Social Work, Powered by Purpose
At the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, social justice is more than a buzzword. It is at the heart of everything we do — informing our education, focusing our research, propelling our community partnerships and fueling our commitment to equity.
Looking for a community that shares your passion and your purpose? It’s right here, at GSSW.
A Collaborative Community
Our shared purpose to advance equity brings together some of social work’s brightest faculty, students and partners, who work collaboratively and across disciplines to respond to community needs such as homelessness and health care reform. We celebrate bold approaches to problem-solving and embrace the rich diversity of our extended community.
Social Work Degrees of Difference
With master’s degree programs online and on campus in Denver, in western Colorado and in the Four Corners region, the Graduate School of Social Work will prepare you for a career in social work and to create social change in your community — wherever you call home.
Programs
On-Campus MSW Programs
Our top-ranked Master of Social Work (MSW) degree is available on three Colorado campuses — Denver, Durango and Glenwood Springs — through our Denver Campus, Four Corners and Western Colorado programs.
MSW@Denver Online MSW
No matter where you live in the U.S., you can access MSW@Denver — a top-ranked, 100-percent online Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program with a Mental Health and Trauma pathway.
PhD Program
The demand for social work research, scholarship and education is greater than ever. With a PhD in social work, you’ll be prepared for an academic career as a social justice scholar, educator or policy expert.
An MSW with Options
750+ field education partners
11 Specialized pathways
6 centers, institutes and laboratories
Power in Partnerships
At the Graduate School of Social Work, we know we’re stronger together. That’s why we’ve committed to being an engaged community partner, working with a broad range of individuals and organizations — locally, nationally and globally — to understand problems, explore possibilities, implement solutions and influence change at individual, organizational and systems levels.
Champions for Social Justice
Can social workers change the world? We believe they already are. At the Graduate School of Social Work, you’re not just learning from and working with some of the profession’s most respected teachers and scholars. You’re part of a community of social justice champions whose work is catalyzing social change —addressing racial, economic, environmental, health and other systems of inequity — throughout Colorado, the Rocky Mountain West and beyond.
An Epicenter for Impact
Our faculty members are courageous, creative thinkers who represent a broad range of backgrounds, research interests and practice areas. Their collaborative, cross-disciplinary scholarship is creating knowledge and establishing science-informed, high-impact practice in areas such as addictions and substance use, public policy, youth development, housing and homelessness, child welfare, human-animal connection, and civic and community engagement.
Recent GSSW News
Addressing Health Inequities
Assistant Professor Tyrone Hamler studies health inequities, chronic illness, aging, and the intersection of mental and physical health, including health equity in kidney disease for older Black Americans.
Social Work & Racial Justice
GSSW faculty and alumni coauthored chapters in a new book, “Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice,” which challenges readers to forge new practices, policies and pedagogies for an anti-racist future.
Supporting Marginalized Community Members
2024 MSW@Denver online MSW graduate Araceli Esparza aims to put her degree to work helping not only victims, but offenders.
