MSW Field Program

The USF and Tampa Bay Ten Country Regional area provide a rich variety of agencies and programs that offer approved student field placements for both bachelor's and master's level students. Of special interest are two Veterans Administration locations, 3 hospital systems that ranked in the best 100 in the Nation by U.S. News & World Report America's Best Hospital's 2007 and one of the largest Hospice organizations in the Country. In this region there are over 1000 agencies and programs serving children and families and we offer enhanced field placement support for students enrolled in our special certificate program in child welfare. In addition to its location in a diverse community that is home to over 2 million people, the area has over a thousand trained field instructors in human service agencies affiliated with the University.

The requirements for successful completion of a MSW degree included a field education component. USF requires a minimum of 900 total hours of field placement. Full-time students are in field 20 hours per week for three semesters; part-time students are in field for 12 hours per week for 5 semesters. USF utilizes a single field placement model which means that the student is placed in one agency for the entire 900 hours of field placment. Students are enrolled in a professional seminar concurrently with the placement to assist with integrating the full learning experience.