Welcome Advanced Standing Part-Time Students!

Congratulations on your acceptance to the MSW Program and MSU Denver! Follow these steps NOW to make sure you are on track to begin the program in Summer 2025:

Step 1: Confirm, Defer, or Decline Your Admissions Offer

It is very important to let us know your decision! Click the button below to fill out this form by January 31st, 2025 if you have not done so already.

Step 2: Review Information on Acceptance Requirements

Click the button below to visit the Acceptance Status Hub – this hub lists all possible requirements for acceptance to the MSW Program. Not every requirement listed on this page may apply to you. Please refer to your admissions decision for your specific requirements.

Step 3: Set up your MSU Denver NetID account

Your NetID is your single sign-on used to log into many University resources. Your MSU Denver email address is listed in your acceptance summary, under your Student ID number. Your MSU Denver email address is your NetID followed by @msudenver.edu. For example, if your your email was [email protected], your NetID would be abc123.

Step 4: Verify you can access your email via the Student Hub

Your MSU Denver email is the official means of communication at the University and, going forward, will be the only way we communicate with you.

Step 5: Explore the MSW Program Orientation 

This online orientation, accessible through Canvas (the course management system used at MSU Denver), is available to you even before you’ve confirmed your acceptance. It is designed to give you a fuller picture of the MSW Program alongside suggestions from students currently in the program. Please note that you will need to have completed Step 3 above and set up your MSU Denver NetID account to access this orientation.

Step 6: Clear Registration Holds

Visit the registration portal in your Student Hub and check to see if there are any holds preventing registration on your account. Any holds placed by the MSW Program will have the code “SG” and will contain a description of the cause of the hold. You must confirm your acceptance to lift the “enrollment confirmation hold”.

For any other holds, check this resource from the Registrar to determine who placed the hold and what needs to be done to resolve it.

Step 7: Register for Classes

Register for your MSW Program courses when you are able! Before registering, make sure to review the Student Hub Registration Guide.

Need help building your class schedule or have questions about what classes to take? Schedule an advising appointment with Claire Alfus, the professional advisor for all Advanced Standing students. Claire offers advising appointments in person, via phone, or via video chat.

The Department of Social Work is pleased to offer funding opportunities for MSW Program students in the forms of Scholarships & Stipends. We also have several Student Employment Opportunities within the department. Visit the pages linked above for full descriptions and timelines of these opportunities.

If you have other financial aid questions, please contact the Office of Financial Aid for support.

Knowledge Base

As an Advanced Standing Student you are expected to have demonstrated competence in the 9 competencies identified by the Council on Social Work Education in the 2015 Educational Policy Accreditation Standards, that make up generalist practice.

• Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
• Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
• Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
• Competency 4: Engage In Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
• Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice
• Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

These competencies translate to a set of foundational knowledge in practice, human behavior in the social environment, research, policy, diversity and difference.

The Bridge Seminar is designed to ensure this foundational knowledge is at the forefront of you mind.  If you wish to review this knowledge you are strongly encouraged to review the texts from YOUR BSW program.  However, here are some open resources that may also be of help.

• Cullen, M. & Cullen, M. (2021). Social work & social welfare: Modern practice in a diverse world 2^nd edition. https://oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/82483
• DeCarlo, M. (2018). Scientific inquiry in social work. Open Textbook Library. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/591
• Langford J. & Keaton (2022). Introduction to social work: A look across the profession. MAVS Open Press.  https://uta.pressbooks.pub/introtosocialwork/
• Mauldin, R. L. (2020). Foundations of social work research. Open Textbook Library. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/foundations-of-social-work-research
• Payne, W. (2020). Human behavior and the social environment II. Open Textbook Library. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/human-behavior-and-the-social-environment-ii-payne
• Saylor Foundation (2016). Social problems continuity and change. Open Textbook Library. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/141
• Tyler S. (2020). Human behavior in the social environment I. Pressbook. https://uark.pressbooks.pub/hbse1/

Academic Advising, Registration and Schedule Planning

Attending graduate school is a tremendous commitment. As a part time student, you can expect to dedicate at least 30 hours/week in classes and studying during year one and at least 40 hours/week during year two when you will be at a field placement. The Department of Social Work has resources to help you plan for and navigate the next 2 years as a part time advanced standing graduate student, but it is up to you to ensure you make any necessary changes in your life to ensure graduate school can fit in.

