Academic Programs - Field Education
Field Education: Overview
Field education is an integral part of the social work curriculum for the BASW and MSW Programs. In 2008 the Council on Social Work Education designated Field Education as the Signature Pedodogy where the classroom and the field integrate. Click to view the new CSWE Competencies. Students participate in experiential and integrative learning in affiliated community organizations so that they can apply to real life practice situations what they have learned in the classroom. This experience additionally prepares students for the professional position they will assume in the marketplace after graduation. Students learn under the supervision of a qualified field instructor and with the support of a field advisor and liaison from the School of Social Work.
The importance of the role of the field instructor as teacher, guide, challenger, and role model to the student cannot be underestimated. Field instructors perform these responsibilities on a voluntary basis, often to give back what they were given and to continue to remain current and challenged in their thinking about the practice role they perform and the social issues they face in their work with individuals, families, small groups, neighborhoods, communities, and organizations. No two field instructor or student experiences are identical, but there are threads of commonality in all field placement experiences.
The information on this Web site is to assist students and field instructors as they prepare for, engage in, and complete the field placement experience. There is also information for those who would like to consider becoming an affiliated site or a potential field instructor.
Please see important announcments for the latest details of what is happening in Field Education: Announcements
Students may begin the process of obtaining a field placement by browsing the online field directory at www.fieldedlink.pitt.edu
We welcome you to Field Education!