Gain Hands-On Experience via Your M.S.W. Practicum Experience
Practicum experiences are essential to your social work education because they allow you to apply theoretical and conceptual knowledge in supervised settings. Winthrop University’s online Master of Social Work includes hands-on learning opportunities to help you develop competencies for effective social work practice with support from our engaged faculty. By providing quality services in an agency environment, you’ll strengthen your social work skills and fulfill the learning objectives of the online M.S.W. program.
A Practicum Experience That Aligns with CSWE Standards
To deliver an optimal practicum experience, Winthrop’s course objectives align with the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards established by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). These standards provide a comprehensive framework for designing, coordinating and evaluating practicum criteria, enabling students to demonstrate social work competencies. We also apply CSWE standards when supervising these experiences.
Chart Your Course for Gaining Real-World Experience
Before beginning your practicum experience, you’ll work with a practicum/field specialist to identify locations for meeting the learning objectives of this component of the M.S.W. program. Here are the field instruction courses included in the practicum experience:
- Field Instruction I (Generalist): Students in the Traditional program begin their practicum experience with this course. Students apply foundational practice knowledge and skills to engage, assess, intervene and evaluate clients and systems in a real-world setting. By the end of this course, students can demonstrate generalist practice competence across the nine core objectives outlined by CSWE.
- Field Instruction II (Specialized): Advanced Standing students begin their practicum experience with Field Instruction II, and it’s the second practicum experience for Traditional students. This course provides opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills gained via our specialized empowerment curriculum. By the end of this experience, you’ll be able to demonstrate entry-level competencies in specialized social work practice.
- Field Instruction III (Specialized, Continued): In this course, you’ll further develop specialized practice skills. As it concludes, you’ll work independently to engage in specialized practice that aligns with the nine CSWE course competencies. This experience will illustrate your ability to enter the social work profession as an M.S.W. practitioner.
Make a Plan for a Successful Practicum Experience
During the M.S.W. program, you’ll complete online coursework and practicum instruction hours concurrently. Your practicum experience will follow a regular work schedule—Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.—so it’s vital to practice effective time management to balance your academic, personal and professional commitments. Be sure to talk with your employer about your M.S.W. program so that you can stay on track for graduation.
| Course | Weekly Hours | Total Practicum Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Field Instruction I (Generalist — Traditional M.S.W. students only) | 12 hours/week | 240 hours over 21 weeks |
| Field Instruction II | 12 hours/week | 330 hours over 28 weeks |
| Field Instruction III | 12 hours/week | 330 hours over 28 weeks |
Key Steps for Your Practicum Experience
You’ll progress through many milestones while completing your practicum experience, and Winthrop’s faculty and practicum/field specialists are here to guide you every step of the way. Here are key steps we’ll help you complete as the in-person component of your M.S.W. program begins:
During this step, you’ll define how the goals and competencies for your internship will translate into practice and learning tasks. We’ll also outline how to complete the required practicum experience hours and achieve the course objectives.
A practicum/field specialist will work diligently to help you secure a placement with your ideal agency or an option that is compatible with your interests. You’ll also receive assistance to ensure the internship provides direct practice experiences with clients and systems. This support helps you build specialized M.S.W. skills through a variety of learning activities and experiences.
Like any new professional role, adjusting to the demands of your placement will take time. Your practicum/field specialist will collaborate with you and the agency to help you understand the expectations of the practicum instruction. You’ll also receive guidance for orienting yourself with the agency and your co-workers, clients and day-to-day responsibilities, fostering a smooth transition into your practicum experience.
How to Complete the Practicum Experience with Your Current Employer
You can complete your practicum experience with your current employer* by meeting these criteria:
- Your internship responsibilities must be different than your regular role
- The specific academic requirements are met by your experiences
- Your internship supervisor is someone other than your current work supervisor and has an M.S.W. degree
Request More Information
Complete this form to receive information about coursework, admissions, tuition, and more.
Disclaimer
*A Special Note About Changing Placement Sites: A large benefit of practicum education is the breadth of experience you gain within the separate generalist and specialized placement opportunities. To enhance your ability to transfer skills, knowledge and critical thinking from one practice setting to another, you are encouraged to complete your generalist and specialized practicum placements in two different agency settings.
If there is a compelling reason to have both practicum experiences within the same organization and you can demonstrate how the agency setting will provide both generalist and specialized learning activities, you can request an exception from the Winthrop University Practicum Director.