Social Work M.S.W. (Hybrid)

• There are two variations of the distance program available, a traditional three-year program and a two-year Advanced Standing option. Both programs follow the cohort model and have a spring semester start date, with courses beginning in January. The Advanced Standing program is available for those who have their bachelor’s degree in social work from the past 7 years. Previous work of life experience does not count toward eligibility for Advanced Standing status in place of a bachelor’s in social work degree. The Advanced Standing cohort starts in January of year two of the three-year program, integrating with the existing three-year program cohort.
• The program location varies depending on the cohort cycle. The upcoming locations can be found in the Application Dates table and the Cohort Schedules.
• Upcoming Cohort Schedules: refer to the linked schedules to view the full program schedule, all semester dates, and all in-person and synchronous class dates:
• Fort Collins 2025-2027 3-Year MSW Program Schedule
• Fort Collins 2026-2027 Advance Standing MSW Program Schedule

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• Students in the hybrid M.S.W. program have a wide array of personal and career backgrounds. While much of the program content utilizes the flexibility of the online delivery format, it still requires the same amount of work and time as an on-campus program. Depending on your learning and study style, you can expect to spend nine to twelve hours per week on a three-credit course.
• The internship opportunities provide a dynamic platform for experiential learning that is supported by a team of CSU and agency-specific personnel. Students in the 3-year program engage in two required internship placements totaling 945 hours, and Advanced Standing students engage in one required internship placement totaling 675. While in their internships, students will apply the knowledge, values, and skills within the advanced generalist practice framework in a social work agency setting.
• While it is possible for students to work full-time while taking courses, it is important to note that many students find the internship requirements particularly challenging if they have full-time jobs that do not allow flexibility in their schedule. Students should expect to spend 10-15 hours per week in their internships.

Assistant Professor
She/Her/Hers

Brittanie Atteberry Ash is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Colorado State University. Brittanie conducts research to better understand how best to support and build environments that are inclusive and affirming of LGBTQ+ people and communities. Her work relies heavily on an intersectional lens to deepen the discipline’s understanding of risk and resilience among people with marginalized identities. Brittanie received the Council on Social Work Education’s Council on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Scholarship Award two years in a row for scholarly work focused on LGBTQ+ identity and well-being. Brittanie also focuses on promoting social justice and inclusion within social work classroom experiences and identifies strategies for educators to more fully integrate a critical social justice lens into pedagogy. Believing in the power of social work education to transform students into practitioners dedicated to a just world, she is passionate about her work as a critical social work scholar advancing the discipline’s commitment to social justice.

M.S.W. Field Education Coordinator
She/Her/Hers

Carolyn Tredinnick is an M.S.W. Field Education Coordinator in the School of Social Work at Colorado State University. Tredinnick received her bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in Sociology and History in 2003. After graduation, she worked in emergency services for the city of Fort Collins before enrolling in CSU's Distance M.S.W. program. Tredinnick then worked for a year in community mental health on the Eastern Plains of Colorado before transitioning to medical social work and working for non-profit hospitals in Weld and Larimer counties for 6 years. During that time, she also served as a Field Instructor for many CSU M.S.W. students.

Director and Professor
She/Her/Hers

Charlotte Bright serves as director and professor of Colorado State University's School of Social Work. Her research interests include gender and juvenile justice, child maltreatment, interpersonal trauma, adolescent and young adult development, service implementation, and quantitative and qualitative methodology. Bright's scholarship has been focused on areas such as juvenile justice services and how they are implemented in communities, gender differences, and the impacts of trauma. Prior to joining CSU, Bright served as associate dean for doctoral and post-doctoral education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work in Baltimore. Bright is editor-in-chief of the journal Social Work Research, is a Society for Social Work and Research Fellow, and has held leadership roles with the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work.

Instructor
She/Her/Hers

Cheryl Distaso, M.S.W., has more than 25 years experience as a community organizer in Fort Collins. She joyfully teaches concentration year policy and community practice classes in the School of Social Work. Cheryl’s interests include social justice, liberatory practice, Critical Race Theory (CRT), Theater of the Oppressed and Paulo Freirean based praxis. She has presented at various conferences, primarily focusing on white privilege and social justice. In the community, she works on decriminalization of homelessness, immigrant rights, community empowerment, disability rights and increased public transportation. She is committed to the praxis of her community work by utilizing CRT as a theoretical lens; she is equally committed to keeping her social work classes relevant by bringing her real-time experiences to students for inquiry and critique.

