Practicum Education

Practicum education is more than an internship, it is the premier pedagogy for social work education!  As a student you will practice in agency settings throughout all of your course instruction.  Beginning the very first semester students will complete 16 hours per week, for a total of 225 hours per semester, or 450 hours per academic year.  A total of 900 hours in the field is required by the end of the MSW program.  Practicum placement and field seminar courses are taken together to help students integrate classroom material with field experience.

Practicum Placement Process:

• Once acceptance into the MSW program is confirmed, the student is asked to complete a Practicum Education Application
• The field education director will meet with each student prior to the start of the semester to review the application and student needs and interests. 
• Each student will be provided three practicum placements that match their interests when possible from an extensive network of providers in the social work program database.
• Students will schedule interviews with potential organizations on their own and meet with agencies provided by the field office. 
• Once practicum placement is offered and confirmed by the field education director,  an anticipated start date is given to the student. 

Employment Based Practicums:

Students may be able to use their place of employment to fulfill their practicum hours. Job duties must provide the same opportunities and experiences the student would receive from another practicum placement. Students should meet with the field education director to determine if their job can be used for their practicum and complete an Employment Based Practicum Application.

If a student is not already working in the human service field, they may work with the field education director to explore new employment based practicum opportunities.

MSW Practicum Placements

BSW Practicum Placements