Advanced Standing Program Admissions

If your undergraduate degree is in social work from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, you may qualify for the advanced standing, one-year (30 semester hours) Master of Social Work program.

The MSW Advanced Standing Program only begins in the Fall semesters.

 Application Deadlines

 The MSW Program at MSU Denver offers a priority and secondary admission cycle.

Admissions Deadline Fall 2013 start:

Priority Admission Deadline: December 14th 2012

The MSW Program strongly encourages applicants to apply by the Priority Admission deadline. The deadline for MSW applicants to be considered for priority admission is December 14, 2012 for a Fall 2013 start.  Only students who have complete applications submitted by the deadline will be reviewed.   Students admitted in this cycle will have an advantage in learning the admission decision earlier and will be in the first cohort of accepted students to initiate the field placement process.  Students who submit their complete application by the priority admission deadline will be notified of the admission decision by March 15, 2013. The program preserves the right to defer admissions decisions till April 15 on priority applications if deferral would avoid the applicant being denied admission.

Secondary Admission Window: December 15, 2012 – February 1, 2013:

 Applicants who submit complete applications within the admissions window of December 15th, 2012 and February 1, 2013 will be notified of the admission decision by April 15, 2013.

Program Eligibility

Advanced Standing eligibility is only considered for applicants who:

  • Hold a degree from a baccalaureate social work program accredited by CSWE, hold a degree recognized through CSWE's International Social Work Degree Recognition and Evaluation Service*, or hold a degree from a program that is covered under a memorandum of understanding with international social work accreditors*.

    *Applicants who received degrees from outside the United States should contact the department to determine eligibility.
  • Have a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  • Completion of all Advanced Standing Program Admissions forms and requirements as indicated under the Admissions section.

Additional Eligibility Requirements for International Applicants

  • International students must have achieved a minimum TOEFL score of 540 (or a score of 76 on the Internet version of the TOEFEL).

Required Application Materials

The application materials for Advanced Standing Program applicants consists of several components. The following section will help to guide you through the process. Please download the following Instructions for Advanced Standing Program (Acrobat Icon 80 KB) applicants for an explanation of required materials and directions.

All admission materials are due on or before the specified deadline. Do not submit your application prior to October 1st, 2012. Any questions regarding the admissions process should be directed to the Social Work Department. The following application materials are pdf files. To download a free copy of Adobe Reader visit: http://get.adobe.com/reader/

 

PART A | Required Materials | MSU Denver Office of Admissions

The following items should be sent directly to MSU Denver Graduate Admissions (not the Social Work Department. Click link to view instructions, when applicable):

  • Transcripts: Request official sealed transcripts from all schools attended be sent to the Office of Admissions. (waived for MSU Denver BSW graduates)

The Metropolitan State University of Denver
Office of Admissions Attn: Katy Maas
PO Box 173362 Campus Box 44
Denver, CO 80217-3362

Additional Application Requirements for International Applicants:

 

  • International students must complete all of the same requirements as domestic students, plus an additional, separate application form which may be found on the Office of Admissions web site.

 

PART B | Required Materials | Social Work Department

Applicants should submit the following application materials as one complete packet to the Social Work Department (click link to view forms and instructions when applicable)

 

                  Case Study: Project (Acrobat Icon 95 KB)
                  Case Study: Two Worlds (Acrobat Icon 64 KB)
                  Case Study: Young Bears (Acrobat Icon 92 KB)

  • Personal Statement (Acrobat Icon 93 KB)
  • Letters of Recommendation: Submit Reference Letter (Acrobat Icon 125 KB) (125 KB) (2 required) are submitted in application packet.
  • Letter of Recommendation from BSW Program: BSW Program Letter of Reference (Acrobat Icon 124 KB) (124 KB) (826 KB) (waived for MSU Denver BSW graduates).
  • Copy of Final Field Evaluation from BSW Program: complete with signatures OR submission of Field Intent Letter (Acrobat Icon 87 KB) (646 KB) for students not yet graduated. MSU Denver BSW graduates are not exempt. Please do not assume we will pull the evaluation for you.
  • Signature Page from the Standards of Professional and Ethical Behavior Standards of Professional Behavior (Acrobat Icon 52 KB)

Please drop off or send complete application packet to:

The Metropolitan State University of Denver
The Department of Social Work
Attn: Megan Krueger
PO Box 173362 Campus Box 70
Denver, CO 80217-3362

 

Admission Process:

The MSW Admissions Committee, which is comprised of faculty members, will review complete applications only. Applicants who submit incomplete applications will not be reviewed by the admissions committee and will be denied from the program. After the MSW Admissions Committee receives and reviews the application the applicants will be notified in writing of their status. Applicants may be: accepted, accepted with conditions, waitlisted, or denied admission. In some cases, the Admissions Committee may require an interview with the applicant before an acceptance decision can be made. Students should check the MSW Program website for admission timelines.

Students applying to the MSW Program are required to prioritize their interest in the offered concentrations and tracks on the Cover Form (required admissions document).  Students may also indicate a willingness to be accepted into any open concentration/track.  The Admissions Committee strives to offer all accepted students acceptance into their first priority as long as the Admissions Committee is also able to determine a suitable fit between the applicant and the population group served through the concentration/track.  In the case that this fit is not made, the student will be offered another concentration/track within their area of interest indicated on the Cover Form. If all of the students desired concentration/tracks are filled to capacity, a student may be offered waitlist status.  Students will confirm their acceptance into the concentration/track via the Intent to Start form.

Accepted:

Students who are accepted into the program typically have no additional obligations to fulfill and will receive an acceptance packet from the Social Work Department including: a welcome letter, information about the field placement process and a personalized Plan of Completion. The Plan of Completion serves as a contract between the student and the department and cannot be altered without the approval of an advisor. Students will be required to submit the Intent to Start form that confirms acceptance into the specified program and concentration.

Accepted with Conditions:

Students who are accepted with conditions into the program typically have additional obligations to fulfill. This could include, but is not limited to: course completion, low GPA, or other items that are not in compliance with program eligibility standards. A student who is admitted with conditions must complete specified criteria within the first six credit hours of enrollment or, in the case of course completion, before the applicant starts the MSW Program. In some cases, the Admissions Committee may decide that an applicant is only eligible to take certain coursework during the first year of study under specific guidelines. These criteria, including timeline, will be outlined in the admissions packet. Students who do not fulfill the obligations of conditional acceptance will be dismissed from the MSW Program.

Students will receive an acceptance packet from the Social Work Department including: a welcome letter, specific information about the conditions that must be met, information about the field placement process and a personalized Plan of Completion. The Plan of Completion serves as a contract between the student and the department and cannot be altered without the approval of an advisor. Students will be required to submit the Intent to Start form that confirms acceptance into the specified program and concentration.

Waitlisted:

Students may be offered waitlist status.

Denied Admission:

The Admissions Committee reserves the right to deny acceptance of any applicant. Applicants who submit incomplete applications, including test scores, will not be reviewed by the admissions committee and will be denied from the program.

Appeals Process:

Students who wish to appeal the decision of the Admissions Committee must do so in writing to the Admissions and Advising Coordinator within 2 weeks of the postmarked admissions letter. The Admissions and Advising Coordinator will present the issue to the Admissions Committee and a response will be mailed to the applicant within two weeks of receipt of the letter. Should the applicant’s admissions status remain, no further appeal requests will be accepted, however the student may reapply for admissions in the future, unless otherwise noted.