Master of Social Work Program FAQ

The National Association of Social Workers defines social work as the following:

Social workers help people overcome social and health problems, such as poverty, mental illness, child abuse and neglect, emotional instability, illness, economic uncertainty, domestic violence, homelessness, and drug abuse. They work directly with individuals, couples, families, and groups to identify and overcome these problems. Some social workers also work with communities, organizations, and/or systems to improve services and/or administrate social and health programs.

Social workers apply their professional knowledge and skills to help people make the most effective use of their own abilities. When adequate services do not exist in a community, social workers promote the development of new services and programs.

Social workers are found in many settings, including private practice, mental health, health, schools, community agencies, public welfare, agency administration, and policy and planning. Social work’s approach is unique among the helping professions because it focuses on people’s problems in the context of their social environment. Social workers believe that people are influenced by the strengths and weaknesses of those around them – in their families, communities, workplaces, and organizations.

MSU Denver’s Master of Social Work (MSW) Program educates social workers to serve the needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and organization in a multicultural and global society. Our program combines academic, research and field experience into a rigorous curriculum that teaches ethical decision making, scientific inquiry, cultural sensitivity, and global awareness as well as clinical assessment and intervention skills, leadership and management skills, and community organizing.

One difference between the two disciplines is that counselors focus on helping individuals and families who have a certain set of challenges. Social workers are involved in offering a range of services within social service systems. A counselor may focus on helping family members cope with tragic news and deal with their emotion about the situation. A social worker can provide therapy and also refer the family to resources that may help them manage. Social workers typically have a broader understanding of the community and the systems that impact the needs of their clients.

Social Work knowledge, values, and skills allow helping professionals to examine issues and problems from a perspective that goes beyond just an individual and takes into account the person in environment perspective. Social workers are equipped to practice at all levels- individuals, families, groups, and larger systems. They may engage in direct practice work or may choose to address social justice and policy issues from a macro perspective.  Social workers are also rooted in the core value of social justice and not just anyone can call themselves a social worker. Because social work is a value-based profession, we have an organized accreditation process for education, a code of ethics and a licensure process. Additionally, the signature pedagogy of social work education is applied learning, where you have skills training through field education.

Social work is a continually growing field, so the job market is good for social workers right now. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects social work jobs to grow by 7% by 2032, which is faster than the national average growth rate of 3%. Because social work is such a diverse field, there are many opportunities for individuals with an MSW. Social workers can find jobs in a variety of settings including non-profits, schools, governmental agencies, hospitals, and mental health centers.

The first step to becoming a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) or a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) is to earn your Master’s in Social Work. Please visit our Licensure and Career Guidance page for more information.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, nationally the median pay for social workers is $58,380 per year. 80% of all social workers nationally earn between $38,400 to $94,910 annually.

In the state of Colorado, the median pay for social workers is $60,496 per year. 80% of all social workers in Colorado earn between $41,400 to $87,000 annually.

The MSW Program has been accredited since 2011 by the Council on Social Work Education, the sole accrediting body for social work program in the U.S. 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.

The MSW Program at MSU Denver has one admissions cycle annually. The application typically opens in early September, with a priority consideration deadline in early November and a final deadline in mid-January. The Advanced Standing Program is summer start only and the Regular Program is falls start only. Please note that specific dates of the deadlines may change every admission cycle. For the most up to date information, please visit our MSW Program application page.

We admit students in the spring for a summer semester start or fall semester start. Our coursework is sequential and only starts in the summer of every year for the Advanced Standing Program and the fall of every year for the Regular Program.

Students can attend courses in either the Mixed Traditional format (taking courses on campus day, on campus night, in the hybrid format, or online) or in the Fully Online format (all courses are taken online and students are guaranteed a spot in online sections of all required courses). Due to the sequential nature of the coursework, it is important for students to follow the plan of completion agreed upon at the time of admission. Students in the Mixed Traditional course delivery option should expect to be on campus at least one or two days a week depending on their course selection.

Yes, the Social Work Department has both part-time plans to complete the MSW degree and evening courses to help accommodate non-traditional schedules.

The MSW Program at MSU Denver has one admissions cycle annually. The application typically opens in early September, with a priority consideration deadline in early November and a final deadline in mid-January. For the dates and deadlines for the current cycle, please visit our MSW Application site.

If you are on the MSW Prospective Student List, you will be notified when the application becomes available.

The MSW Program at MSU Denver has one admissions cycle annually. The application typically opens in early September, with a priority consideration deadline in late October and a final deadline in mid-January. For the dates and deadlines for the current cycle, please visit our MSW Application site.

