Policies and Procedures
Credit for Life Experience
There is no credit given for college or university level learning gained through life experience that may be used toward the social work major.
Department of Social Work Standards of Professional and Ethical Behavior (
56 KB)
The Department of Social Work at Metropolitan State University of Denver is mandated by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) to foster and evaluate professional behavioral development for all students in the social work program. The Department of Social Work also bears a responsibility to the community at large to produce fully trained professional social workers who consciously exhibit the competencies, values, and skills of the profession of social work. The values of the profession are codified in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics and the Council on Social Work Education has ten core educational competencies that social workers must master. Given this context, the Social work Department has identified behaviors for the social work student to exhibit in the classroom, the online classroom, field placement, in the Social Work office, through email/phone conversations, and any other interaction in a professional/academic setting. This document does not include the complete NASW Code of Ethics or the CSWE Educational Policies, however it highlights particular ethics and competencies to serve as a framework of professional and ethical behaviors to abide by while a social work student at MSU Denver. Other aspects of the NASW Code of Ethics or the CSWE Educational Policies are evaluated academically throughout the program's curriculum.
Department of Social Work Standards of Professional Behavior: Self-Assessment (166 KB)
Attendance Policy Values Statement ( 45 KB)
MSU Denver's Department of Social Work adheres to the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. In abiding by the standards of the national governing body, CSWE, MSU Denver's Department of Social Work provides students and the surrounding communities a measure of confidence regarding competent, well-prepared professional social workers at the undergraduate level. In addition to presentation of course content such as concepts and theories, social work education provides socialization into the profession-the development of an identity as a social work professional. Therefore, classroom sessions meet several learning objectives through the use of lecture, text review, guest speakers, interactive exercises, and student discussion. In order to ensure optimal development of professional identity, classroom attendance is required.
Consequently, the MSU Denver Social Work Department presents the Attendance policy ( 33 KB).
Social Work Department Late Paper Policy:
Students are responsible to:
- Turn in the correct paper for the assignment due. If a student turns in a paper intended for another class, it will be graded based on the assignment due. If that student discovers his/her mistake, contacts the instructor and emails the correct paper to the Instructor, it will be graded as a late paper.
- Turn in a paper in a file format that opens in word. The instructor will notify the student and give the student a limited amount of time to resubmit the paper. It will be graded as a late paper.
- Turn in assignments by the due date and submitted in the proscribed method. If a paper is late, it will be graded as a late paper. Each week a paper is late a 10% deduction will be given.
- Discuss exceptions to the above with the instructor. On rare occasions where students know their paper will be late due a personal crisis, the instructor may modify the above policy.
Assignment Grade Issue Policy
If a student has a grade dispute with the instructor, he/she should:
1. Make an appointment to come to campus to discuss grade concerns with the instructor. Having a one minute conversation after class does not meet this requirement. In rare cases where the grading issue cannot be resolved with the instructor, the student may
2. Make an appointment to come to campus to discuss the grade concerns with the BSW Program Director. The BSW Program Director will notify the instructor of this meeting and gather background information in preparation for this meeting. The student will be asked to bring a graded copy of the paper and an ungraded copy of the paper. The BSW Program Director may ask another faculty member that teaches in the same content area to grade the paper without knowing what the original grade was. This new information will be forwarded to the instructor and factored into a consideration of a grade change. Students should be aware that this could result in a higher grade, grade unchanged or a lower grade on the assignment.
APA Policy
All written communication in the classroom environment (online and on campus) will be in American Psychological Association (APA) sixth edition format.
SWK Department Plagiarism Procedure
Each syllabus will state the APA policy and the edition to be used that semester and the grade penalty incurred by students for not following APA style appropriately. We recommend that this penalty be up to 10% of the total points of the paper for the first offense outlined below. Please note that this procedure does not apply to drafts students submit to an instructor for feedback. Students who do not use APA style to reference content that is not common knowledge will receive:
1. First offense:
• Verbal and written warning to student, notes in the SWK database will summarize the instructor’s contact with the student regarding this offense.
• Sections of the paper that contain plagiarism are penalized up to 10%.
• BSW Program Director will be notified in writing and a record of the offense will be entered into the Plagiarism Log.
2. Second Offense
• Mandatory Performance Review
• Paper in question is not gradable until the Performance Review is held and the instructor is notified that the paper should be graded as part of the outcome of that review
- When graded the paper is eligible only for 89% of the total points for the assignment in question.
• BSW Program Director notified in writing
• BSW Program Director will notify Student Affairs of the offense
• Notes in the SWK Department database will summarize instructor’s contact with the student
3. Third Offense
• Dismissal from Program
• Inform Student Affairs of student’s dismissal and the reasons for it.
