Master of Social Work (MSW) Programs in Colorado - Campus and Online

There are six schools in Colorado that currently offer Master of Social Work (MSW) degree programs, including four state universities and two private, non-profit universities. Colorado Mesa University, Colorado State University (CSU), Colorado State University – Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo), Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver), and University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) are the four public universities in the state that offer MSW programs. The University of Denver (DU) is the only private university in the state that has an MSW program.

All six schools offer programs that are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

• Colorado Mesa University (Granted Candidacy)
• Colorado State University (Accredited)
• Colorado State University – Pueblo (Accredited)
• Metropolitan State University of Denver (Accredited)
• University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (Accredited)
• University of Denver (Accredited)

There are several MSW program formats available to students who want to pursue an MSW degree offered by a school in Colorado, including fully campus-based programs, fully or mostly online programs, and hybrid programs that provide a mix of campus-based and online instruction. In addition, there are advanced standing programs for qualified students who hold a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program, as well as traditional programs that do not require applicants to have a BSW degree. Details about the MSW programs offered by schools in Colorado are provided below and grouped as follows:

• Traditional Campus-Based MSW Programs in Colorado
• Traditional Online MSW Programs in Colorado
• Advanced Standing Campus-Based MSW Programs in Colorado
• Advanced Standing Online MSW Programs in Colorado
• Directory of All MSW Programs in Colorado

Traditional MSW Programs in Colorado

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.

All six of the schools in Colorado that offer MSW programs have a traditional MSW program option, and two of the schools offer their traditional MSW program in both on-campus and online formats.

Traditional Campus-Based MSW Programs in Colorado

Colorado Mesa University offers a campus-based traditional MSW program with an Advanced Generalist focus. This program prepares students for a broad range of social work responsibilities at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Courses cover the history of social work, human behavior in social contexts, social work theory and practice, social work policy, social justice, clinical social work leadership, psychopathology, and working with individuals, groups, families, organizations, and communities. Students are also required to fulfill 1050 hours of field practicum, divided across 450 hours of foundational field education experience, and 600 practicum hours during the advanced curriculum.

Colorado State University (CSU) has a traditional, campus-based MSW program with an Advanced Generalist Practice specialization and optional Graduate Certificates in Advanced Clinical Behavioral Health, Conflict Resolution and Mediation, Nonprofit Administration, PreK-12 School Social Worker, and Social Aspects of Human-Animal Interactions. Graduate Certificates for the MSW program are offered through the Social Work Center for Life-Long Learning, which also offers online modalities for its courses. Foundational coursework for the program includes practice methodologies for individuals and groups, clinical assessments, social welfare advocacy, and combating oppression. Advanced courses delve into mezzo and macro social work, advanced social work interventions, and program evaluation. The MSW has a full-time enrollment format that takes two years to complete and a part-time enrollment option with limited admissions that can be completed in three or four years. As part of the program, students are required to complete a minimum of 900 hours of field education at program-approved sites. As this program offers several of its courses online, students can pursue a hybrid course of study if they wish.

Colorado State University also offers traditional MSW programs at its Boulder and Denver campuses. These programs are offered in a hybrid format that combines online and on-campus instruction, and feature the same specialization and Graduate Certificate options that Colorado State University’s main campus has.

Colorado State University – Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo) offers a traditional MSW program that has an Advanced Generalist Practice concentration. 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 program’s Advanced Generalist Practice curriculum is designed to prepare students for practice in both clinical and macro practice social work, with courses in diversity, social work ethics, statistics and research in social work, systems theory in human development, designing and implementing interventions, and social work supervision. In addition to their field education, students must complete a culminating project in the form of a case study.

Metropolitan State University of 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. Students take required courses on social policy, social work theory, foundations of justice, co-creation of change, and integration of research into social work evaluations. Through their electives, students can pursue optional pathways in one or more areas of social work: Children and Families; Mental Health; Leadership and Management; School Social Work; Gerontological Social Work; Social Work in Health Care; Children and Youth; and International Social Work.

