Adjunct Instructor, Graduate School of Social Work

Position Summary

The Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver manages the following four MSW Programs: (1) Denver Campus MSW Program with in-person courses on the University of Denver Campus in Denver, CO and occasional online teaching opportunities, (2) MSW@Denver with only online teaching opportunities of courses that primarily run on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, (3) the Four Corners MSW Program in Durango, CO with in-person teaching opportunities on Fridays & Saturdays, and (4) the Western Colorado MSW Program in Glenwood Springs, CO with in-person teaching opportunities on Fridays and Saturdays. GSSW is looking to hire adjunct instructors for the 2026 - 2027 academic year to teach a variety of graduate courses across these programs.

GSSW courses are categorized as foundation curriculum in social work and as concentration-focused practice, theories, policy, research, and values courses. GSSW concentration courses span topics of advanced social work practice: aging; children & youth; child welfare; health & wellness; mental health; organizational leadership, policy, & practice; family systems; and ecological justice. This posting will serve for multiple openings across programs. More information about the schedule of classes may be found on the Registrar’s Office Online Course Schedule.

Essential Functions

In addition to following the University of Denver’s policies and procedures, principal responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Complete required new faculty trainings (i.e., GSSW new adjunct orientation, Technology training for MSW@Denver Program).
• Teach course in the assigned modality per program and course schedule once or twice a week, depending on the course.
• Prepare and maintain the learning management system (i.e., Canvas) course container.
• Prepare to teach the course by attending course-specific onboarding meetings, reviewing the readings, and becoming familiar with the course learning objectives, assessment requirements, and asynchronous / synchronous learning activities.
• Meet with students as needed and strive for responding to student inquiries within 2 business days.
• Assign and explain expectations for papers, exams, and other deliverable assignments as appropriate.
• Grade and offer feedback on assignments in a timely manner.
• Support the collection of evaluative feedback through mid-quarter and end-of-quarter / final course evaluations.
• Attend any quarterly course-specific, quarterly program-specific, or bi-annual academic affairs virtual meetings.

Ad Hoc Course Coordination or Development Additional Responsibilities:

• On occasion, existing adjunct faculty may be hired to support additional course-related duties for a given quarter. Tasks include the following:
  • Work with lead faculty and section instructors to gather input about course revisions and iterations.
  • Respond to initial questions about course content and expectations to support section faculty during the quarter
  • Facilitate the start-of-quarter welcome meeting for a given course with any instructors teaching that quarter.
  • Assist with technical fixes within learning management system for the course (i.e., course reserve reading links, other links or content).
  • As needed, work with lead faculty to develop course content and learning activities.

Overload Faculty Additional Responsibilities:

• On occasion, existing appointed faculty may be hired to teach additional courses in addition to standard workload. Tasks include:
  • Consult and confirm approval with your supervisor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to confirm availability to teach a course above standard workload for the upcoming quarter.
  • Teach additional course at the overload payment rate, following the essential functions listed above.

Substitute Faculty Pool:

• On occasion, existing adjunct and appointed faculty may be hired to provide substitute coverage for a class session of an existing course. Tasks include:
  • Complete the quarterly survey to provide your availability by program, modality, course, and day/time to serve as a substitute.
  • Monitor and respond to email requests when substitute coverage is needed that matches your survey responses.
  • Coordinate with the instructor of record for whom you will be providing substitute coverage on the learning objectives, activities, and assessment for the class session.
  • Substitute teach the needed class session.
  • Provide an email update regarding any follow-up related to the substitute coverage to the lead faculty and GSSW Academic Affairs, including a summary of the hours worked to provide substitute coverage.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• The position requires exceptional communication skills, including the ability to read and interpret documents, to draft and/or edit documents and correspondence, to communicate effectively in both written and verbal modes to individuals and groups of adult learners.
• The position requires basic mathematical proficiency.
• The individual in this position must have excellent interpersonal skills.
• The individual in this position must be able to work independently and effectively prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Experience with a variety of computer applications, including proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, Zoom video conferencing, internet and email applications is required. Willingness to upgrade professional and computer skills is necessary attribute.
• Ability to articulate teaching approaches used in professional graduate education programs.
• Must be a strong user of Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Strong commitment to inclusion in higher education.
• Strong attention to detail and strong customer service orientation. Ability to prioritize workload, anticipate needs, and work effectively within a large university setting and across faculty and administrative roles.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s Degree for courses categorized as a theory, research, policy, or values course.
• Any ‘practice’ course in the MSW curriculum requires a Master of Social Work (MSW) and two-years post-MSW practice experience.
• Successful facilitation experiences for adult learners in trainings, groups, or teaching
• Qualified applicants must have United States work eligibility, and reside and work within the United States

Preferred Qualifications

• Master of Social Work 

Work Schedule

While the University's administrative offices are open Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm, faculty schedules vary from term to term and are based on courses taught, service commitments, and research agendas. The University's academic calendars are posted on the registrar's website.

Working Environment

• Depending on the program, it may be virtual, campus-based, or distance-program based.
• You will need to provide your own personal computing laptop for teaching. Chrome-books will not be allowed, as they do not sufficiently connect to learning management system features.
• No office space is assigned, but you will have an assigned classroom, if teaching an in-person modality course. For online courses, you may teach from anywhere you prefer that offers a conducive, distraction free, and stable internet access environment.

Application Deadline

Applications will be considered as they are recieved. 

Special Instructions

Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Course Rate

• Adjunct faculty: $1290.00 per credit hour, per quarter for 1-5 years of employment
• Adjunct faculty: $1340.00 per credit hour, per quarter for 6+ years of employment
• Emeriti and overload for appointed faculty: $1590.00 per credit hour, per quarter
• Ad hoc Course Coordinators: $1450 per course, per quarter

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits

The University of Denver offers some benefits for non-benefited employees. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Cover Letter
3. Contact information for three professional/academic references. References may be contacted at a later date.

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history and national sex offender registry background check.