Practicum Instructors

Practicum Education at Berkeley Social Welfare

Practicum education is social work’s signature pedagogy: integrated, practice-supported learning that brings classroom knowledge, professional values, and real-world enactment together. Through supervised practice, reflection, feedback, and increasing responsibility, MSW students develop the competence and professional judgment needed for ethical, effective social work practice.

Berkeley Social Welfare partners with approved practicum agencies throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Agency-based Practicum Instructors are essential partners in preparing the next generation of social workers and serve as students’ primary day-to-day teachers and supervisors. The Berkeley Practicum Education Team recruits and approves placements, prepares and supports Practicum Instructors, and monitors the quality of students’ learning experiences.

Faculty Instructors of Record (IORs), working in coordination with the Associate Dean for Curriculum, provide academic oversight and quality assurance. Faculty IORs review students’ learning agreements, evaluations, and pre-site-visit assessments. A joint virtual site visit is conducted only when the student’s and Practicum Instructor’s assessments indicate meaningful misalignment. When significant concerns arise, the Practicum Education Team leads a coordinated response.

Practicum Education Program 

MSW students complete two distinct academic-year placements and participate in required campus-based practicum activities. Together, these experiences help students connect curriculum with agency practice; integrate social work knowledge, values, skills, and critical reflection; and develop their professional identities.

First-Year Generalist Placement

First-year students complete 450 practicum hours, generally attending placement on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Generalist placements provide broad exposure to social work practice across individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Before entering placement, students participate in practicum preparation activities. Throughout the year, campus-based practicum activities support students in making meaning of their experiences, connecting theory with practice, receiving and using feedback, and developing competence across the nine social work competencies.

Second-Year Advanced Placement

Second-year students complete 630 practicum hours, generally attending placement on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Advanced placements build on generalist preparation through increasingly complex, specialized, and autonomous learning opportunities.

Students deepen their ability to integrate theory, evidence, ethics, professional use of self, and attention to power and context in practice. Many agencies also offer group supervision, specialized training, or site-based seminars in addition to the required weekly individual supervision. Concurrent coursework and campus-based practicum activities further support students’ transition into advanced professional roles.

The revised language updates the hours, replaces the former Practicum Consultant model, clarifies the conditional site-visit process, and avoids promising an individualized seminar or coaching relationship that is no longer part of the structure.

Questions?

Contact swpracticum@berkeley.edu

Berkeley Social Welfare Practicum Education Contacts

Terminology

  • Practicum Instructor: The agency-based professional who serves as the MSW student’s primary day-to-day teacher and supervisor.
  • Faculty Instructor of Record (IOR): The Berkeley Social Welfare faculty member who provides academic oversight for practicum learning. The IOR reviews students’ Learning Agreements and evaluations, monitors competency development through these academic materials, and recommends practicum grades to the Associate Dean for Curriculum..
  • Practicum Education Program: The program team that reviews all student and Practicum Instructor pre-site-visit forms, identifies concerns or meaningful misalignment, and determines and coordinates any needed follow-up. When significant concerns arise, PEP leads the response in collaboration with the student, Practicum Instructor, agency, and appropriate University partners (if needed).
  • Associate Dean for Curriculum (ADC): The faculty administrator responsible for the academic leadership, quality assurance, and continuous improvement of practicum education. The ADC consults on significant student, site, readiness, and performance concerns and assigns final practicum grades.
  • Practicum Program Administrative Support Specialist: The staff member who coordinates the program’s administrative processes, communications, records, forms, calendars, and logistical support for students, Practicum Instructors, faculty, and agency partners.