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. This two-year program is divided into a foundational, generalist practice curriculum in the first year, and a specialized curriculum in the second year. Foundational courses cover human behavior, social policy, oppression and racism, power and privilege, research-informed social work, and working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. For their advanced year, students take advanced courses on trauma, violence, psychopathology, and therapeutic interventions, along with electives to focus in one or more Practice Areas: 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. While students may be able to complete some of their course content in a hybrid format in this program, the majority of course content is delivered in-person, and this program follows a cohort model.

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 with an Advanced Social Work Practice concentration, and pathways of study in seven areas: Child Welfare; Children & Youth: Risks and Healthy Development; Ecological Justice; Family Systems Practice; Health & Wellness; Mental Health; and Organizational Leadership & Policy Practice. The Graduate School of Social Work at DU also offers five social work certificate options for MSW program students: Latinx Social Work; School Social Work; Global Social Work, Mental Health for Ecological Resilience and Adaptation; and Human-Animal-Environment Interactions. Courses in the program cover topics such as clinical social work skills, integrated social work for social justice, multicultural perspectives on power and privilege, evidence-based practice, family systems theory, trauma’s connections to mental health and addictions, and social-ecological resilience. All students must complete 900 hours of field practicum–400 hours in their foundation year and 500 hours in their advanced year.

In addition to the Denver Campus MSW program, DU offers two satellite campus programs that utilize a hybrid course delivery model in which students attend campus-based classes and receive online instruction from faculty at DU’s Denver campus. The Western Colorado MSW program holds classes in Glenwood Springs, and DU’s Four Corners MSW program holds classes in Durango. Both MSW programs feature an Advanced Social Work Practice concentration with an emphasis on equity. The curriculum for these programs prepares students for impactful social work practice with rural and tribal populations.

Traditional Online MSW Programs in Colorado

Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) offers its traditional MSW program in a fully online format that does not require any campus visits. The program has seven curricular pathway options, including Children and Families; Mental Health; Leadership and Management; School Social Work; Gerontological Social Work; International Social Work; Social Work in Health Care; and Children and Youth. Coursework for the program is equivalent to the campus-based program described above, with students taking social work theory and practice courses, as well as classes on collective action, legal issues in social work, research integration in practice, and organizational transformation. 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.

The University of Denver (DU) has a fully online traditional MSW program with two concentration options: Mental Health and Trauma; and Health, Equity, and Wellness. The online MSW@Denver program does not require any campus visits, but it does include two field education internships for a total of 900 hours. The program’s core curriculum includes courses on social work ethics, power and oppression, clinical social work methods, macro social work practice, and human behavior and development in social contexts. Students of the Mental Health and Trauma concentration take courses that cover mental health assessments, cognitive behavioral therapies, substance abuse, systemic disparities, and trauma-informed interventions. The Health, Equity, and Wellness concentration has courses in practice and program evaluation, evolving trends in health and wellness, mental health and healthcare policies, and integrated health care models. The program utilizes a quarterly system and has an accelerated track that allows students to complete their degree in 21 months (seven quarters) and a full-time track that takes 27 months (nine quarters) to complete. Both of the concentration options offered by DU’s MSW program provide advanced practice training in clinical and macro practice social work.

Advanced Standing MSW Programs in Colorado

All six of the schools in Colorado that have MSW programs offer an advanced standing program track that allows qualified students to complete their degree in roughly half the time it typically takes to finish a traditional MSW program. Advanced standing tracks are designed for students who hold a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and who meet other admissions requirements. Typically, applicants to advanced standing MSW programs must have completed their BSW degree within the past five to seven years and to have demonstrated academic excellence by maintaining a cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a four-point scale. However, admission requirements for advanced standing programs vary by program.

It is important to note that BSW graduates who are not granted admission to an advanced standing program can still earn their MSW degree by enrolling in a traditional MSW program.

Advanced Standing Campus-Based MSW Programs in Colorado

Colorado Mesa University offers an advanced standing track for its campus-based MSW in Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice. Students take advanced courses in social work methods, social work research, clinical supervision, psychopathology, and legal and professional issues in social work. They also tailor their course of study by choosing from electives in areas such as trauma-informed practice, restorative justice, substance abuse, crisis intervention, and international social work. All students must also complete 600 hours of clinical practicum hours at social work sites that are relevant to their career goals.

