University of Georgia

A major portion of graduate social work education involves practicum education. As the signature pedagogy, practicum education is the heart of social work education. Practicum experiences that blend classroom learning with real world experiences help maximize student growth and competency development.

Practicum education constitutes 18 credits of the 60 credits required to earn the MSW in the full program and 12 of the 40 credits in the advanced standing program. Our program requires 320 clock hours at a human services organization for generalist practicum (3 credits each of two semesters) and 580 clock hours at an agency for specialization practicum (6 credits each of two semesters). Advanced Standing students complete 600 clock hours at an agency for specialization practicum.

MSW students enter their generalist practicum placement in the fall semester and spend two semesters in the same organization. The second practicum experience builds on the generalist practicum and provides for the acquisition of in-depth knowledge and skills in social work roles in a specialization area consistent with the student’s selected track of micro, macro, or integrated practice.

The goals for competence training in practicum education include:

  • Technical proficiency in a specialization area.
  • Application and testing of theory and knowledge in natural social work settings.
  • Incorporation of knowledge and skills necessary for understanding and utilizing social work ethics, values, and goals in day-to-day practice and refinement of professional awareness, judgment, and decision-making abilities.
  • Understanding of the interdependence of the range of social work roles and skill, from interpersonal to macro levels, within various settings and fields of service.
  • Engagement in practice with diverse cultural and racial groups and with groups who have been consistently affected by social, economic, and legal bias or oppression.

Most placement sites require comprehensive background checks and/or drug testing.

MSW Practicum Manual
Syllabi
Important Considerations

Full-time Employment and Practicum Education
Students working full-time while pursuing their MSW should expect to significantly reduce or discontinue their work commitments to accommodate the requirements of practica. The competing demands of practicum, coursework, and full-time employment tend to detract from the overall learning experience of practicum education. As such, it is imperative that students adjust their schedules in order to satisfactorily complete the practicum requirement. Placements with evening and weekend hours are extremely limited. There are no placements that include all hours during evenings and/or weekends.

Drug screens and background checks
Most practicum sites require comprehensive background checks and/or drug screens at the student’s expense. Practicum sites that do not require background checks and/or drug screens are extremely limited in availability.

Professional Liability Insurance
All students are required to carry professional liability insurance while participating in the practicum education program. Students must provide evidence of coverage to the Practicum Office prior to practicum start. As a courtesy, the Practicum Office provides information to students about obtaining professional liability insurance.

Reliable transportation
Many agencies require the use of a vehicle or may be located some distance from the student’s home base. Not having a car severely limits practicum placement options and can compromise student specialization interests.

Generalist Placement

MSW students enter their generalist practicum placement in the fall semester and spend two semesters in the same organization. Throughout the generalist year students are enrolled in a seminar course to integrate their learning. During the first week of September, students begin working one day per week (8 hours) at an assigned agency for the remainder of fall semester. During spring semester, students continue at the same practicum agency two days per week (16 hours) the entire semester. Additionally, they attend the same integrative seminar with the same instructor during spring semester. The two semester sequence of generalist practicum education (SOWK 7115 & SOWK 7225) are designed to be taken in concurrent succession and may not be separated.

The total clock hours in generalist practicum education are 320 hours; 96 during fall semester and 224 during spring semester.

NOTE: the majority of placements are during regular business hours and students must be able to meet this requirement.

Generalist Practicum Education Requirements:

Fall semester – SOWK 7115 (3 credits) Introduction to the Social Work Profession and Practicum Education: 8 hours per week in practicum beginning in September (96 hours). Designated practicum days are Thursday OR Friday.

Spring semester – SOWK 7125 (3 credits) Foundation Social Work Practicum Education: 16 hours per week in practicum (240 hours). Designated practicum days are Thursday AND Friday.

Total of 320 hours in practicum plus weekly practicum seminar class throughout fall and spring semester.

*Required practicum hours vary for Dual Degree and 4-year Programs.

Students should consult their Program of Study for information regarding when the generalist practicum experience is slated. Generally, full-time students will engage in generalist practicum during their first year while extended-time students will engage in generalist practicum during their second year.

