Placement Practicum

Placement practicum allows students to observe real-life situations handled by professionals in the field. Social work students are required to apply for admission into the practicum. An orientation meeting is scheduled by the Placement Coordinator each semester for all students planning to enroll in the placement practicum during the next session. The link to the BSW Placement Manual will be distributed and discussed at each Fall placement orientation meeting with the Placement Coordinator.  MSW students will meet with the MSW Placement Coordinator in the Summer for Specialized Year and in the Fall semester for the Generalist year.

Additional information about the placement practicum is available in the social work program BSW or MSW Placement Manuals.

• Students in the BSW program will complete a total of 448 clock hours of placement (224 in Fall and 224 in Spring).
• Students in the Generalist MSW program will complete 448 clock hours of placement (224 in Spring and 224 in Summer).
• Students in the Specialized MSW program (which includes students who are in Advanced Placement) will complete 500 clock hours of placement (250 in Fall and 250 in Spring). 

In accordance with professional and University standards, students may be denied acceptance or withdrawn from the program or placement practicum for either academic or behavioral reasons. Students denied admission into the placement may file a grievance in accordance with University procedures as discussed in the appendices.​​​

Students are never left to find their own placements in our BSW or MSW programs. The Placement Application process includes an interview with the Placement Coordinator, who will work with you to identify your preferred population, agency, and supervision style. We will then refer you to an agency that is available and the best match to your preferences. No student is required to find their own placement. We have over 200 agencies that we have pre-approved and are happy to work with students already employed in human services to develop a placement opportunity at their agency.

Placement Coordinator’s next steps:

1. All of the placement applications must be done on Tevera ($225). The Placement Coordinator will send a registration link to the student. 
2. After the student notifies the Placement Coordinator, the Placement Coordinator will review all submitted applications and forms and meet with each potential placement student.
3. The Placement Coordinator will determine if the student meets the requirements for placement.
4. The Placement Coordinator will meet with each student to discuss his/her eligibility for placement and, if accepted, possible agency placements. Students not meeting the requirements for placement will be notified of their ineligibility, the reason(s) for their ineligibility, and the corrective measure(s) that must be taken.
5. At no time is the student to contact placement agencies without the Placement Coordinator's approval.
6. The student will contact the selected agency and interview with the agency placement instructor and/or representative once the Placement Coordinator has received approval from the agency for the student to contact them.
7. The Placement Coordinator will contact the agency placement instructor and then meet with the student to discuss the decision for placement.
8. If the student and placement agency agree the match is a good fit, both the student and placement instructor will sign the Placement Agreement. The placement is secure only after the Placement Agreement is signed.