Professor Emeritus, Director of the Prevention Research Center Community-University-State Partnerships Division
He/Him/His

David MacPhee has been a CSU faculty member in HDFS since 1985 (currently professor emeritus), with appointments in the School of Social Work and the Colorado School of Public Health. His research and teaching focus on prevention science, particularly risk and resilience, parenting and family-strengthening interventions, early child development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. His research-to-practice emphasis revolves around program evaluation.

Assistant Professor

Dr. Elizabeth Kiehne is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Colorado State University. Prior to completing her doctorate, Dr. Kiehne worked for over a decade with programs responding to and addressing chronically limited opportunity structures for low-income youth, primarily those from immigrant families.

Kiehne currently teaches social policy with social work students, partnering with advocacy organizations and coalitions to support hands-on opportunities to influence policy. She aims to help emerging social workers understand, monitor, and engage in policy and social change work, regardless of primary level of practice, and to support their sense of political self-efficacy.

Through research, Kiehne supports the advancement of applied scholarship that expands understanding of the impacts of social policies on immigrant communities and the need for social policies that promote well-being. As a white, U.S.-born woman engaging in immigration-related research, Kiehne aims to engage in collaborative research that heeds the leadership of those closest to the issues.

Kiehne enjoys talking to emerging social workers about the range of macro practice roles and activities in which they are well-positioned to engage. She is passionate about supporting social workers’ collective attunement to the political mandate of the NASW Code of Ethics, expanding engagement in social and political action and advocacy for policy that is socially, racially, economically, and environmentally just. On Kiehne’s mind as of late is considering what it means for social workers to engage in social justice allyship that is not just active, but also accountable, self-reflective, and self-aware.

Instructor
She/Her/Hers

Eunhee Choi joined the CSU faculty in fall of 2013. She has been a licensed social worker in Korea since 2004 and has field experience in the areas of aging, health, and policy. Dr. Choi worked as a social worker at Migrant Resource Center in Melbourne, Australia, providing home and community care programs for older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Her employment also includes working as a program developer at the Korean Labor Force Development Institute for the Aged (KORDI) in Seoul, Korea, fostering a national Korean Senior Employment Program (KSEP). Dr. Choi worked as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh, teaching M.S.W.-level research courses, including Research Methods and Program Evaluation. She is devoted to building policies and programs that support older individuals who are willing to work or volunteer as a way to remain healthy and active in old age. Her research interests also include racial inequality, health disparity, advanced methodology, theoretical development, and program evaluation.

Instructor
She/Her/Hers

Holly Panetta is an attorney, mediator, and educator at Peak Empowerment LLC, providing mediation services and conflict resolution training. She also serves as a Child & Family Investigator and Parenting Coordinator/Decision Maker. Holly is a former Director of the State of Colorado Office of Dispute Resolution. She served as the Court Programs Manager for the State Court Administrator's Office overseeing the administration of probate, mediation, restorative justice, diversion and problem-solving court programs. She is an adjunct faculty member at Colorado State University teaching courses related to mediation, conflict resolution, family law and social welfare policy. Holly’s prior professional experience includes working as a litigation associate for Henderson, Taylor & Rapp, a law firm in Greeley specializing in family and criminal law. She also served as a Family Court Facilitator in the 19th Judicial District. Holly enjoys spending time with her two young adult children, hiking with her dog, and attending yoga and live music events.

Instructor
She/Her/Hers

Jodie Ball LCSW, LAC, joined the School of Social Work as an adjunct instructor at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fall 2022. Jodie works full time in a semi-private practice setting providing mental health psychotherapy supported by Neurofeedback. Jodie creates a comfortable and safe environment, where all feel welcomed and at ease to learn and to grow. Her passion is to support those around her to claim their natural strength and greatness, empowering them to navigate, and even overcome, the roadblocks that life throws our way. Jodie has 7 years of experience working as an outpatient therapist with almost all populations and issues, yet her specialties include working with addiction and recovery, trauma, grief and loss, children and adolescence, horticultural therapy, coping with mental illnesses, and utilizing Neurofeedback support within the therapeutic setting.

