FIELD EDUCATION IN THE BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK 

Field education is an integral component of social work education that comprises 25 percent of all social work credits taken towards the BSW degree.  Students admitted to the BSW program are required to complete two practicum placements, totalling 735 practicum hours.  Standards for Field Education in the BSW program are set by the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work (CASSW).  See Download Centre for Practicum Request Forms.

SOWK 330 - Practicum I

After the completion of pre-requisite courses, third year BSW students may request their first social work practicum, three days (21 hours) per week for 15 weeks, for a total of 315 practicum hours.  In addition, all third year practicum students are required to attend bi-weekly seminar classes that run concurrent with the practicum.

The third year practicum may be challenged by a small number of students. Those who have completed a minimum of 1,820 hours of paid social work, where their supervisor has a BSW or MSW Degree, may wish to review the policies and procedures for applying to challenge the third year social work practicum. The policies and procedures are available for download on this website or upon request from the Field Education Coordinator.

Fourth year BSW students complete their final social work practicum four days (28 hours) per week for 15 weeks, for a total of 420 practicum hours.  Students must also participate in an online seminar class.

The Field Education Coordinator maintains current information on approved practicum sites.  All potential practicum students are required to complete a Request for Practicum Form and provide both a hard copy and electronic version of their up-to-date resume. While all students are encouraged to identify potential practicum placements that interest them, the final decision regarding the suitability of a particular practicum placement for each student rests with the Field Education Coordinator.

After submitting a resume and completing a Practicum Request Form, the student will meet with the Field Education Coordinator in person to proceed with the practicum planning process.  

For most students, the practicum will take place in the Winter semester (January to April). For a small number of students, a practicum in the Fall semester may be approved (September to December). The practicum planning process takes place in the semester prior to the actual practicum. Students need to be aware of deadlines. See Practicum Request Forms in the Download Centre.

Contact

If you have questions about your social work practicum or about the practicum planning process, or if you are a Field Instructor interested in supervising a BSW practicum student, please contact the BSW Field Education Coordinator.

Lucki Kang, MSW, RSW
BSW Field Education Coordinator
School of Social Work & Human Services
University of the Fraser Valley
33844 King Road, Abbotsford, BC V2S 7M8
Phone: (604) 864-4640
Fax:     (604) 855-7558
E-mail: Lucki