Social Work students work with a patient

In our department, real-life experience is what will set you apart from other graduates. We believe you can get a better understanding about making a difference when you can see your work from start to finish. Our students have found that this training is a great way to start their careers, and it looks great on your resume.

Your field education is a practicum that is mandatory for all social work majors. The practicum gives you a chance to take your classroom skills and apply them to real problems. For the BSW, this experience happens during the last semester prior to earning your degree and is offered only during the spring and summer semesters.

Requirements

Students

You will complete your fieldwork at an agency in Indiana or a surrounding state. With the help of our practicum coordinator, you will be placed in a site that will help you start your career path.

We encourage you to look for sites that you hope to work at after graduation. Some of our students have had great success working for their practicum sites.

Once your practicum placement has been arranged and confirmed, you will be a full-time (35 to 40 hours a week) employee.

Faculty Liaisons

Once your field placement site has been confirmed, you are assigned a faculty field liaison, who will serve as the link between the social work program and your field practicum site. Your liaison reads and grades your field seminar assignments in SOCWK 462 and visits you at your field site.

The following faculty serve as faculty field liaisons:

To be eligible to serve as a field site for your practicum, an agency must meet these minimum requirements:

  • be able to provide learning experiences that support the social work field curriculum
  • be able to provide weekly qualified supervision
  • be no more than a 4-hour drive from the university

Field Practicum Forms

Please complete the following form to express your interest in hosting a practicum student.

Download Form (PDF)

Liability Statement

Ball State University offers liability to our students while completing the senior level practicum. Please read the information provided by the University below.

The University is aware of potential liability which may arise from its students for actions or alleged actions from third parties in the performance of internships or courses that require an external learning experience for academic course credit. This liability may be for property damage, bodily injury, or acts of a professional nature such as those involved with the delivery of medical or allied health services. The University provides liability coverage with limits of $1 million per occurrence, $3 million aggregate to protect against this risk and is able to provide host sites with proof of coverage for internship placement.