From hospitals and hospices, to child welfare agencies, policy nonprofits and animal sanctuaries, Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) field education internships will give you the chance to begin practicing your social work skills right away in a wide variety of settings and specialties. You’ll gain valuable experience working with clients, systems and communities in professional settings, under the supervision and mentorship of master’s-level social workers.
Although fieldwork is an accreditation requirement for social work education, not all field education experiences are the same. At the Graduate School of Social Work, we offer some extras.
You get to choose.
You’ll take an active role in choosing your own internships. With 750 internship options available, you’re sure to find something that fits your interests.
You have support.
Your field supervisor and the members of our field team will actively support you as you choose and complete your internships. Before you start your internship search, you’ll meet individually and discuss your interests with a member of the field education team, who will guide you in the right direction.
You apply what you learn right away.
Because you’ll be completing your internships and classes at the same time, you’ll be able to practice the concepts, theories and skills you’re learning in the classroom.
We offer more than 600 internship options in the Denver metro area, across Colorado and abroad. Students intern in traditional settings such as hospitals, government agencies and schools as well as non-traditional community practice settings like Café Cultura or Friends of Enca Farm. Explore some of our field internship options:
New Mexico VA Healthcare System
Provide integrated health care services to veterans.
“This is an internship that I look forward to. There’s nowhere else I could be getting this great of a hands-on experience.” — Kaylee Keuthan, Denver Campus MSW student
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We offer 9 international internship options
in countries including Bosnia, China and Kenya.
MSW Field Education Curriculum
Two-Year MSW Field Placements
You will complete two yearlong internships. In your foundation year, your internship will build upon your generalist social work values, knowledge and skills as you discover which aspect of the profession interests you most. In your concentration year, your internship will focus on competencies required for advanced social work practice within your academic concentration and certificate program (if applicable).
Foundation year total hours: 480
Foundation year hours per week: 16
Concentration year total hours: 600
Concentration year hours per week: 20
Advanced-Standing Placements
You will complete one nine-month internship during your concentration year, focused on competencies required for advanced social work practice within your MSW concentration and certificate program (if applicable).
Because you will need to be at your internship during agency business hours and during times when your field supervisor is available, evening and weekend hours are very limited.
Interested in becoming a Graduate School of Social Work Field Agency and hosting a graduate student intern?