University of Denver MSW Program: A Comprehensive Guide to Requirements and Options

The University of Denver (DU) consistently ranks among the nation's top social work graduate programs, and its Master of Social Work (MSW) program prepares students for diverse career paths in the field. Whether aspiring to lead a nonprofit, influence policy, work in schools, or become a clinician, the versatile MSW degree provides the groundwork for a field experiencing rapid job growth.

MSW Program Options at the University of Denver

DU offers a variety of campus-based and online MSW program options to cater to different student needs and preferences. These include:

Denver Campus MSW Program: A full-time, two-year traditional program with eight concentration options.
Online MSW Program: Offers full- and part-time options, as well as an Online Advanced-Standing MSW Program.
Western Colorado MSW Program: Located in Glenwood Springs, this program offers a specialization in Advanced Social Work Practice.
Four Corners MSW Program: Situated in Durango, Colorado, near the intersection of New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.

Concentrations and Specializations

The Denver Campus MSW program provides eight concentration options:

Aging Services and Policy
Child Welfare
Children & Youth: Risks and Health Development
Family Systems Practice
Health & Wellness
Mental Health
Organizational Leadership & Policy Practice
Sustainable Development & Global Practice

In addition to these concentrations, the Graduate School of Social Work at DU offers three social work certificate options for MSW program students:

Animal-Assisted Social Work
Latinx Social Work
School Social Work

The Western Colorado and Four Corners MSW programs offer an advanced generalist curriculum with an emphasis on equity and training that prepares students for social work practice with rural and tribal populations.

DU's fully online traditional MSW program offers two concentration options:

Mental Health and Trauma
Health, Equity, and Wellness

Both concentration options provide advanced practice training in clinical and macro practice social work.

Traditional MSW Program Requirements

A traditional MSW program is a full-length master’s degree program that offers training and instruction in social work. Like traditional master’s programs in many other fields, traditional MSW programs typically take four semesters or roughly two years for full-time students to complete. During this time, students in a traditional MSW program take didactic courses in the theories and general practice of social work and specialization coursework in clinical and/or macro practice social work. In addition, traditional MSW programs require students to complete at least 900 hours of field education at social work and human services agencies and organizations. Students who enroll on a part-time basis in a traditional MSW program can expect to add two or more semesters to the time it takes to earn their degree.

The University of Denver (DU) offers several campus-based and hybrid-online MSW program options for traditional students who do not hold a BSW degree. DU’s Denver Campus MSW program is a full-time, two-year traditional program.

Advanced Standing MSW Program Requirements

For qualified students holding a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program, DU offers advanced standing MSW program tracks that allow students to complete their degree in roughly half the time it typically takes to finish a traditional MSW program.

To be eligible for the advanced standing program, applicants must have a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and maintain a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or higher on the four-point scale.

Students who qualify for the program can earn their MSW degree in one year of full-time enrollment, during which they must complete 500 hours of field education.

DU also offers two additional MSW programs with advanced standing tracks: a Western Colorado MSW program that holds classes on Fridays and Saturdays in Glenwood Springs; and a Four Corners MSW program that holds classes on Fridays and Saturdays in Durango. Both programs offer an advanced generalist curriculum that provides training, instruction, and 500 hours of required field education in clinical and macro practice social work among rural and/or tribal populations.

Field Education

A crucial component of the MSW program is field education. Most schools assign students to field internships, but students in DU’s Denver, Western Colorado, and Four Corners programs can choose the internships that fit their interests.

Traditional MSW programs require students to complete at least 900 hours of field education at social work and human services agencies and organizations. Students in the advanced standing program must complete 500 hours of field education.

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Accreditation

DU's social work master’s program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). This accreditation verifies that the University of Denver MSW Program meets the high standards of social work education and will prepare you with the knowledge, skills, and field experience you need to meet licensure requirements.

Application Requirements

If you are applying to the MSW program for winter 2026 or summer 2026, please use the career goals statement below. The average statement length is approximately five pages; submissions exceeding 1,500 words or six pages are discouraged. Please double-space your statement, use a font size of no less than 12 and type your name in the upper right corner of each page. Answer the questions below. Answering the last question is optional. Prior to writing your essay, review the NASW Code of Ethics.

Rationale: Identify significant factors that influenced your decision to pursue a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree and how you intend to use it in the future. (1-2 paragraphs)
Social work values and ethics: Social work is guided by professional values and ethics that often serve as a compass when facing ethical or value-based dilemmas. Considering the social work profession, its core values, and your values, describe the following (1 page):
a. What potential value-based or ethical conflict(s) do you imagine you may experience between your personal values and the professional social work values?
b. How do you plan to address or reconcile these conflicts (whether in the classroom, during field placement, in future practice, or any other areas)?
Personal and professional attributes and liabilities: Describe any cultural, economic or social challenges and/or opportunities that have provided you with a unique perspective about social work issues. What insights did you gain from these experiences about how to maintain professional judgment and performance during times of distress? (1 page)
Employment and volunteer history: Discuss the relationship between your educational, employment and volunteer experiences and what qualities equip you for the social work profession.

Additional MSW Program Options in Colorado

Besides the University of Denver, five other schools in Colorado offer MSW degree programs:

Colorado State University (CSU)
Colorado State University - Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo)
Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver)
Newman University
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS)

These institutions provide various MSW program formats, including campus-based, online, and hybrid options, with both traditional and advanced standing tracks.