Instructor
He/Him/His

Jordan Brooks holds a Bachelor of Arts from Eckerd College and a Master of Social Work from University of South Florida. His research areas of interests include: conceptualizations of mental health, social justice, queer affirmative social work, and psychodynamic psychotherapy.

Instructor
She/Her/Hers

Kristin Mooney holds an M.S.W. from The University of Denver, Mental Health Concentration / Substance Abuse Certificate Program and a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University with a Specialization in Hu-man Health and Development. Her research areas of interest include: family therapy, substance use, men-tal health, delinquency, children and youth.

Director of Field Education and Programs
She/Her/Hers

Dr. Leah Cleeland is the Director of Colorado State University’s School of Social Works’ Field Education Programs. She brings experience in direct social work practice, research, and higher education to her current position. After completing a Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Denver, specializing in Children, Youth, and Family Services, Leah worked for over 10 years in direct practice in Colorado and Illinois. She worked in a variety of roles including as an HIV counselor and educator, substance use and mental health counselor, patient services coordinator for the American Cancer Society, and with community health and human services providing case management and permanency planning.

Senior Instructor
She/Her/Hers

Marie Villescas Zamzow holds an M.S.W. from Smith College School for Social Work, a B.S.in Psychology from Colorado State University, and a B.A. in Social Work from Colorado State University. Her Research areas of interest in-clude: mental health, child welfare, diversity, work with families and children, and creating social action. Marie received a Best Teacher Award in 2017 from the Colorado State University Alumni Association.

MSW Associate Director for Distance Programs/Interim MSW Program Director/Senior Instructor
She/Her/Hers

Mindy Van Kalsbeek holds an M.S.W. from Colorado State University School of Social Work and a BSW from Dordt College. Her Research areas of interest include: intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health, and organizational and nonprofit management.

Ph.D. Student, GRA
They/Them/Theirs

Quinn is a white, transgender, and queer individual born and raised in the United States. Quinn seeks to advance social work practice by pushing the institute of academia away from the status quo and toward justice and equity. In their work, Quinn aims to be reflective of how their positionality has influenced the research questions they ask and the conclusions they draw. They strive to interrogate their whiteness in the context of the continual reproduction of white supremacy within the field of social work.

Instructor
She/Her/Hers

Sofia Gentry received a B.A. in Sociology from the State University of New York at Geneseo and earned her M.S.W. degree from LSU's distance learning program while living in Hawaii. After graduating, Sofia spent time working as a school social worker within an alternative high school of Aurora, CO serving primarily immigrant, refugee and asylee students. During that time, Sofia prioritized improving mental health support and creating programs to address increasing rates of teen pregnancy and substance use among marginalized youth. After this position, Sofia further specialized in trauma treatment and trauma-informed care. She currently provides trauma-focused psychotherapy to adolescents and adults in the state of Colorado. In addition to her work in private practice, Sofia volunteers in Spark the Change Colorado's mental wellness program. Sofia also serves as a member of Violet's Clinical Review Board.

Graduate Programs Coordinator
They/Them/Theirs

Timothy Frank currently serves as a Graduate Programs Coordinator for the M.S.W. program. Frank holds a Graduate Certificate in IT Project Management from Colorado State University and a Graduate Certificate in Business Intelligence, also from CSU.

• For the traditional three year program:
  A four-year undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university is required for our program, though there is no specific major required.
• For the Advanced Standing two year program:
  A four year undergraduate degree with a major in Social Work from an accredited college earned within the past 7 years is required.

We offer a program that supports independent learning combined with collaborative application. Online coursework prepares students for further content exploration and synthesis during the in-person, weekend class. The ability to lead both direct and indirect client-centered interventions is crucial to success in social work settings, making the student-to-student activities an invaluable learning experience.

"Advanced Standing" refers to the level of experience of a student applying to the program. Students who have a bachelor's in social work may be able to start the program with Advanced Standing status.

