What you need to know about field work in a master’s degree program in social work

At Baylor, students are required to complete two stints of field work: the first is a weekly commitment ranging from 16 hours to 18 hours for two, 14-week terms (roughly 475 hours), and the second is a 20-hour weekly commitment for two, 14-week terms (about 550 hours). Since students in Baylor’s online MSW program can live anywhere, the organizations and agencies where they complete the field work requirement can be based anywhere, too. Gardner’s job is to communicate clearly what’s required in a practicum, help students identify placement, and ensure that all runs smoothly.

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The concept of a practicum, or field work, in social work education dates back at least to the early 1900s. This experience is meant to provide students with the opportunity to integrate the real-time practice of their education in schools, at hospitals, in mental health organizations, and various community agencies devoted to serving others. Since 1952, the Council on Social Work Education has accredited more than 800 social work programs and sets the standards for field work and curriculum—including the 150-plus schools on Coins2Day’sdirectory of master’s of social work programs.

Here’s what you need to know about this component of a master’s degree program in social work.

Defining the time to complete field work

People who are considering an MSW program need to have a very clear understanding of how the practicum requirement works, as it’s a big piece of the social work education ecosystem. Completing this aspect of the program often means juggling school, work, family, and anything else in the mix during the years of graduate work. Unless a student enters a program with a bachelor’s degree in social work, CSWE requires 1,000 hours of field education—and fulfilling that requirement each week can be challenging, so students must have solid organizational skills, family support, and financial stability.

At Boise State University, the biggest challenge in field work is the time commitment, says Jennifer Obenshain, the school’s online program coordinator. “Traditionally, social services organizations are open Monday through Friday, nine to five,” she says. “Being able to complete that requirement while working is difficult to do. People take part-time jobs, they work nights. Students get very creative.”

Finding field work placement

As a rule, it’s important to be careful that field work happens in two distinct locations—with different populations and in different environments. At Baylor, Gardner recommends that students follow what interests them, but also push a bit outside of the things they already know. “We have an accrediting mandate that it can’t be the same population,” she says. “Different agencies, different populations, but that gets nuanced.” 

For example, Gardner says, if a student works for the first internship with children in foster care, the second commitment could still be with children—but it would need to be in a completely different setting. “If they were in a hospital the first time and they were doing discharge planning and the second time in a cancer center we’d allow that,” she says. “That’s just to make sure they come out as well rounded as possible.”

Most schools have a placement team that maintains established relationships with agencies both locally and across the country. If an online student lives in an area that’s new to the school, the team will work to connect with that student’s preferred field work organization to make sure the student gains the experience and real time education he or she is after. 

Location can often dictate so much about the experience, notes Shelley Hall, who helps place students in practicum opportunities for the online MSW program at the University of Central Florida. “I live in Orlando, so there’s a lot of opportunity for field work but a student in Alaska may have one choice,” she says. “We can’t always assure it will align with your career goal. There are limits on what we can offer. But we are not a career matching service. You have to get your hours in and learn those skills so you’ll graduate.”

Being flexible, building a network

In some instances, students may already be working at an agency, where they can complete some or all of their practicum hours. In those cases, it benefits the agency as much as the student to double as a practicum agency for the duration of the requirement—and that allows the student to keep working, and gain hours toward graduation. 

Malia Halstvedt was able to work from home during her MSW program at Boise State. “I was lucky to be able to do my work around my schedule,” she says. “I think it’s rare to have a job that can accommodate that for you. It can make online education really achievable if you can get everything together.”

What’s more, a lot of these agencies are happy to have a social-worker-in-the-making on board, as it’s an opportunity to leverage new skills and expertise once the student graduates. Field work can be a built-in opportunity to network within the community where a student hopes to work, as well. 

Even if you’re at an agency that doesn’t align with your career goals, you have a foothold in the community and can leverage the connections you have within the organization to land a job outside of it. “These are two years of your life as a student,” says Hall. “Take advantage of every opportunity there is and try something you never thought about before. If you never thought about addiction, or working with children, you may learn great things but say, ‘I’d rather stick with the adult population.’” 

Field work is an opportunity to ask questions, and try new things, soaking in all of the training an agency experience can give you. “I encourage students to be open,” reiterates Hall. “This is a learning opportunity and a balance the student has to find.”

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