand degrees. Conveniently located in downtown Denver, our high-quality graduate program is one of the most affordable in the state. Our master’s program prepares you for highly impactful advanced social work practice and optimize the leadership and management skills you’ll need to be effective in a variety of career pathways.

Social work is one of the most personally fulfilling professions and with employment of social workers projected to grow 13% from 2019-2029 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), social work education is needed now more than ever!

The diverse student bodies of the social work programs at MSU Denver mirror the communities we serve, and the majority of BSSW and MSW Program graduates work in and give back to Colorado communities. 50% of our BSSW Program graduates and 81% of our MSW Program graduates find a job in the field within 2 months or less of graduation. In fact, around 30% of our graduates end up being hired by their field placement agency.

You can find our graduates working in a variety of areas, including:

• Mental Health/Community Mental Health
• Health/Medical
• Schools and Universities
• Child Welfare
• Alcohol, Drug, or Substance Abuse
• Corrections/Criminal Justice
• Domestic Violence or Crisis Intervention
• Community Planning
• Military Social Work
• Social Policy
• And more!

Our BSSW and MSW Programs are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education – the sole accrediting body for social work education in the United States. Accreditation assures that professional standards are met in curriculum content and delivery. Accredited programs periodically undergo rigorous review by CSWE in order to ensure compliance with educational standards.

We invite you to check out these self-care resources recommended by Department of Social Work faculty:

• Bhumispharsha
• Self-Care Starter Kit from the University of Buffalo School of Social Work
• The Resilience Toolkit Events
• Free Racialized Trauma Course from Cultural Somatics Training & Insitute
• Lectures from Selfish Activist
• Coloring Pages – free to download and print
  • Coloring Page – Spirals
  • Coloring Page – Owl
  • Coloring Page – Abstract Pattern
  • Coloring Page – C.S. Lewis Beauty Quote