Application processing takes 7-9 weeks after the deadline to complete, and applicants are notified of their decision via email.

Priority Consideration Deadline Overview

Applicants who submitted all their materials by the priority consideration deadline have their application reviewed during the fall and early winter by the MSW Admission Committee. Those ranked in the very top of the pool of applicants are granted early admission to the program, granting them a head start on:

• Preparing to start the program
• Securing a field placement
• Registering for classes

All other applicants who submit their application by the priority consideration deadline have their application rolled forward and receive their admission notification after the final application deadline review period.

We only admit once a year because of the sequencing of our courses. At this point in our program’s trajectory, the Advanced Standing bridge coursework is only offered in the summer semester and the Regular Program first semester coursework is only offered in the fall.

You will be notified via the email address provided in your application materials. Please note that application processing takes 7-9 weeks after the deadline to complete. If you have not heard from us in the agreed upon timeframe, please check your spam folder as sometimes .edu emails get filtered into spam.

The average acceptance rate for our Advanced Standing Program applicants is 75% and the average acceptance rate for our Regular Program applicants is 80%.

Unfortunately we do not accept late applications. Please contact us after the admissions deadline at [email protected] if you would like information about applying to the MSW Program with Non-Degree Seeking Status.

We do not require the GRE or any other form of standardized assessment as an admissions requirement.

If you are still working to decide what you’d like to major in, we encourage you to consider a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. The benefit of Advanced Standing is a huge one if you know that ultimately you’d like to pursue your MSW.

If you already have a Bachelor’s degree, however, we typically do not recommend pursuing a second Bachelor’s degree. For most students it would take them far more time, energy, and money to complete a second Bachelor’s AND a Master’s. If, however, you have concerns about your GPA from your previous Bachelor’s degree, please contact the department and we will discuss your options with you.

Advanced Standing eligibility is only considered for applicants who hold a degree from a baccalaureate social work program accredited by CSWE (within the last six years), hold a degree recognized through CSWE’s International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Service, or hold a degree from a program that is covered under a memorandum of understanding with international social work accreditors.

If it has been more than 6 years since you earned your undergraduate degree in social work but less than 10 years, you can petition for Advanced Standing as part of the application process.

If you have an undergraduate degree in any other field (including Psychology, Human Services, etc.) or if your undergraduate social work degree is more than 10 years old, you are not eligible for Advanced Standing and will need to apply to the Regular Program.

For the 2025 Admissions Cycle, if your undergraduate degree is in social work and was conferred:

• December 2018 to present – you are eligible for the Advanced Standing Program
• December 2014 to November 2018 – you are eligible for the Advanced Standing Program, but will also have to submit the Petition for Advanced Standing as part of your application
• November 2014 or earlier – you are no longer eligible for Advanced Standing and must apply to the Regular Program

The following components of the application are required from all applicants:

• Online MSU Denver Graduate Application (including $50 Application Fee)
• Three Recommendations (submitted electronically)
• Admissions Personal Statement (series of short answers, prompts will be provided)
• Transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (official or unofficial are accepted during the admissions process)

The following MSW Program Application Materials are only required of Advanced Standing applicants:

• Case Study (prompts will be provided)
• Petition for Advanced Standing (if undergraduate degree in social work was conferred from December 2014 to November 2018)

We look for academic or professional recommendations as part of our application process. Recommenders should be professional and not be family, friends, and/or personal therapists. Professional recommenders include faculty members or supervisors of work, volunteer, or internship placements. Professional colleagues may serve as adequate recommenders if need be, but use caution that the Admissions Committee highly values faculty and supervisor letters. Recommenders should be able to speak to your academic and/or professional abilities as well as comment on your potential to succeed in graduate school and the field of social work.

If you have questions about the appropriateness of a letter writer, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]

Unofficial transcripts can be directly uploaded into the application system, either while entering your previous institution(s) in the application or after application submission via your application checklist.

Please send official copies of transcripts directly to the Office of Graduate Studies. You should not submit any application materials, including transcripts, to the MSU Denver Office of Admissions.

Please note: if you are ordering your transcripts and select to send them to a school, you may be forced to choose from a list of schools and will not be able to enter the Office of Graduate Studies email or mailing address. If this is the situation, do not have your materials sent to MSU Denver Office of Admissions. Instead, you should select to send the transcripts to a third party at which point you should be able to directly enter our information.

Electronic transcripts are preferred and can be sent to [email protected].

Paper transcripts can be mailed to:

Metropolitan State University of Denver
Office of Graduate Studies
PO Box 173362, Campus Box 48
Denver, CO 80217-3362

You can check the status of your application materials in your MSU Denver application account.

