Practicum Education is the School of Social Work's signature pedagogy and is intricately woven into the student's scholarship throughout the program. The Practicum Education Office works with closely with students to ensure that their internships provide a classroom in the practicum experience; translating learning into direct application.
The practicum experience is divided into a generalist experience for 1st year MSW students and a specialization experience for 2nd year/advanced standing students. The generalist experience focuses on the development of foundational social work practice and practicum placements focus on work with individuals, groups, families, organizations and communities (360 hours). The specialization experience is divided into options for Direct Practice (DP) and Community, Organization and Social Action (COSA). The Direct Practice specialization provides the skills a student needs to work with individuals, groups and families. The Community Organization and Social Action specialization builds the skills needed to work with communities and organizations. The specialization placement requires 720 practicum hours.
Online Practicum Directory
- Students can view the Practicum Directory within the Sonia data management platform.
Overview of the Practicum Placement
Practicum Placements: Advising Timeline, Required Hours
The placement advising timeline and required hours differ based on your MSW program option (Oakland Face-to-Face, Online, or Regional), whether you are enrolling as a full-time or part-time student, and whether you are enrolling as a Generalist or Specialized student.
| Advising Timeline | Placement Required Hours | Placement Duration | |
| Full-Time, Face-to-Face, Generalist Students | Advisors will begin working with you in late Spring/early Summer; placements begin during your first semester | 360 | Fall, Spring |
| Full-time, Face-to-Face, Advanced Standing (Specialized) Students | Advisors will begin working with you in the Spring; placements begin during your first semester | 720 | Fall, Spring |
| Part-Time, Face-to-Face, Generalist Students | Advisors will begin working with you in your second semester; placements begin in the Summer* | 360 | Summer, Fall* |
| Part-time, Online Generalist Students | Advisors will begin working with you in the Spring; placements begin during your second semester | 360 | Spring, Summer |
| Part-time, Online, Advanced Standing (Specialized) Students | Advisors will begin working with you in Spring of your first year; placements begin in the Fall of your second year | 720 | Final year: Fall, Spring, Summer |
* Subject to change as course progression plans are revised
Practicum Placements: Process
The process for obtaining a practicum placement is the same across all placement experiences:
- You will be assigned a Practicum Advisor. Your Practicum Advisor will meet with you and guide you through the Practicum placement process. This is a collaborative relationship that is truly important to a successful practicum experience.
- Your placements must be arranged by your Practicum Advisor. While students can suggest agencies or areas of interest, students may not seek out your own placements. This is due to contractual agreements that need to be established between the agency and University.
- You will work with your Practicum Advisor to share information about your practicum learning goals. Using this information, your Practicum Advisor will work to identify an appropriate placement learning site. Your Practicum Advisor will reach out to the site to initiate an interview and will inform you about clearances or any other special requests from the site.
- If you are interested in exploring the possibility of an employment-based placement, it is important to discuss this with your Practicum Advisor at the beginning of the placement process. Please note that there are specific steps and requirements associated with employment-based placements, as all placements must support accreditation-required learning competencies.
- Guarantees cannot be made regarding agency preference. As a school, we will assess whether an agency is equipped to provide the necessary educational experiences, including regular, structured social work practicum instruction.