During the course of the program, each student has two field placements in separate agency locations for a total of 12 units of academic credit. All students attend a twelve hour orientation before beginning their first field placement. The first year is a foundation placement. The advanced placement is in an agency consistent with a student's concentration. Foundation placements provide students with a foundation in social work practice skills using a generalist-integrative practice model.
Students have opportunities to learn to work with all size systems in a variety of assignments.
The advanced practicum is designed to offer learning experiences relevant to a student's advanced concentration. Students choosing the children's concentration are placed in agency settings such as public child welfare, school based programs, family preservation programs, developmental disability services, neonatal hospital services, and children's services in community mental health settings. Using a concurrent model, first year full-time students begin their placements during the fourth week of the fall semester and remain in those placements through the five week winter term until the eleventh week of the spring semester. Full-time students, in their advanced placement, spend 20 hours a week for 11.5 weeks during the first semester and 16 hours per week for 15.5 weeks during the winter and spring semesters. Students are in placement from the fall semester through the five week winter term and the spring semester for a total of 26 weeks.