Prepare for your field internship

Field placement and support

Fieldwork is an integral part of the online MSW program and will be woven throughout your studies with two distinct placement experiences. You will first complete 400 hours of foundational fieldwork at an agency-based internship. The foundation internship experience exposes students to micro, mezzo, macro social work enhancing knowledge, values, skills and cognitive/affective processing through case management, intakes, supportive counseling, community outreach and education and more. Between the foundation and concentration internships, students take advanced courses to deepen their understanding of complex social work theories, techniques and policies. This is followed by 500 hours of concentration internship in either AIP (Advanced Integrated Practice) or ACP (Advanced Clinical Practice). During your concentration fieldwork, you will expand your knowledge, values and skills in a specialized area of practice.

Examples of foundation generalist level internships

Types of practice settings:

Not-for-profit community centers
Congregate care
Shelters
Residential treatment
Child welfare agencies
Addictions detox/inpatient treatment
Health homes
Coordinated care facilities
Senior and assisted living
Schools
Unhoused

Integrated practice internships

Settings that allow practice with multiple social work levels (micro-mezzo-macro) in an interprofessional setting:

Hospitals (Medical)
Schools
Child welfare/Foster care/adoptions
Health homes
Behavioral health mobile crisis
Crisis intervention
Integrated health clinics
Departments of health
State and federal representative offices
Homeless and housing coalitions
Health care setting administration
Relationship violence/sexual assault

Clinical practice internships

Outpatient behavioral and integrated health clinics
Inpatient psychiatric units
Child and family behavioral health programs
Behavioral health services in alternative settings: jails/prisons, hospitals, schools
Outpatient alcohol and drug treatment

Please note, these bullets above pertain to both integrated practice and clinical practice. You will also have access to our placement portal, located right in the dashboard of your digital campus. This online tool can be used to view details of your field placement site, check your upcoming schedule, log your hours and keep track of your progress.