Problem Resolution Procedures
All students are admitted and retained in The Social Work Department on the assumption that they have the potential academic ability and personal suitability for completing the professional Social Work Program. All students admitted to The Department of Social Work at MSU are expected to maintain the standards established by the department, the Social Work profession and the university. Consequently, Department of Social Work presents the Problem Resolution Procedures ( 39 KB).
During the course of study a student may not perform at the required level. When problematic situations are identified, the Performance Review Committee will conduct a review to determine whether it is appropriate for the student to continue in the department, and if so, under what conditions. Such conditions could include a requirement to complete study skills or writing skills development, completion of psychological counseling or other treatment, or other appropriate activities to resolve academic or personal problems.
The Performance Review Committee shall be responsible for monitoring and reviewing student performance issues for all majors in the Departmentof Social Work. Membership shall include: A Social Work faculty member who will serve as the chair of the committee, the student's advisor or an advocate selected by the student, a representative from the Dean's office and others, such as the agency field instructor, as appropriate to the particular situation.
Online Junior Orientation
All students accepted into the Social Work major are required to successfully complete the online Junior Orientation within the specified timeframe announced at the time of admissions. There are typically two sessions over the summer semester before majors start the program. Students who do not successfully complete the online Junior Orientation will be in poor academic standing within the Social Work Program and dropped from their core Social Work courses. These students will not be able to start the Social Work major until the following academic year and after they successfully complete the online Junior Orientation.
University Policies
Academic Dishonesty
Academic dishonesty is a serious offense at the University because it diminishes the quality of scholarship and the learning experience for everyone on campus. An act of Academic Dishonesty may lead to sanctions including a reduction in grade (up to and including a permanent F for the course), probation, suspension, or expulsion. Academic dishonesty includes cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, submitting the same paper or work for more than one class, and facilitating academic dishonesty. For definitions and more information, see the Student Handbook which is available online through ConnectU.
NC (No Credit) Policy
Students will be expected to know and observe the MSU Denver regulations regarding No-Credit Withdrawal (NC). It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from a course. Students who withdraw after the census date will receive an NC on their transcripts. NC stands for No Credit and does not impact the student’s grade point average. NC deadlines for part-of-term classes vary.
Note: It is the student's responsibility—not the instructor's—to obtain the NC request from the Admissions office, obtain the instructor's signature, if required, and turn the completed NC form in to the Admissions office. Students who do not successfully withdraw as described above will receive an "F" in the course.
Students who have questions about tuition and fees refund deadlines should contact the Office of Student Accounts at 303-556-6188.
Incomplete Notation
If you have completed most of the course but are unable to take the final examination due to an unanticipated serious circumstance such as hospitalization, you may request an incomplete. Incomplete work denoted by the "I" notation must be completed within one calendar year or earlier. If the incomplete work is not completed within one calendar year, the "I" notation will change to an "F".
Religious Holidays
If the class deadlines interfere with religious holidays, please abide by the university policy.
Students at MSU Denver who, because of their sincerely held religious beliefs, are unable to attend classes, take examinations, participate in graded activities or submit graded assignments on particular days, shall without penalty be excused from such classes and be given a meaningful opportunity to make up such examinations and graded activities or assignments provided that advance written notice that the student will be absent for religious reasons is given to the faculty members during the first two weeks of the semester.
Nothing in paragraph one of this policy shall require MSU Denver faculty members to reschedule classes, repeat lectures or other ungraded activities or provide ungraded individualized instruction solely for the benefit of students who, for religious reasons, are unable to attend regularly scheduled classes or activities. However, presentations, critiques, conferences and similar activities involving individual students shall be scheduled to avoid conflicts with such students’ religious observances or holidays provided that reasonable advance notice of scheduling conflicts is given to faculty members. Because classroom attendance and participation is an important aspect of learning, MSU Denver students should not register for courses if regularly scheduled classes or activities routinely conflict with their religious observances or holidays (e.g., conflicts resulting in weekly absences for an entire semester).
Any MSU Denver student who believes that an MSU Denver faculty member has violated this policy is entitled to seek relief under Section V of the MSU Denver Equal Opportunity Grievance Procedure.
Copies of this policy are available from the department upon request. It is the students’ responsibility to understand and abide by the policy.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students who need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor to discuss their specific needs. Students will need to provide the instructor with a disability verification letter from the Access Center before appropriate accommodations can be made. Failure to notify the instructor in a timely fashion may hinder the university’s ability to assist students to successfully complete the course.
The Metropolitan State University of Denver does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation or disability in admission or access to, or treatment in, its educational programs or activities. Inquiries concerning Title VI, Title IX and Section 504 may be referred to Dr. Percy Morehouse, Director, Equal Opportunity, Metropolitan State University of Denver, 303.556.2939; or to the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 1244 Speer Boulevard, Suite 300, Denver, CO 80204. Discrimination based on disability in admission to, access to or operation of programs, services or activities of the university is prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
