Section 5: Field Placement Time Requirements and Attendance Policies

All students and field placement settings are expected to follow the policies and procedures established by the Berkeley Social Welfare MSW field program for time, attendance and required supervision in field practicum. Regular attendance and punctuality in field practicum are considered prerequisites for eligibility for field education. A pattern of excessive absence or lateness will affect eligibility for field education or ability to complete the field placement.

When circumstances arise that impact a student’s attendance in field placement, or the Field Instructor’s ability to provide required weekly supervision, these should be identified and addressed in a timely manner directly with the student, Field Instructor, and the student’s assigned Field Consultant.

Regardless of circumstance, students cannot be exempted from the total time requirements needed in field education to be eligible for degree conferral. In certain instances students may petition for an alternative schedule for field practicum, when such arrangements are feasible and advantageous to student learning, and do not affect the student’s ability to satisfy other required academic obligations. Requests for alternative field placement schedules are considered on a semester-by-semester basis, and approval is not guaranteed. If granted, alternative schedule arrangements should be documented in the Learning Agreement. Regardless of schedule accommodations for field placement, the total hours requirement remains the same for all students.