Colorado State University (CSU) has an advanced standing MSW program with an advanced generalist curriculum that is offered in a campus-based format. To be eligible for the 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. The MSW curriculum at CSU provides training and instruction that prepares students for clinical/micro, mezzo, and macro practice social work. Students take courses on combating oppression through pedagogy and practice, social work assessments, community practice and leadership, advanced social work research, and working with families, groups, and individuals.

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. Campus learning session sites vary by cohort, with CSU hosting cohorts at its Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins campuses.

Colorado State University – Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo) has a hybrid, advanced standing MSW program with a concentration in Advanced Generalist Practice. This MSW 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. CSU-Pueblo’s MSW program includes courses in micro (clinical) and mezzo macro social work assessments and interventions, advanced interventions for children and families, social work supervision and administration, and advanced macro social work practice. Students in the program must complete 34 credits, including 500 hours of field education, over three consecutive semesters (fall, spring, and summer) and can thus graduate in one calendar year. Classes for the program meet every other weekend in Colorado Springs and in Pueblo, with some classes being held online.

Metropolitan State University of Denver (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. While coursework varies depending on students’ chosen specialization, classes available within the program cover topics such as organizational and community justice, advanced clinical social work, crisis intervention, experiential practice, anti-racism, maternal and infant mental health, and social work in healthcare. 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.

University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) offers an advanced standing track for its MSW in Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice, with Practice Areas in Child Welfare, School Social Work, Military Social Work, and Community 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 one or more Practice Areas. 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. As with UCCS’s traditional standing MSW program, the advanced standing MSW in Trauma-Informed Social Work Practice has some hybrid course elements, but the majority of the course content is delivered in-person.

The University of Denver (DU) offers its Denver Campus MSW program in an advanced standing format for students who hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program and who maintained a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or higher on the four-point scale. The program’s specializations include: Child Welfare; Children & Youth: Risks and Healthy Development; Ecological Justice; Family Systems Practice; Health & Wellness; Mental Health; and Organizational Leadership & Policy Practice. Students in this program can also earn Graduate Certificates in Latinx Social Work; School Social Work; Global Social Work, Mental Health for Ecological Resilience and Adaptation; and Human-Animal-Environment Interactions. Courses in the program cover advanced concepts and skills in areas such as child and adolescent support, family systems-focused practice, organizational and community change, mental health assessments, trauma treatment, grassroots organizing, and solutions-focused therapy. 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.

Advanced Standing Online MSW Programs in Colorado

Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) 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. Students in the program have a choice of seven specialization options: Children and Families; Mental Health; Leadership and Management; School Social Work; Gerontological Social Work; International Social Work; Social Work in Health Care; and Children and Youth. The curriculum for the program is equivalent to that of the campus-based advanced standing program, with students taking courses that prepare them to advocate for individuals, groups, and communities in clinical and macro social work settings.

The University of Denver (DU) offers its online MSW@Denver program in an advanced standing format that requires applicants to hold a BSW degree from a CSWE-accredited undergraduate program. The program has an advanced generalist practice curriculum and two concentration options: Mental Health and Trauma; and Health, Equity, and Wellness. Students enroll directly in the MSW program’s advanced curriculum after taking bridge courses on evidence-based practice and countering oppression. While the Mental Health and Trauma concentration features courses on substance use assessments and treatment, integrated health care models, cognitive behavioral therapy, and trauma, the Health, Equity, and Wellness concentration has courses in evolving trends in healthcare, organizational leadership, mental health care policy, and integrating social work with healthcare. Advanced standing students can complete DU’s online MSW program, including its 500 hours of required field education, in 18 months of full-time enrollment or 24 months of part-time enrollment.

Directory of All Master of Social Work Programs in Colorado

T Traditional programs, Advanced Standing programs, Campus programs, Hybrid programs (campus and online instruction), Hybrid-Online programs (3 to ~6 campus visits per year), Online programs (fully online to 2 campus visits per year)

Filter By Program Type:

Select Options Traditional Program Advanced Standing (BSW Graduates)