PRACTICUM EDUCATION - SOCIAL WORK鈥橲 SIGNATURE PEDAGOGY

Two women walking on 大象传媒's campus

The Council on Social Work Education () has identified Practicum Education as the signature pedagogy for social work, and we strictly adhere to all CSWE requirements throughout the three levels of Field Education: 1) BSW Year, 2) MSW Generalist Year; and 3) MSW Specialist Year. The Sandler School of Social Work is proud to offer real-life experiences for our social work students in agencies throughout South Florida, from Vero Beach to Miami.

In rare situations, students may be employed in a social work setting that meets the standards for practicum education and which can be accepted by the Office of Practicum Education as an Own Agency Placement for either a BSW or MSW student. View Own Agency Placement Policy .



Points of Pride

Applying for Practicum Placement

To apply for your practicum placement, please complete your application using the link received via email. If you did not receive an invitation to apply via email, please complete the Student Practicum Placement Request Form and email it to Tod Marshall (tmarsha5@fau.edu) so he can add your information to the InPlace Software system. You will then receive a notice of confirmation that includes your login information and access to complete your practicum application. We will then review your application, and you will be notified via email of their decision and next steps for entering practicum in your designated semester.

  • BSW Year: Students must complete all core coursework two full semesters prior to entering their practicum. 听Additionally, all coursework will be reviewed prior to practicum placement to determine readiness for graduation, as students are not allowed to take additional courses while in their placement. BSW students are required to complete 400 practicum hours in a single semester, known as a block placement. Students have the option of completing their practicum hours across two semesters; however, this option requires advanced approval from the agency and practicum faculty. Students are expected to demonstrate and behaviors in generalist social work tasks throughout the duration of their practicum placement.

    NOTE: BSW practicum applications are due the 4th Friday of the semester prior to expected practicum听entry.

  • MSW Generalist (Foundation) Year: Students are required to complete 400 hours in a two-semester placement. 听Students remain in the same placement for both semesters and are required to complete 200 placement hours each semester. This is a concurrent program, as the students are in classes at the same time as the practicum听placement. 听Students are expected to demonstrate and behaviors in generalist social work tasks at this level.

  • MSW Specialist (Clinical) Year: While completing their final year of the MSW degree, students are required to complete 600 hours in a two-semester placement. 听Students remain in the same placement for both semesters and are required to complete 300 hours each semester. 听This placement must be a clinical placement, and students must be able to demonstrate and behaviors at this level. 听

    NOTE: MSW practicum applications are due on June 1 for each academic year. Students who miss this date will need to defer practicum placement until the following academic year.


Current & Future Community Partners

To our current agency partners and practicum instructors, thank you for your commitment to helping us train the social work leaders of tomorrow!听

If you are interested in hosting students from the Sandler School of Social Work at your community agency, we thank you and invite you to review the forms below to get started.

Important Forms



Student Forms



Our Practicum Faculty

Heather Thompson, Ph.D. LCSW

Michael A. Robinson, PhD, MSSW, CAADC
Director and Professor
Phyllis and Harvey Sandler
School of Social Work
michaelrobinson@fau.edu
(561) 297-3245

Atensia Bowen

Atensia S. Earp Bowen, LCSW
Interim Practicum Coordinator and Instructor
Phyllis and Harvey Sandler听
School of Social Work听
aearp2016@fau.edu
(561) 297-2725

Everiste Ambris, MSW

Everiste Ambris, MSW
Practicum听Coordinator听
Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work
eambris@fau.edu
(561) 297-1165

Patricia Gustafsson, LCSW

Patricia Temes, PhD, LCSW-QS
Practicum听Faculty听
Phyllis and Harvey Sandler听
School of Social Work
jgustaf2@fau.edu
(561) 297-3234

Kyle Matera, LCSW-QS

Kyle Matera, LCSW-QS
Practicum听Instructor听
Phyllis and Harvey Sandler听
School of Social Work
kmatera@fau.edu
(561) 297-3234听



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