MSW Foundation Year Curriculum

On-Campus MSW Programs

During the first half of the Denver Campus Master of Social Work program, you will take 36 credit hours of the foundation curriculum, which provides you with a generalist perspective on social work practice. You'll develop solid basic skills for working with individuals, families, groups, communities and organizations. The foundation curriculum focuses on:

  • individual development and behavior
  • the interaction between individuals and social systems
  • ethical social work practice
  • commitment to social justice
  • multiculturalism, diversity and the impact of oppression
  • social work skills for engagement, assessment and intervention in clinical and community settings
  • the impact of social policy
  • research as a tool to evaluate practice and programs

After your foundation year, you'll start to specialize with the concentration curriculum. The table below shows a list of required foundation year class offerings. To see a full list of course descriptions, view the GSSW bulletin.

Courses Credits
Professional Development Seminar 1
Power, Privilege and Oppression from a Critical Multi-cultural Perspective 3
Integrated Social Work Practice for Social Justice 4
Clinical Social Work Skills 3
Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Theory for Practice 3
Clinical Social Work Theory and Practice 3
Community/Macro Social Work Theory and Practice 4
Social Policy Analysis, Advocacy and Practice 3
Evidence for Practice 3
Foundation year field internship 9
University of Denver Campus

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