Field Placement Requirements

What is a Field Placement?

The field placement is the “signature pedagogy” of MSW education.   The field placement in the UNC Charlotte Social Work Department is based on a concurrent model with classroom education and allows each student the opportunity to integrate classroom knowledge and skills with actual practice in a human services agency.

The field practicum in the foundation year provides students with a generalist practice experience.   Students are placed in an affiliated agency for two (2) days a week (Mondays and Tuesdays) for a minimum of four hundred and sixty (460) hours for the academic year.   The Field Placement will begin the day of classes and each student should verify the exact start date with the Field Education Department.   The foundation field experience seeks to provide the student with a broad range of generalist practice situations such as: interviewing, case-planning, shadowing professional staff, developing reports, attending policy meetings, conducting research, and participating in professional supervision.

The second year field placement provides students with the opportunity to specialize in a field of practice (i.e., aging; families and children [including school social work]; and, mental health) within the Interpersonal Practice concentration. Students are placed in an affiliated placement agency for three (3) days a week (Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays) for a minimum of six hundred (600) hours for the academic year.   Each course focuses on developing advanced practice skills with a particular emphasis on services to individuals, families and small groups. The advanced placement experience seeks to provide the student with opportunities to demonstrate the ability to prepare advanced assessments, provide a range of intervention services, and critically evaluate his or her practice.

It is important to note that the Social Work Program does not grant social work course credit for life experience or previous work experience.

How Does the Field Placement Contribute to the Preparation for Social Work Practice by the student?

The field placement is not to be confused with "paid employment." Often students feel frustrated that they are spending a lot of time doing agency work and not "getting paid." It is important to remember that you are not at the agency doing work as an employee, but rather building skills, knowledge, and values about social work practice and yourself. This can be a time of tremendous professional growth through personal reflection of work habits, biases, and knowledge development.

Field Placement Requirements

Advanced Standing MSW Students

On the students first day of classes during the summer session there will be a mandatory UNCC Field Orientation at the University which is considered the first day of field education.   The Advanced Standing MSW program requires the student to complete a two (2) day a week placement in a human service agency during the summer sessions after enrolment. The placement is completed on Mondays and Tuesdays for sixteen (16) hours, (two eight (8) hour days). Students continue in their field education placement during the break in the summer sessions.

Advanced standing MSW graduate students must complete a minimum of one hundred and sixty (160) clock hours in their field placement during the summer sessions.   Field Education is scheduled from the week of the first day of classes to the week of the last day of classes. A student must meet the requirements of the weeks in field, as well as, the minimum number of hours expected. If a student exceeds the minimum number of hours they are not allowed to leave the field placement early.

During the fall and spring semester of the following academic year the Advanced Standing MSW graduate students have the same requirements for field education as the second (2nd) year MSW students. Advanced standing graduate students are required to complete three (3) placement days a week in an agency for the fall and spring semesters and this is completed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for twenty-four (24) hours, (three eight (8) hour days).

The beginning date of the field placement is the first day of class during the fall semester and the ending date is the last day of classes of the spring semester. The student will need to complete a minimum of three hundred (300) clock hours in the field agency in the fall and a minimum of three hundred (300) clock hours in the field agency in the spring, for a total of six hundred (600) hours for the academic year.

A student must meet the requirements of the weeks in field, as well as, the minimum number of hours expected. If a student exceeds the minimum number of hours they are not allowed to leave the field placement early. It is fully expected that the student will actually complete additional hours each semester, but credit will not be given for the course unless the minimum number of hours is met.

Advanced standing MSW students have a field seminar class that meets once (1) per month. This experience allows students to immediately utilize and integrate the knowledge, skills, and values taught in the classroom with their clientele, in community programs, and in administrative settings. This educational experience occurs in coordination with the University, the Coordinator of Field Education, faculty liaison, an agency, and a field instructor.

It is anticipated the advanced standing MSW student will be in the same field placement for the entire program, with the exception of students, who are pursuing school social work, since summer placements are not available. An appropriate summer placement will be pursued for those students.

First Year Traditional MSW Students and Extended Students in their Second Year

The first year of the MSW program utilizes a concurrent field placement model. First year MSW students are in field placement for two (2) days per week, (Mondays and Tuesdays) and in class on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays during the fall and spring semester of the academic year.