To qualify for the Advanced Standing program, you must have earned a bachelor's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program within the last seven years. Previous work or life experience does not count toward eligibility for Advanced Standing status. Advanced Standing students skip the first year in the program and join their cohort starting in year two. Additionally, the credit requirement is lower, as is the number of service hours required.

The advanced generalist model in our M.S.W. program places emphasis on the knowledge and skills needed for interventions at multiple levels of practice, including individuals, families, groups, and communities. Other central themes are direct services, community and organizational practice, social policy analysis, and social work research.

The advanced generalist model in CSU’s M.S.W. program provides students with an increased ability to demonstrate advanced generalist competencies; integrate research into practice; analyze value and ethical dilemmas; add greater depth to the provision of service; and provide the skills to function as more independent social work practitioners. Additionally, this advanced skill level allows graduates to engage in interdisciplinary, collaborative public and private partnerships for advocacy, policy, practice, and advancing social justice.

Generalist social work is regarded both as a perspective and a practice approach because the social worker is taught to recognize the impact, influence, and potential resources available from the context where practice occurs.

The Traditional M.S.W. program is three-years and the Advanced Standing program is two-years. Review the above information to determine if you may be eligible for Advanced Standing. Both are part-time cohorts that include in classroom experience two weekends per semester and online instruction.

Yes, once you have submitted your CSU Graduate School Application (a short form and an application fee) you will be assigned an ID number. At that point you can begin working with CSU Office of Financial Aid to obtain financial aid. Eileen Griego, in that office, works directly with our distance M.S.W. students.

A comprehensive scholarship search tool is available on the College of Health and Human Sciences website.

Our program does not accept transfer students from other programs.

CSU’s Graduate School requires an overall undergraduate career GPA of 3.0 or above for unconditional admission. The School of Social Work’s Admissions Committee does not use GPA as a judgment metric, but instead rates applicants based on other factors as demonstrated through the answers to the essay questions in the application, an understanding of human service work, and references. Our admissions reviewers are able to advocate for strong candidates who have a cumulative undergraduate career GPA of at least 2.8, up to 3.0. If the Graduate School is convinced and offers admission, it would be conditional upon maintaining a 3.0 minimum GPA in the M.S.W. program for the first semester.

For those interested in applying but who have a career undergraduate GPA below 2.8 the Graduate School offers the Access Pathway. This requires an applicant to successfully complete at least six credits of regular, graduate-level coursework through CSU with a GPA of at least 3.0 to be considered for admission. Please refer to the CSU General Catalog’s Graduate and Professional Bulletin for more information.

Attendance is critical, as each in-person learning weekend represents a significant part of that semester's class time and learning activities. Each instructor determines attendance requirements for the class they teach, in alignment with the Program’s Attendance Policy. To review the Attendance Policy, refer to the M.S.W. Program Handbook.

Yes, prerequisite requirements include a minimum of 18 credits (6 standard college-level courses) of interdisciplinary liberal arts coursework, spanning social, behavioral, and biological sciences.

• Applicants must have completed at least one course in physical and biological sciences and mathematics (examples: biology, calculus, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, or statistics).
• Applicants must have completed at least three courses in social sciences (examples: anthropology, economics, education, ethnic studies, gender studies, human development, international relations, political science, psychology, social work, or sociology).
• Applicants must have completed at least two additional courses in liberal arts (examples: all of the above plus literature, English, a language other than English, fine arts, philosophy)

These courses must be completed and transcripts received by the first day of classes.

Admission to the Social Work (M.S.W.) degree has the following requirements:

• A bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited institution
  • Minimum of 18 credits of interdisciplinary liberal arts coursework, spanning social, behavioral and biological sciences.
    • Applicants must have completed at least one course in physical and biological sciences and mathematics (examples: biology, calculus, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, physics, or statistics).
    • Applicants must have completed at least three courses in social sciences (examples: anthropology, economics, education, ethnic studies, gender studies, human development, international relations, political science, psychology, social work, or sociology).
  • An applicant must present a plan for completing any missing prerequisites in the above criteria before being considered for admission.
  • These courses may be taken at any accredited college, university, or community college; or by telecourse, by correspondence, by independent study, by CLEP (College-Level Examination Program), or online.
  • These courses must be successfully completed prior to the beginning of classes in order for you to begin the program.
• 3.0 GPA (4.0 scale) – occasional exceptions may be made if applicant demonstrates ability to successfully complete graduate-level work
• GRE scores are not required

Advanced Standing Program:

Only students who hold a bachelor’s degree in social work, obtained within the past 7 years from a fully accredited school of social work, are eligible to apply for the Advanced Standing M.S.W. program.