The prerequisites are required of all Regular Program applicants. They are:

• At least 3 credits of course work in social and behavioral sciences centrally organized around contemporary multicultural or diversity issues.
• At least 3 credits of course work in social and behavioral science centrally organized around American Government.
• At least 3 credits of course work in human/general biology OR
  At least 6 credits of course work in natural and physical science.
• At least 3 credits of course work in basic statistics.

Please download our 2025 Admissions Cycle MSW Program Prerequisite Requirement & Completion Options packet for details on courses that fulfill each of these requirements.

When you submit transcripts, we perform a prerequisite review to determine what, if any, prerequisites you are missing. When you submit transcripts, please email us at [email protected] with your full name, any former names, and the names of the schools you are submitting transcripts from so we can easily contact you once our review is complete. If, after our review, you believe a course should have counted for a missing prerequisite, we are happy to look over course descriptions and/or syllabi to see if it meets our requirements.

All prerequisite courses must be completed prior to the start of the fall semester in which you begin MSW Program coursework.

Applicants are welcome to apply to the program without all prerequisites complete and may work on completing any missing course work prior to or after receiving their admissions decision. If an applicant is accepted to the program without all prerequisites complete, it will be with the requirement that all courses are completed prior to the start of the fall semester.

For more information about completing missing prerequisite courses through MSU Denver, please email [email protected]

Courses Required: 1 course (3 credits)

Course Requirements:

• Courses must focus on one or more of the following:
  • One or more regions or countries outside the U.S. (including aspects such as the historical, political, social, cultural, legal, or business contexts of these regions)
  • One or more of the four groups of color in the United States
  • Global interdependence
  • Gender and/or sexualities
  • Effects of bias, prejudice, and discrimination

Suggested Completion Options:

1. Straighterline – Cultural Anthropology (proctoring and tutoring included, must provide transcription showing completion)
2. Coursera – Feminism and Social Justice or Race and Cultural Diversity in American Life and History (must provide certificate of completion)
3. MSU Denver Courses – AAS 1010, 1020, 2000*, 2100, 2200*, 2300, 3220*, 3300*, 3400, 3630*, 3700*, 3910*, 4010*, 4160*, 4490*; ANT 1310, 2330, 2350, 2360*, 3300*, 3310*, 3320*, 3340*, 3350*, 3361, 3370*, 3375, 3379*, 3395*, 3480*; 3490*, 3540*; CHS 1000, 2000*, 2100, 3100*, 3200*, 3210*, 3300*, 3460*, 3600*, 3660*, 3870*, 4010*, 4050*, 4210*; COMM 2010, 2030*, 3000; CJC 3710*, 3720*, 3810*, 4160*; ECE 3860; 4360; ECO 3600*, 3800*; EDS 1001, 3150*; EDU 1111, 3111, 3200*; GEG 1000, 1300, 3300*; GWS 1001, 1020, 1200*, 1550, 2100, 2200*, 2770, 3050*, 3070*, 3170*, 3220*, 3280*, 3300, 3310*, 3350*, 3395*, 3490*, 3500*, 3510*, 3530*, 3540*, 3550*, 3560*, 3600*, 3650*, 3660*, 3700*, 3920*, 4160*, 4200*, 4210*; HCM 2010*, 3700; HSP 3490*, 4160*, 4250*; ITP 2810*, 3920*, 4800*; NAS 1000, 3090*, 3110*, 3200*, 3240* 3300*; NUT 3300*, 3350, 3375; PSC 1030, 2200*, 2230, 2240*, 3110*, 3200*, 3300*, 3379*, 3400, 3530*, 3540*, 3630*, 3910*; PSY 2850*, 3030*, 3050*, 3070*, 3170*, 3700*, 3920*; SED 2200; SOC 1020, 1040, 2000*, 3140*, 3220*, 3280*, 3410*, 3430*, 3440*, 3460*, 3490*, 3660*, 3780, 3920*; SWK 3110*, 3120*, 3500*, 3570*, 3590*, 3600*, 3660* 4160*
   * May have prerequisite requirements
4. Colorado Community College System – ANT 1001, 2115, 2130; COM 2270, 2300; EDU 2341; ETH 2000, 2024; GEO 1005, 1006; PSY 2105, 2107; SOC 2016, 2018; POS 2005; WST 2100

If you have any questions about the appropriateness of a course, please email [email protected].

