Professional Field Experience
Foundation Year Students
One of the most critical components of a student’s education experience is their field placement. Students will complete an internship (aka field placement) in a community agency during each year of the MSW program. During a student’s foundation year, students will complete at least 480 hours in their internship over the course of the 30-week academic year. This is equivalent to approximately 16 hours each week. During a student’s concentration year in the program, students will complete at least 600 hours in their internship over the course of the academic year. This is equivalent to approximately 20 hours each week.
Placement Process:
- Students complete Application for Field Placement
- Students will receive three options for potential field placement agencies from the Field Office
- Students carefully review Next Steps document
- Students interview at assigned agency sites so that both the agency and student can mutually determine if a placement is a good fit.
- Students submit Field Confirmation form to the Field Director. (due April 27th)
Your field placement should provide a new educational experience for you and allow you to meet the prescribed learning objectives for each year. We carefully screen agencies to ensure they are able to do this, and we use the information on your Application for Field Placement to help determine appropriate placement sites. We encourage you to be active partners in your educational career, which is why you are given three agency options so you can determine which agency will be the best fit. Remember, the goal of the field placement is to learn and practice social work knowledge, values, and skills in order to become a more effective social work practitioner. While we will work hard to ensure that your placement is in line with your future career interests, the emphasis remains on the educational value of a placement site.
In order to maintain the integrity of the placement process that is used for hundreds of students, and to preserve ongoing relationships with field agencies, students are not to contact any agencies to propose placements or inquire about availability. If a student would like to suggest an agency be added to the database of affiliated field placements, simply contact the Field Director. Students are encouraged to indicate on their Application for Field Placement if they have a request for a specific field placement.
Student Forms:
MSW Next Steps (
37 KB)
MSW Potential Interview Questions ( 105 KB)
MSW FAQs ( 64 KB)
MSW Field Confirmation Form (29 KB)
MSW Field Manual ( 1,310 KB)
