Social Work & Public Health Dual-Degree Program

The MSW/MPH program offered through Colorado State University and the Colorado School of Public Health includes the flexibility for students to choose their MPH concentration as well as create a custom concentration tailored to a student’s individual interests. The dual degree program provides an integrated approach to preventing, addressing, and solving global health and behavioral health problems, which includes individuals’ physical health conditions and the behavioral and social ecological determinants of health.

For additional information on the application instructions, as well as admissions requirements, please visit the CSU MSW program page. Individuals submit one application through the CSU Graduate School to be considered for the MPH/MSW dual degree program at the CSU campus. Please note that the MPH/MSW dual degree program at the CSU campus in only available for full-time on-campus students, and is not available on a part-time schedule or as a distance option.

The program has a strong commitment to social justice, the elimination of health, behavioral health, and care disparities, as well as a holistic definition of community and population health and well-being. The discipline draws on both social work and public health research, practice, and theoretical frameworks. The two fields of social work and public health are:

  • Complementary: Public Health focuses on populations of people, and is highly analytical and Social Work focuses on individual, groups and communities within the social environment. Both programs heavily emphasize cross-cultural, global content in classes and have an emphasis on social justice.
  • Evidence-based: The program focuses on contemporary behavioral health and health issues, and uses current research on empirically documented successful programs.
  • Health promotion and disease prevention focused: Aims to improve global health by promoting well-being and preventing the occurrence of problems, not solely addressing them after they have developed
  • Multi-method: Applies all prevention and intervention tools, including research, policy analysis, clinical intervention, and macro and community-based approaches that comprise social work and public health.
  • Trans-disciplinary: Works with multiple systems, organizations, and professions to reach individuals, groups, communities, and populations globally.
  • Strengths-oriented: Utilizes multiple approaches to reduce risk, exposure to hazards, and to promote resilience thereby increasing overall well-being.

Both social work and public health share a commitment to involving consumers/community members in the development of policies and in the planning, delivery and evaluation of health promotion and behavior change interventions, and health education.

Careers

  • Prevention-oriented clinical practice
  • Health education and health promotion
  • Program planning, development and evaluation
  • Health policy analysis
  • Health system and health care management at local, state, national, and international levels
  • Public health advocacy
  • Patient services management
  • Research science
  • Policy advocacy
  • Program management
  • Communication management
  • Adjunct and Part-time faculty in MSW and BSW degree programs
  • Bridging the gap between the social work and public health practice

*This MPH concentration is only offered in-person at the CSU campus and is not available as a remote degree program.