Courses Required: 1 course (3 credits)

Course Requirements:

• Courses must focus on the U.S. political system of representation at the national level

Suggested Completion Options:

1. Straighterline – American Government (proctoring and tutoring included, must provide transcription showing completion)
2. Coursera – Civic Engagement in American Democracy (must provide certificate of completion)
3. MSU Denver Courses – PSC 1010 American National Government
4. Colorado Community College System – POS 1011 American Government
5. CLEP Exam – Students must receive a score of 50 or higher for the CLEP Exam to be accepted, options include: American Government (http://clep.collegeboard.org/exams)

If you have any questions about the appropriateness of a course, please email [email protected].

Courses Required: 1-2 courses (3-6 credits)

Course Requirements:

• Students must complete either:
  • One (1) Natural and Physical Science course focused on human biology, anatomy and physiology, general biology, or biopsychology (3 credits required) OR
  • Two (2) Natural and Physical Science course in other areas such as chemistry, geology, physics, astronomy, biological anthropology, environmental science, etc. (6 credits required)

Suggested Completion Options:

1. Straighterline – Anatomy & Physiology I or Introduction to Biology (proctoring and tutoring included, must provide transcription showing completion)
2. Coursera – Introductory Human Physiology (must provide certificate of completion)
3. MSU Denver Courses
   1. For Human/General Biology: BIO 1000, 1030, 1080 + 1090, 2310
   2. For Other Science Courses: Any Natural & Physical Science general studies course
4. Colorado Community College System
   1. For Human/General Biology: BIO 1005, 1006, 1111, 1112, 2101, 2102
   2. For Other Science Courses: Any Natural & Physical Science Guaranteed Transfer course (GT-SC)
5. CLEP Exam – Students must receive a score of 50 or higher for a CLEP Exam to be accepted
   1. For Human/General Biology: Biology CLEP only
   2. For Other Sciences Courses: Options include Biology, Chemistry, and/or Natural Sciences CLEP

If you have any questions about the appropriateness of a course, please email [email protected].

Courses Required: 1 course (3 credits)

Course Requirements:

• Courses must be either a math or social and behavioral science course focused on statistics

Suggested Completion Options:

1. Straigherline – Introduction to Statistics (proctoring and tutoring included, must provide transcription showing completion)
2. Coursera – Introduction to Statistics (must provide certificate of completion)
3. MSU Denver Courses – MTH 1210 Introduction to Statistics; PSY 2310 Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
4. Colorado Community College System – MAT 1260 Introduction to Statistics

If you have any questions about the appropriateness of a course, please email [email protected].

CLEP exams are subject specific tests that can be taken in place of a course. Our applicants can take CLEP exams to fulfill the Social and Behavioral Science – American Government prerequisite and the Human or General Biology/Natural and Physical Science prerequisite as it is less money and more time efficient than taking an in-classroom course. Please note that you need at least a score of 50 to pass the CLEP exam and that you can only take the exam once every three months. We strongly recommend that you not wait until the last moment to take this test.

No, your prerequisites do not expire. It does not matter when you earned your Bachelor’s degree – the prerequisites will qualify as long as they were taken at a regionally accredited institution.

There are approximately 500 students in our program spread between the Foundation and Concentration years.

Yes! We offer our MSW Program fully online. When applying to the program you must select fully online as your course delivery option and will be guaranteed spots in online courses. If you wish to take classes both online and on campus you must select the mixed traditional course delivery option and will not be guaranteed spots in online courses.

All MSW Program classes are available both on campus and online. The on campus sections of courses are offered in a variety of date and time formats.

While all the MSW Program coursework is available fully online, all students must still do field placements in person in their local community. We evaluate out of state applicants on a case-by-case basis to determine if it is possible for our Office of Field Education to support the out of state fully online student. Out of state students are accepted based on the Office of Field Education’s ability to accommodate additional out of state students for the years that student will be in their field placement.

Students must be residing in the United States to complete our program, as we cannot currently support students residing internationally.

Please email [email protected] for more information.

It depends on whether you are full- or part-time and Advanced Standing or Regular. Regular Program applicants (those without a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work) can complete the program in two years of full-time coursework or four years of part-time coursework. Advanced Standing applicants can complete the program in one year of full-time coursework or two years of part-time coursework.

It does. Currently our MSW graduates have a 81% pass rate on the licensure exams that you would take post-graduation. Please visit our Licensure Resources page for more information.

You can definitely start working on your prerequisite requirements if you have any left to complete, but you cannot take most MSW courses until you have been accepted into the program. If you would like to begin working on your prerequisite requirements, please email [email protected] for more information.

We do offer the opportunity to be admitted as a non-degree seeking student. You can learn more about applying to the MSW Program with Non-Degree Seeking Status here.