The following are the minimum requirements for admission to the Advanced Standing program:

• Four-year undergraduate degree in social work earned within the last 7 years from an accredited B.S.W. program
• 3.0 overall grade point average
• 3.0 grade point average in social work courses

Note that meeting the minimum department standards does not ensure admission to the program. Admission to Colorado State University graduate programs is based on a number of factors, including prior academic and professional experience and the personal statement.

Detailed instructions will be available as part of the graduate admissions application process once you create your login. The materials you will prepare for your online application include:

• a. Statement of purpose
  This is an important component of your overall application. You will use 3-5 pages single spaced, with a 12-point font, to respond to the following questions:


• Part I: Tell us about who you are:

  Tell us how your background and life experiences contributed to you choosing social work as a career. Describe your current practice interests and/or future career goals. Share how the M.S.W. program will contribute to your current and/or future social work practice.

  • Part II: Tell us about your commitment to social justice:

    Describe your understanding of oppression and social justice. Include an example of how you demonstrate your commitment to social justice in your professional or personal life. Reflect on an instance when you recognized privilege and/or oppression in your professional and/or personal life and describe your response. Describe how your understanding of oppression and your commitment to social justice have evolved over time.

• b. Two letters of recommendation
  Appropriate sources for references include employers, field instructors, supervisors, and university faculty. Two professional recommendations are required. It’s preferred that one reference be a person who has most recently supervised you in a human service delivery experience, if applicable. You will provide information about your recommenders in the online application. CSU will contact them with instructions and a link to a secure form on your behalf.
  
• c. Summary of Experience, Official Transcripts, and Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  Additional detail on what to include in these areas will be provided in the online application.



Colorado State University encourages full and open expression by students; please know we will respond to any reported disclosures related to sexual misconduct and interpersonal violence. If your submission contains information related to past or present sexual misconduct or interpersonal violence, you may receive an outreach from CSU’s Office of Title IX Programs to discuss reporting options and available support resources. For more information, please visit https://titleix.colostate.edu.

Complete the online graduate application and pay the nonrefundable application processing fee (payable online). As soon as you have completed the required information, please submit your application. Your application will not be reviewed until it is complete and all required materials have been received.

CSU's Graduate School offers several application fee waiver opportunities. Visit their website to determine if you are eligible for a waiver.

Application Timelines

*All Advanced Standing applicants must have obtained a bachelor’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program within the past 7 years. The M.S.W. Program does not grant social work course credit for life experience or previous work experience.

Request one official transcript of all collegiate work completed from all institutions attended. Transcripts from Colorado State University are not required. Transcripts must be received directly from the originating institution to be considered official.

Please Note: Students may be unconditionally admitted and registered in their first semester of courses with an unofficial transcript. Official transcripts must be submitted, prior to or during your first semester, before you can register for your second semester of graduate work. Failure to meet this condition will result in your dismissal from the Graduate School.

Electronic (preferred):
Digital Transcripts must be submitted by the originating institution using a secure service such as parchment, eScrip-Safe, the National Student Clearinghouse, or e-Quals. Transcripts received via emails are considered unofficial.

Use institution code 4075 for Colorado State University or gradadmissions@colostate.edu if the secure service requires an email address.

Mail (if necessary)
Graduate Admissions
Colorado State University – Office of Admissions
1062 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1062

View your application status at any time to ensure your application checklist is complete or to check on updates.

Applications received by the priority deadline are reviewed in random order, beginning after the priority deadline has passed. Applications received after the priority deadline are reviewed later, in the order received, and placed on the waitlist in the same order if recommended for admission and the cohort is full. Applicants generally receive their decision from three weeks to three months after the review.

The final decision is communicated via email using the email address you used in the application process.

Proof of English language proficiency is required for applicants from countries or United States territories where there are official languages other than (or in addition to) English. This includes the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Learn more about English language proficiency requirements.