• We highly recommend that full time students do not work while in school and part time students work, if necessary, on a limited or part time basis.

Here are some helpful resources:

• The Office of Social Work Student Services, Operations and Finance – The Office of Social Work Student Services (OSWSS) acts as your academic advisor during your time in the program. We are here to help you with academic planning, navigating the campus, and ensuring you are on track for graduation. We recommend you meet with an advisor from the OSWSS at least once per academic year. You can contact the Office of Social Work Student Services by emailing [email protected].
• Course Scheduling – we have designed our course schedules to allow for two free days for you to be in field placement. It is important to know that your Fall course schedule may not mirror your Spring course schedule. For example, if you register for all your classes on Monday in the Fall, don’t assume you can also do this in the Spring.
  • Foundation Year Courses – Offered Mondays, Wednesdays, and some Fridays and Saturdays. We will never offer a foundation year course on a Tuesday or Thursday.
  • Concentration Year Courses – Offered Tuesdays, Thursdays, and some Fridays and Saturdays. We will never offer a concentration year course on a Monday or Wednesday.
• Fully Online Course Delivery – we guarantee that you will be able to take all of your required courses online. While we guarantee you a spot in online sections of all required courses, we cannot guarantee that you will get your first choice of professor.
• Mixed Traditional Course Delivery – we guarantee that there will be a spot for you in a section of all required courses, but we cannot guarantee you will get your first choice of section. Many options will be available each semester on campus, online, and in the hybrid format.
  • If scheduling is important to you, it is very important that you make registration a top priority so you have the best chance of getting your most desired schedule.
  • Mixed Traditional students may take at least one online course during their time in the program – there is no guarantee you will be all on campus.
• Registering for Classes – after you confirm your enrollment, the Office of Social Work Student Services will email you with registration tips and instructions. Students register via the Student Hub.
• Advising Snapshots – you can review all required coursework on our MSW Program Options & Curriculum page. Keep this page bookmarked! It will be helpful tool through graduation and it is very important to note that the Advising Snapshots denote the mandatory sequence of MSW coursework. You must take the courses, in order, as articulated on the snapshots or you are out of sequence in the MSW Program.
• MSW Program Writing Support Resources – these resources are recommended by the MSW Program faculty if you need any support or guidance with your writing.

If you have any questions about course scheduling or other information on this page, please contact the Office of Social Work Student Services.

Professional & Career Advising

The advising approach in the Office of Social Work Student Services (OSWSS) is different. Our student services team is a “one stop shop” across the entire student life span – from when you are a prospective student through when you will be an alum from one of our programs!

We advise with a team approach in the Department of Social Work, which means that every student accepted into the BSSW or MSW Program has two advisors to provide support and guidance: professional advisors (the team on our Social Work Advising website) and faculty advisors. As an Advanced Standing student, your professional advisor is Claire Alfus. During the fall semester, you will be assigned a faculty advisor.

While we take a collaborative approach in working with students, professional advisors (also called academic advisors) typically take the lead on helping students navigate the academic side of your program – class scheduling, degree planning, communicating policies and procedures, and linking you with campus resources as needed. Faculty advisors typically take the lead on supporting you through your academic career and professional goals, challenges in the classroom, and personal and professional difficulties. We will often work together when supporting students, so we encourage you to reach out to both of your advisors when you are unsure of who to reach out to for support. You don’t have to be an expert on who to reach out to, let us support you and be the expert. Your job is to just reach out!