You can apply to the MSW Program with Non-Degree Seeking Status, though there is no guarantee of acceptance. Non-degree seeking students can take and apply a maximum of 12 credits toward their future MSW degree. As part of applying to the MSW Program with Non-Degree Seeking Status, the Office of Social Work Student Services determines which classes the student is allowed to take. Please see our website for our more information.

Advanced Standing Program:

Advanced Standing students are required to complete a 6 credit bridge program, which is only offered in the summer semester. This prepares students for their first semester concentration year courses, which are only offered in the fall semester. Our program is very sequential, with fall content relying on the summer bridge program, and spring content relying on fall content.

Regular Program:

The first semester foundation year courses are only offered in the fall semester. Our program is very sequential with spring content relying on fall content.

We have been offering MSW degrees since 2011.

The Advanced Standing Program is summer-start only, and students are required to complete a 6 credit bridge program during the summer semester prior to starting concentration year coursework in the fall.

We occasionally offer foundation and concentration year MSW courses over the summer, but outside of the summer bridge program the coursework is primarily confined to the fall and spring semesters.

Yes, there is a part-time option that involves taking approximately half of the credits of the full-time plan each semester. This means that you would complete the MSW in double the amount of time it would take you were you to be full-time. On the part-time plan, your field placement years will not be spread over the years but concentrated in one year each.

If you are a Regular Program student and begin part-time you must complete the full Foundation Year coursework part-time before switching back to full-time. This means you would complete your Foundation Year in two years and your Concentration Year in one for a total of three years. If you are an Advanced Standing student and begin part-time you do not have the option to switch to full-time status.

We do.  We work to take the feedback of our students and provide coursework at times that are most convenient for them.

We consider our full-time program to be a 50 hour/week commitment between field placement, in class time, and out-of-class homework. We have found that students in our program are most successful if they are not trying to manage a full-time job. With that said, we understand that working full-time is a necessity for some. If this is your situation we encourage you to attend our program part-time and speak to an advisor in our office to ensure you are receiving adequate support.

If you have life circumstances that require you to miss a semester or even year of the program, our advisors will work with you to develop an altered academic plan.

At this point in time, we are unable to connect prospective students with MSW Program alumni.

Yes! You can check us out on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

There are tours of campus that run every day out of the Admissions Office, though they are primarily geared toward undergraduates. At this point in time, we do not offer tours specifically for students interested in the Master of Social Work program. However, we can let you know that the majority of MSW Program courses are located in the Central Classroom and West Classroom Buildings, and all of the Department of Social Work offices are located on the second floor of the Central Classroom Building.

For the most up-to-date tuition and fee information, please visit the Office of the Bursar’s website. As with all institutions of higher education, our tuition does raise marginally from year to year so keep that in mind as you are financially planning.

The majority of aid at the Master’s level is in the form of federal loans. We do have some stipend and scholarship programs through our department and you can find details under Scholarships and Stipends on our website.

The MSW Regular Program (for students who have an bachelor’s degree in a field other than social work) is a 60 credit hours.

The MSW Advanced Standing Program (for students who have a Bachelor of Social Work degree accredited by the Council on Social Work Education) is 36 credit hours.

Full time students will take 15 credits (5 courses) per semester. Part time students will take 6-9 credits (2-3 courses) per semester. For more information, please visit our MSW Program Options and Curriculum page.

We do offer some summer courses to lighten the course work through the regular academic year. We recommend student check summer schedule and confirm they are eligible for the coursework.

The MSW Regular Program curriculum is delivered within a two year (full time) highly structured format. Students take Social Work coursework in sequence and should take that into consideration when planning education, work and other commitments. The first year of courses (foundation year) must be completed before students can move on to courses in the second year (concentration year).

The MSW Advanced Standing Program curriculum is delivered within a one year (full time) highly structured format including summer bridge courses. Students take Social Work coursework in sequence and should take that into consideration when planning education, work and other commitments. Students must complete fall concentration year coursework in order to move on to spring coursework.

Foundation year students are required to complete approximately 13-14 hours/week for a total of 200 hours per semester. Concentration year students are required to complete approximately 16-17 hours/week for a total of 250 hours per semester. Keep in mind that schedules are dictated based on the needs and schedule of the agency.

Yes! You will submit a field application to the Office of Field Education and they will give you a list of agencies to interview with based on your interests, availability, etc. After each interview there will be a mutual selection process until you find the placement that is the right fit for you.

There is an option to submit your current job for consideration as an employment-based field site. Please contact the Office of Field Education for more information.

Yes, you will be assigned both a faculty advisor  and an academic advisor at the time of admission into the Social Work Department.