Colorado State University (CSU)

CSU offers traditional and advanced standing MSW programs in both campus-based and online formats with an Advanced Generalist Practice specialization. The campus-based program has a full-time, two-year completion plan and a part-time option. The online program has a part-time, three-year enrollment plan. Students are required to complete roughly 945 hours of field education at program-approved sites. Students in the program are required to complete three electives and can choose to earn a graduate certificate in one of five specializations through elective coursework, including: Conflict Resolution and Mediation; Advanced Clinical Behavioral Health; School Social Work; Nonprofit Administration; and Military and Veteran Culture.

To be eligible for the advanced standing program, applicants must have a BSW degree that was conferred within the last seven years. The program has a three-semester (one-year) full-time completion plan that includes a fall, spring, and summer term and 675 hours of required field education. CSU also offers its advanced standing program in a part-time, hybrid format (e.g., hybrid-online) in which students take online courses, attend two campus-based intensive learning weekends per semester, and attend a campus-based capstone project presentation at the end of the program.

Colorado State University - Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo)

CSU-Pueblo offers a traditional MSW program that has an Advanced Generalist Practice concentration with a focus on Trauma. The program uses a hybrid format, with students attending campus-based classes every other weekend in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, while also completing coursework online. Students take classes year-round (fall, spring, and summer) for two years, during which they also complete 948 hours of field education.

The CSU-Pueblo MSW program has a mostly campus-based advanced standing MSW program track that requires applicants to have a BSW degree, an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale, and a minimum of 120 hours of volunteer or paid work experience in a human services field above and beyond field education completed as part of their BSW program. Students in the program must complete 41 credits, including 500 hours of field education, over three consecutive semesters (fall, spring, and summer) and can thus graduate in one calendar year.

Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver)

MSU Denver has a traditional MSW program that is offered in a flexible format that allows students to take campus-based courses or enroll in a mix of online and campus-based courses, effectively creating a hybrid program. Students can also choose between campus-based daytime or evening classes. Full-time enrollment in the MSU Denver program has a two-year completion plan. Students who enroll part-time take three to four years to graduate. The program, which requires 1080 hours of field education, includes training and instruction in both clinical and macro practice social work and gives students seven pathway options: Children and Families; Mental Health; Leadership and Management; School Social Work; Gerontological Social Work; Social Work in Health Care; and Children and Youth.

MSU Denver also offers its MSW program in a fully online format. The program has seven curricular pathway options, including Children and Families; Mental Health; Leadership and Management; School Social Work; Gerontological Social Work; Social Work in Health Care; and Children and Youth. Students in the program are required to complete 1080 hours of site-based field education and can complete the program in two years of full-time enrollment or three to four years of part-time enrollment.

MSU Denver has an MSW program with an advanced standing pathway that requires applicants to have earned a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program within the last six years. The program offers students seven specialization options: Children and Families; Mental Health; Leadership and Management; School Social Work; Gerontological Social Work; Social Work in Health Care; and Children and Youth. MSU Denver’s MSW program incorporates daytime and evening campus-based classes as well as online classes, and has full-time and part-time enrollment options. Students enrolled on a full-time basis can complete the program, including two 300-hour Field Experience internships (for a total of 600 hours), in one year; part-time enrollment extends the completion time by two semesters.

MSU Denver also offers its MSW program in a fully online format that has an advanced standing track for students who hold a BSW degree earned within the last six years. Advanced standing students begin the online MSW program in the summer term and complete the program’s coursework and 600 hours field education in two additional semesters (fall and spring). The program also has a part-time advanced standing enrollment option that adds two semesters to the completion time. The program has an advanced generalist practice curriculum and two concentration options: Mental Health.

Newman University

Newman University, which has a campus in Colorado Springs, offers a traditional MSW program that features a Trauma-Competent Practice Concentration that prepares students for clinical social work practice. This program offers both part-time and full-time study options and afternoon/evening classes to accommodate working professionals’ schedules.

Newman University offers an advanced standing track for its clinical MSW program with a concentration in Trauma Competent Practice. Students in the program take specialized courses in Clinical Practice, Crisis Intervention, Assessment and Diagnosis, Advanced Trauma Competencies, and an advanced field practicum that requires the completion of 620 hours of field education. The 34-credit degree option can be completed either full-time (three semesters) or part-time (six semesters). To be eligible for this track, students must have graduated from a CSWE-accredited BSW program and also meet other admissions requirements.

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS)

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) offers a traditional, campus-based MSW in Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice, which prepares students to work with individuals, groups, and communities that have experienced trauma and/or violence. Comprised of 60 credit hours, this two-year program is divided into 30 course credits of foundational generalist practice in students’ first year, and 30 course credits of specialized courses wherein students use electives to tailor their studies in one or more Practice Areas in Child Welfare, Healthcare, School Social Work, Military Social Work, and Community Practice. In addition to their coursework, students must complete 900 hours total of field practicum-400 hours in their first year, and 500 hours in their second year.

UCCS offers an advanced standing track for its MSW in Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice. Students of this program complete 36 course credits-two bridge courses that cover advanced social work research, policy, and practice, followed by advanced, trauma-specific coursework and electives that students choose to tailor their course of study to their specific professional interests. Students are also required to fulfill 500 hours of advanced field practicum in a setting that is relevant to their academic areas of focus and their professional goals.

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