Field Education for Bachelor of Social Work

Supported professional experience for NAU students earning degrees in Social Work

The Social Work Field Education Program is your opportunity to gain real-world experience in a supported environment and build your resume working with local organizations. You will apply what you learn in the classroom and move one big step closer to a career in social work. This firsthand experience will help you discover, develop, and enhance your social work skills.

Take your learning out of the classroom while earning your social work degree from NAU

In the NAU Department of Social Work field placement provides an educationally focused and directed practice experience that enables students to discover, develop, and enhance their competencies as generalist social workers.  Field Education is the component of the Social Work Curriculum designed to make real the behavioral incorporation of knowledge, values, and skills resulting in the acceptance and expression of responsibility and conscious use of self in professional practice.  It is through field placement that student academic learning becomes operationalized and actualized.

Field placement makes learning direct, immediate, and personal. Students’ learning about their own feelings and attitudes is encouraged, for a part of the experience involves exploration of feelings and emotions to a greater extent than is possible in the classroom.  With this field placement experience, students grow in self-awareness and develop a sense of professional identity and competence.

Two models:

Every BSW student must complete 450 hours of field placement in order to complete the Social Work degree. We offer two different models for meeting this requirement:

Concurrent field placement: Accordion Closed

Students gain an intense field experience at an organization while taking courses. Devote 16 hours a week at the organization for a minimum of 225 hours per semester and earn 6 credit hours. This option is spread over two concurrent, back-to-back, semesters requiring a minimum of 450 hours in an organization setting.

Block field placement: Accordion Closed

Students are placed at an organization full-time and gain an intense field experience without concurrent classwork. You must intern a minimum of 30 hours per week for fifteen weeks, and will earn 12 credit hours in one semester. This option is for students who have completed all of the core social work courses. Summer block is 12 weeks at 35 hours a week. Both options require a minimum of 450 hours.

Field education partnerships:

NAU students pursue field training with agencies from diverse sectors:

• federal
• state
• tribal
• voluntary
• private

Here is a helpful guide of words you will read throughout this site.

Field Education Eligibility & Requirements

Do you meet the eligibility requirements for NAU’s BSW Social Work Field Education program?

Field Education is an important part of the Social Work learning experience, and it is vital that students are fully prepared to make the most of the opportunity.  Our Field Education faculty help match qualifying students with the best placements for them.

All BSW students must complete a minimum of 450 hours of Field Education with an approved organization.

To be eligible to apply for Field Placement, you must:

• Have an overall GPA of 2.25
• Information regarding background clearance for all students and instructions for Arizona students to obtain their Level One Fingerprint Clearance card can be found here Social Work Background Check and AZ Fingerprint Clearance Card Instructions
• Have formally applied and been accepted as a social work major
• Have attained senior status and have completed SW 321 with a grade of B or better. In addition, for block placement, you will have completed all required core courses
• Follow the procedures for applying for field placement
• For students who are interested in completing their field placement at their current place of employment, there is an additional approval process and application that is required. Consult with the NAU Social Work Field Education Office.

To complete the Field Placement requirement, you must:

• Attend and participate in monthly field seminars
• Complete the required SW 408 assignments
• Complete a minimum of 450 hours

BSW Field Placement Application Deadlines

• Fall Semester Start – February 1
• Spring Semester Start – April 1
• Summer Semester Start – November 1