As a generalist experience, students do not choose a practicum site for their generalist placement. Students must complete a practicum application. Detailed information about the practicum education application process is provided to enrolled students by the Practicum Education Office. This application provides the practicum faculty with information about the student’s general areas of interest, previous experience, and any limitations identified. For the generalist practicum, students are typically matched with agencies that provide new and different experiences for students, thus expanding one’s portfolio of practice. Consistent with Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation standards, no credit is given for previous work experience. Generally, placement agencies operate during regular business hours and students are in the practicum on Thursdays and/or Fridays, but can vary depending on agency structure.

We put a high priority on providing diverse practicum placements throughout Georgia. To be approved, agencies must meet CSWE standards and provide superior practice opportunities. Students are expected to be able to drive up to a 60-mile radius from their assigned UGA campus or be willing to be placed in the metro Atlanta area for their practicum education. Students may express preferences for geographical areas but the Practicum Office will never jeopardize the integrity of the learning experience for convenience. Online students are typically expected to drive up to a 60-mile radius from their residence within Georgia.

Specialization Placement

Students must be academically eligible to enter the specialization practicum. The practicum setting must support the area of specialized practice (either Micro, Macro, or Combined) the student has selected. The practicum consists of a total 580 practicum hours (300 in the fall semester, 280 in the spring semester); which averages 20 hours per week for both fall and spring semesters at the same agency. There is no concurrent seminar with specialization practicum. Students are supported by an assigned faculty liaison and are fully engaged in an experiential learning encounter within an agency.

*Required practicum hours vary for Dual Degree and 4-year Programs.

Practicum coordinators conduct an individualized placement matching process for each student guided by student provided information in the specialization practicum application. Specialization students identify placement preferences in the following areas:

  • Setting of Interest
    Examples: school system, substance abuse/recovery, mental health, etc.
  • Problem Area of Interest
    Examples: abuse/neglect, women’s issues, mental health, etc.
  • Geographic Placement Preferences
    Examples: Athens area, Metro & North Atlanta, Surrounding Counties East of Athens, etc.

The School of Social Work strives to maintain numerous and diverse graduate level practicum placements with a high priority on sites with the Northeast Georgia region. Agencies that have been approved by the practicum office meet CSWE standards for an educationally directed practicum experience and provide superior practice opportunities for training professionals. Students will be assigned to practicum placements within these regional agencies. Students are expected to be able to drive up to a 60-mile radius from their assigned UGA campus or be willing to be placed in the Metro Atlanta area to complete this educational requirement. Students are able to identify geographical placement preferences; however, the Practicum Office will never jeopardize the integrity of the learning experience for convenience. Online students are typically expected to drive up to a 60-mile radius from their residence within Georgia.

The responsibility for approving and selecting agencies and initiating placement arrangements rests with the Practicum Education Office. Students are not allowed to contact agencies without permission from the Practicum Office. Practicum education faculty assesses the suitability of agencies as student training sites and approves those that meet the School’s requirements. Only Practicum Office-approved sites can be used for practicum education.

Students should consult their Program of Study for information regarding when the specialization practicum experience is slated. Detailed information about the practicum education application process is provided to enrolled students by the Practicum Education Office. This application provides the practicum faculty with information about the student’s areas of interest, previous experience, and any limitations identified. Consistent with Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation standards, no credit is given for previous work experience. Generally, placement agencies operate during regular business hours and specialization students are in the practicum on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Remote Practicum Activities

Examples of remote practicum learning activities listed by competency area: Alternate Practicum Activities (PDF)

Please continue to refer to uga.edu/coronavirus for institutional updates on the impact of COVID-19 on practicum education.

Practicum Education Application

This application portal is intended for registered UGA Social Work students who are eligible for entry into practicum education.

Please note: Once you log into the system, you will have up to an hour to complete the application. After an hour, the system will time out. It will allow submissions, but the content will NOT be successfully saved or received. Please limit narrative input to 45 words. It is recommended that you create responses in Microsoft Word or some other word processor to give the ability to count the characters and save work. You can then transfer your responses into the system.

  1. Use the following link to access the Practicum Application: https://field.ssw.uga.edu/login.php
  2. Login into the application portal with your UGA MyID and MyID password. If you have trouble logging in or accessing the application please contact [email protected].
  3. Complete your Profile Information. It is imperative that you use your full legal name, utilize your UGA email address, and provide accurate contact information. Remember to Save Changes.
  4. Complete the application responding to all prompts.
  5. When all information is complete click Submit.

For your application to be considered complete, you must turn in the following materials to the Practicum Office:

Additionally, all students must:

  • Provide evidence of liability insurance coverage. You may email your proof of insurance to [email protected].

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