BSW Field Practicum Placement

To be considered for placement in a social work practicum, students must be accepted into the BSW program and in good academic standing, as outlined in the BSW Student Handbook.  In addition, there are different course requirements for enrollment into the Junior or Senior Practicum.

Practicum

Junior practicum in the BSW Program at a prearranged and approved social services agency. Obligations include 168 clock hours of direct experience at an agency plus additional classroom seminars integrating the 9 CSWE competencies, process time, readings, and assignments. Clock hours are to be completed while registered in 6 credit hours of seminar over the course of one semester.  Exception: Ivy Tech transfer students register for 4 credit hours of seminar over the course of one semester. Prerequisite: Students must be currently enrolled in or have successfully completed SOWK 310 and be in good standing in the program in order to progress into Junior Practicum.

Senior practicum in the BSW Program is completed at a prearranged and approved social services agency. Obligations include 350 clock hours of direct experience at an agency plus additional classroom seminars integrating the 9 CSWE competencies, process time, readings, and assignments. Clock hours are to be completed while registered in the 12 credit hours of seminar over the course of one or two semesters (6 credit hours per semester).  Exception: Ivy Tech transfer students complete 10 credit hours of seminar over the course of one or two semesters (5 credit hours per semester).  Prerequisites: Students must have successfully completed SOWK 350 to enroll in SOWK 450.   In addition, students must be in good standing in the BSW Program.

Practicum Placement Process

The urban setting and the small, intensive nature of the BSW program, gives students the unique position of being able to assist in the selection of their own practicum sites, or at least to determine the nature of the agency and population served, if they do not know any specific agencies in the area. Typically, this selection process occurs as a natural outcome of the advising process with the BSW Field Director. Pending availability of student space at the selected facility, most students are able to obtain placement at the site of their choice.

The responsibility for initiating a practicum placement rests upon the student. When a student and their faculty advisor deem it appropriate for the student to take a practicum, the student must do the following:

  1. Attend a practicum meeting as scheduled by the BSW Field Director. Typically, the meetings are held in September and February and entitled  “Practicum Call-Out Meetings.” These meetings are for students planning to participate in their Junior practicum the following semester(s), and attendance to this  meeting is mandatory.   Information regarding field placements and the placement process is reviewed. Students then schedule an individual session with the BSW Field Director to explore placement sites.
  2. Contact the BSW Field Director prior to the deadline date for an individual meeting.
    1. The deadline for a Semester I & Summer practicum is March 1 of the preceding spring term, and for a Semester II practicum, it is October 20.
    2. The student must complete all necessary  course prerequisites and  requirements of the department and/or  agency, and return them to the BSW Field Director or designated faculty member within the agreed upon time frame, at which time an appointment will be scheduled to begin working on placement. 

Following these steps, the BSW Field Director will assume placement responsibility for Junior or Senior practicum for BSW students, although the student must remain available for consultation as needed. This process includes contacting potential field sites, providing needed information to potential field instructors, and setting up initial pre-placement interviews. All placements require an interview process with the agency with the purpose of discussing the feasibility of the placement.  This provides all persons involved with an opportunity to determine the cohesion of the agency with the student and that of the student with the agency. Other objectives may include clarifying expectations of all parties, answering questions, determining student activities and schedule, beginning work on the field contract, and setting a starting date for the student.

Completing Fieldwork at the Student’s Place of Employment

Occasionally, students who are already working in the human services field request that they carry out their practicum at their place of employment. It is recognized that this would be a desirable placement for many reasons for working students. However, because the practicum is designed to be a learning experience, there are certain criteria which must be satisfied before this type of placement can occur.  The approval of an employment based field practica requires:

  • The student will discuss the potential of an employment-based practicum, then provide the appropriate contact information of the appropriate agency representative to further evaluate the appropriateness of an employment based practicum.
  • Each request is handled on a case-by-case basis.
  • The Field Director meets with the student’s current employer to determine if the learning connects to the nine CSWE Competencies, and that an appropriate supervisor is available for the student’s experience.
  • The agency must agree to the terms of the University of Indianapolis Affiliation Agreement and the BSW Field Contract. 
  • The agency and student understand that any personnel issues will not be addressed by the BSW Field Director or other faculty members unless directly connected to the practicum learning experience.

Academic Requirement

The Phylis Lan Lin Department of Social Work’s policies requires that the student receives a grade B or better in each practicum seminar class in order to successfully complete the curriculum requirements and to remain in good standing in the BSW Program. Students who fail to do so will automatically undergo a review as outlined in the BSW Student Handbook. Possible outcomes include academic alert in the program, suspension from the program, or dismissal from the program. Students who are retained in the program will be required to successfully repeat the practicum course, although the placement would occur in a different agency.
Back to top ↑