Field Education

Field education is the signature pedagogy of the social work profession.

The field practicum is the crucible in which the theory and practice concepts of the classroom are melded with hands-on skills of working with client systems in the community. Through the field practicum, students have an opportunity to apply the knowledge, values, and skills learned in the classroom to actual social work practice situations. In other words, students truly learn to become social workers.

Field education is pivotal to the quality of student education and to the future of the social work profession. As such, it is of central importance to the College of Social Work and is a required component of both the MSW and BSW curricula.

Discover more about the BSW field education program and MSW field education program at USC’s College of Social Work.