MSW students have a field seminar class that meets once (1) per month. This experience allows students to immediately utilize and integrate the knowledge, skills, and values taught in the classroom with their clientele, in community programs, and in administrative settings. This educational experience occurs in coordination with the University, the Coordinator of Field Education, faculty liaison, an agency, and a field instructor.

The beginning date of the field placement is the first day of class during the fall semester and the ending date is the last day of classes during the spring semester. The student will need to complete a minimum of two hundred and thirty (230) clock hours in the field agency in the fall and two hundred and thirty (230) hours during the spring semester for a total of four hundred and sixty (460) hours for the academic year.

A student must meet the requirements of the weeks in field, as well as, the minimum number of hours expected. If a student exceeds the minimum number of hours they are not allowed to leave the field placement early. It is fully expected that the student will actually complete additional hours each semester, but credit will not be given for the course unless the minimum number of hours is met.

3rd Year Extended Students who are in their 2nd Field Placement

The second year field placement for extended students will commence during the first day of class during the first summer session.  Students will complete a two (2) day a week placement in a human service agency on Mondays and Tuesdays for sixteen (16) hours, (two eight (8) hour days).  Students continue in their field education placement during the break in the summer sessions.

Extended MSW graduate students must complete a minimum of one hundred and sixty (160) clock hours in their field placement during the summer sessions.  Field Education is scheduled from the week of the first day of classes in the first summer session until the last day of classes in the second summer session.  A student must meet the requirements of the weeks in field, as well as, the minimum number of hours expected.  If a student exceeds the minimum number of hours they are not allowed to leave the field placement early.

The Field Placement shall continue on Monday and Tuesdays for sixteen (16) hours, (two eight (8) hour days) during the fall and spring semester of the following academic year.  The student must complete the same number of clock hours for the summer, fall and spring semesters as 2nd year MSW students.

Employment Based Field Placement

An employment based field placement can be an option if the employing agency is affiliated with the University, qualifies as a field site for the Social Work Department at UNC Charlotte and the prospective student has been an employee of the agency for a minimum of one (1) year.  CSWE guidelines relevant to employment based field placements must be adhered to by the student and the employing agency.

• Placement of students in an employing agency is an exception and must be evaluated closely and approved by the Coordinator of Field Education and the Field Education Committee.  The field instructor must be different than the student’s day to day supervisor and the placement must be in an entirely different unit than their normal day to day employment.


• The designated field instructor must be approved by the Department of Social Work.  He/she must be an MSW with at least two (2) years post-MSW experience.  The field instructor cannot be the direct paid work supervisor of the student.  The field instructor must attend mandatory field instructor training.


• The employing agency must be within a sixty (60) mile radius of the University of North Carolina in Charlotte or have the ability to use technology which would facilitate virtual visits by the faculty liaison.


• The request to complete a field placement in an employing agency must be submitted in writing to the Coordinator of Field Education at the beginning of the spring semester prior to the fall placement semester.  The Coordinator of Field Education will submit the written request to the Field Education Committee where a decision will be made regarding the written request.


• The Employment based request must include in detail, the proposed learning opportunities for the student.  Field Placement learning experiences must be in an entirely different program or division than where the student is employed.  The learning experiences assigned for the student must meet the requirements of UNCC field education program and must differ substantially from the student’s employee role.  The level of assignments will be determined by the student’s educational role, not the employee role.


• All terms of the employed based field placement agreement must be adhered to by the student and by the employing agency.


• If approved, the field placement must achieve all of the placement objectives.  The student must engage in both micro and macro graduate level practice activities under qualified social work program approved field instructors.  The objectives must be reviewed be the student, the prospective field instructor, the student’s employer, and the Coordinator of Field Education.


• The school must be assured that the employment agency supports the placement as an educational experience and is committed to providing the time and supervision to be involved in discrete learning activities with specific learning objectives that are related to the placement objectives.  The employing agency is expected to help the student and the university to create and maintain an environment for learning to take place.


• Employment Based Field Agreements are not considered approved until the review by the Coordinator of Field Education and the Field Education Committee and a letter will be sent confirming approval.


• (See Appendices J & K for Employment Based Field Placement Policy, Employment Based Field Placement Agreement and Application Process)


• Students must also complete a Field Placement Agreement for the placement after it has been approved.

It should not be assumed that a student’s placement will occur within the student’s employing agency just because the agency meets all field instruction and other UNC Charlotte Social Work Program standards and expectations.

For FAQ's about the MSW program click here.

For a downloadable MSW Field Placement Application please click below:

MSW Field Placement Application (Word)