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MSW
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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HOW MANY FIELD HOURS ARE REQUIRED FOR EACH GRADUATE FIELD COURSE? |
| WHAT ARE MY FIELD PLACEMENT OPTIONS? |
| ARE THERE ANY PRE-PLACEMENT CONDITIONS REQUIRED BY SOME SETTINGS? |
| The field practicum is an integral component of the curriculum in social work education. It engages the student in supervised social work practice and provides opportunities to apply classroom learning in the field setting. (Quoted from C.S.W.E. Evaluative Standard for Field Practicum, Standard M6.14.) |
| Please Note: Field Orientation for students entering a field placement is scheduled the week prior to the beginning of each semester. The purpose of the orientation class is to review field course requirements and to obtain all field related materials for the field course. Specific dates and times for the one session class vary each semester and are posted and available in the Field Office. |
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To fulfill
social work practicum requirements, all students must complete "hands
on" experience in a social service agency with supervision provided by
a social work professional (MSW) who possesses a minimum of two years
full time, post-graduate social work experience. Following an orientation
about how the agency functions, students are expected to become involved
in social service activities at the agency and to fulfill all designated
field course assignments.
A number of field practicum sites require a criminal background check on student field applicants prior to accepting a student for field placement. |
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HOW MANY FIELD HOURS ARE REQUIRED FOR |
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EACH
GRADUATE FIELD COURSE?
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A total of 1,160 hours (4 semesters)
are required to complete field education requirements. However, students
who have advanced standing (completion of BSW within five years of entry
into program) are required to complete a minimum of 900 hours, |
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All designated field hours must be completed for each field course within the semester in which enrollment occurs. Field hours may be extended beyond the end of the semester only with the consent of the assigned field liaison and field instructor's permission. Absences from field due to illness must be documented by a doctor's statement if the time away from field exceeds a one-week period. All time away from the field placement due to illness or other reasons must be made up. If a student must be away for an extended period of time, a determination of whether the agency can accommodate the absence will be determined. |
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Field is a course for which all the designated field hours and assignments must be completed before a final grade is assigned. Students may not be assigned a grade of Incomplete unless the request by a student for an extension and a plan for completion of the requirements has been pre-approved by the Field Instructor and assigned Field Liaison. A grade will be assigned only when the student complies with the new deadline for completing all the requirements, Grades of Incomplete may be changed to an "F" after designated deadlines agreed upon by student, Field Instructor, and Field Liaison, have not been met. |
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Answers to this question are based on a number of variables: whether the student is part-time or full-time; the number of semesters anticipated for completion of the program; appropriate sequencing of concurrent method courses, availability of agency site; etc. Since there is an integral relationship between classroom courses and field assignments, students should be in contact with their assigned faculty advisors, the Graduate Students Advising Office and the Field Office about overall academic planning. |
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Based on the Accreditation Standards of the Council on Social Work Education, applicants who completed a BSW Degree from an accredited program within a five year time frame from the date of entry into the graduate social work program are eligible to be exempted from SOC WRK 721 (2 credits). In addition, the UWM Graduate Social Work Program grants an exemption for SOC WRK 721 if the student has been employed full-time as a social worker following completion of a bachelors degree and has been supervised directly (formally) by an MSW for a minimum of two years, (The five-year time frame also applies to this category). An exemption request for Field Course SOC WRK 721 must be submitted prior to entering the initial field placement and/or the first full time academic semester. |
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Only students who have been admitted to the Graduate Social Work Program are eligible for a field placement. Students who have completed a BSW Degree within a five-year period from date of admission are eligible to enter a field placement if there is concurrent registration in required academic courses. Completion of Methods Course SOC WRK 708 is required for non-BSW Degree applicants prior to entry into an Initial field placement. |
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Since most graduate courses are taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays, field hours are usually scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during traditional office hours (8-5). The specific scheduling of hours is negotiated by the student with the Field Instructor (agency), Because of the nature of services provided, some agencies may require evening hours. |
| A FIELD INSTRUCTION INFORMATION FORM must be completed by the student applicant in triplicate. The Field Office requires three copies, as copies will be sent to the agencies prior to the pre-placement interviews and one copy will be retained by the Field Office. Students should also retain a copy of the form for their records. Once completed, the forms should be forwarded to the Field Office, Enderis Hall, Room 1075 by the designated deadline for the semester in which a field experience is sought. |
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The student's field application will be reviewed by the Coordinator of Field Education and assigned to a Field Liaison on staff. The Field Office will notify the student by mail to initiate an appointment with the designated Field Liaison, The purpose of the student/liaison meeting is to discuss field placement options based on a number of variables such as the student's current skill level, interests, and the availability of the agency/site. |
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All referrals for a field placement are to be made by the assigned Field Liaison, Students are not to negotiate their own placement. Students who contact or negotiate a field placement on their own will NOT be placed in the agency to which they have self-referred. |
| Students are encouraged to share with the Field Liaison their inquiries about field placement sites not currently utilized by the School. The Field Office will contact the prospective agency to explore the possibility of developing a new field placement site. If the prospective agency site identified by a student can provide a practicum experience and has completed the process of becoming a field placement site, the field staff will refer appropriate field applicants to the site. However, students who assisted in identifying new sites are not automatically assured of being assigned to the site. |
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A FIELD LIAISON is a professional Social Worker on staff at the School of Social Welfare who is assigned to work with students to assess field education skill/interests. The Field Liaison assesses student field learning needs and refers applicants to agency sites for pre-placement interviews, The Field Liaison shares an overview of the applicant's interests, skill level, past field performance, etc. with the agency Field Instructors, Students and Field Instructors are expected to discuss the outcome of field interviews with the referring Field Liaison. Once the agency site is confirmed, the Field Liaison will monitor the student's field learning during each semester. The Field Liaison assigns the final grade for the Field Course. A FIELD INSTRUCTOR is the designated professional Social Worker (MSW) at the agency who provides the direct supervision of the student in field practicum throughout the placement assignment. The Field Instructor is responsible for assessing the overall field performance using the written format provided by the School and recommends the final grade. The Field Liaison assigns the final grade for the Field Course after reviewing all written materials submitted by the Field Instructor and student. All field materials and assignments must be completed prior to assigning a final grade. More detailed information on the Field Program is outlined in the Graduate Field Manual. |
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Answers to this question are based on a number of variables: whether the student is part-time or full-time; the number of semesters anticipated for completion of the program; appropriate sequencing of concurrent method courses, availability of agency site; etc. Since there is an integral relationship between classroom courses and field assignments, students should be in contact with their assigned faculty advisors, the Graduate Students Advising Office and the Field Office about overall academic planning, |
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A minimum of two consecutive semesters in one field setting is a requirement for completion of the MSW. |
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Agencies providing social work field education placements must meet the criteria and standards defined by CSWE and the School of Social Welfare. The number of potential placements to which a student will be referred will be limited to three placement sites, and will be jointly prioritized for the purpose of referral by the Field Liaison and student field applicant. However, students are not guaranteed three placement options, nor are they required to interview at three placement sites before a placement confirmation is finalized. Also, students are not guaranteed a placement site in a specified agency of their choice, or agencies located in a specific geographical area. More detailed information on the field program and field placement process can be found in the Graduate Student Field Manual which is available for review in the Student Information Center. Each student entering a field placement will receive a personal copy of the Graduate Student Field Manual at the field orientation, which occurs at the beginning of each academic semester. |
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