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Fall 2026 Orientation is on August 20, 2026 for the BASW, MSW (face-to-face) and PhD Programs.
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Practicum Education and Registration Information

Matriculation of all fall 2026 incoming students will begin in early May.

Overview of your Practicum Journey

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.

Advanced Standing Student Information

Full time Advanced Standing students to Receive Practicum and Registration information
If you have applied to a fellowship, you will be contacted by a practicum professor as soon as fellowship decisions are made and accepted by the student
If you have not applied to a Fellowship—ongoing communication from practicum professor & academic advisor assigned by MSW Program Director
If you did not apply for a Fellowship and/or did not receive Fellowship position:
- MSW Program Director will communicate with these students in mid-May to early June with registration information
- MSW Program Director will communicate advisor assignments later in the summer
Practicum Placement to begin for Advanced Standing Students
- Beginning end of August of fall 2026 semester

Non-Advanced Standing Student Information

Full time Non-Advanced Standing (Generalist) students to Receive Practicum and Registration information
- Please note that your practicum advisor, and practicum liaison (non-CWEL students) academic advisor will be the same practicum faculty member for generalist year
- Mid-May/early June, then ongoing communication from practicum professor
Practicum Placement to begin for Non-Advanced Standing Students
- End of September/1st of October during fall 2026

Part-Time Student Information

Part-time Advanced Standing students to receive registration information:
- If you’ve applied to a Fellowship, you will hear from practicum professor at the end of May/mid-June
- If you have not applied to a Fellowship—ongoing communication from practicum professor & academic advisor assigned by MSW Program Director
- If you did not apply for a Fellowship and/or did not receive Fellowship position:
  - MSW Program Director will communicate with these students in mid-May with registration information
  - MSW Program Director will communicate advisor assignments later in the summer
- Part time advanced standing will receive communication from practicum professor for placement which will begin in the fall 2026.
Part time Non-Advanced Standing (Generalist) students Registration information
- Communication to begin Mid-May/early June
- Part-time non advanced standing incoming fall 2026 students to receive Practicum Information in January 2027
  - Placement to begin in summer 2027

CWEL Student Information

When will CWEL hear from Practicum Office Regarding Practicum Placements?
- Part time Advanced Standing and Non-Advanced Standing: Part-time incoming fall 2026 students to receive Practicum Information in January 2027 from Professor Robinson and CWEL advisor
- Full time Advanced Standing: End of May/mid-June
- Full time Non-Advanced Standing: Mid-May/early June then ongoing communication from Professor Robinson and CWEL advisor
When will CWEL hear about Registration Process?
- Part time Advanced Standing: You will hear from CWEL Advisor end of May/mid-June
- Part time Non-Advanced Standing: Communication to begin Mid-May/early June, then ongoing communication from CWEL Advisor
- Full time Advanced Standing: You will hear from CWEL Advisor at the end of May/mid June
- Full time Non-Advanced Standing: Mid-May/early June, then ongoing communication from CWEL Advisor
Advising information
- CWEL students are assigned to a CWEL faculty member for both practicum advising and academic advising

Additional Information

Exemption Exams

Incoming students who have not earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Work are eligible to take exemption exams for the Generalist Social Work Research course. Additionally, students beginning the MSW Program who have earned their bachelor's in social work and who did not receive advanced standing credit for the mentioned course may also wish to take this exam if they believe they have mastered the material. Students who pass these exemption exam will be awarded the credits for this course toward the completion of their MSW degree and be exempt from taking the class.

The current textbook for Generalist Social Work Research course is: Engel, R. J., & Schutt, R. K. (2017). Practice of research in social work (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Find Exemption Exam FAQs.

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International Students

All newly accepted international students please refer to the University of Pittsburgh Office of International Services (OIS) website.

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