Field Program Overview

The USF School of Social Work views field education as fundamental to social work education and the achievement of the goals of the profession. Unlike many other academic programs that students may successfully complete by performing well in the classroom and in the laboratory, social work education requires that students develop competence in applying the knowledge obtained in the academic setting and developing practice skills through the field education experience.

Field Education, the portion of the social work curriculum that most directly prepares students for professional practice, includes supervised field instruction. Field Instruction enables students to learn contemporary practice issues related to the academic setting, the efficacy of theoretical constructs, the effectiveness of various modalities of intervention and the opportunity for applied research.

For the BSW program, field education begins in the student's third semester. The requirement is 32 clock hours per week, or 480 hours over 15 weeks. The requirement for the MSW program is 900 clock hours. Students in the full-time MSW program start field education in the second semester and work in the field 20 hours per week for 3 semesters. Students in the part-time MSW program work in the field 12 hours per week for 5 semesters.

The School utilizes more than 400 field agencies within the region and maintains a formal partnership with these agencies through a formal agency affiliation agreement. Availability of resources will determine the exact geographical region used for placement.

Currently, students are placed in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Students are "matched" by the School with a specific agency and field instructor. "Matches" are determined through the use of multiple factors including students’ interests and experience with the agency believed to best meet the educational needs of a specific student. The School utilizes both general knowledge of field agencies and past experiences with agencies and field instructors to assist in making the "match" which will best meet the needs of the student with those of the field site.