3.1 Social Welfare MSW Field Education Requirements

Required Units of Field Education

All Berkeley Social Welfare MSW students must complete a prescribed sequence of required, concurrent field practicum and integrative seminar courses, totaling 25 units of field education, to be eligible for degree conferral:

SemesterCourseUnits
1 (Fall)

SOC WEL 290A: Foundation Field Integration Seminar
SOC WEL 410A: Foundation Field Practicum

2
4

2 (Spring)

SOC WEL 290B: Foundation Field Integration Seminar II
SOC WEL 410B: Foundation Field Practicum

1
4
3 (Fall)

SOC WEL 292A: Advanced Field Integration Seminar
SOC WEL 412A: Advanced Field Practicum

1
6
4 (Spring)

SOC WEL 292B: Advanced Field Integration Seminar II
SOC WEL 412B: Advanced Field Practicum

1
6
Total Units Earned in Field Education 25

Required Hours of Field Practicum

As shown below, all Social Welfare MSW students must successfully complete a total of 1,120 hours of agency-based field practicum in two distinct, academic year-long field placements, under the supervision of an approved, qualified field instructor:

Generalist Field Practicum Completed in First Year

Field Practicum CourseUsual ScheduleTotal Hours
SOC WEL 410A (Fall Term, 4 units) 16 hours/week for 12 weeks 192
SOC WEL 410B (Spring Term, 4 units) 16 hours/week for 13 weeks 208
TOTAL GENERALIST FIELD PLACEMENT HOURS 400

Specialized Field Practicum Completed in Second Year

Field Practicum Course Usual Schedule Total Hours
SOC WEL 412A (Fall Term, 6 units) 24 hours/week for 14 weeks 336
SOC WEL 412B (Spring Term, 6 units) 24 hours/week for 16 weeks 384
TOTAL SPECIALIZED FIELD PLACEMENT HOURS 720

Students pursuing the MSW degree with advanced standing status at Berkeley must have completed 400 hours of field education at the baccalaureate level. Advanced standing students are required to complete 720 hours of specialized field placement practicum in the Berkeley MSW Program to be eligible for degree conferral.