www.ssw.umaryland.edu/field_instruction/ Field Education is an important component of graduate social work education. Included in a student's plan of study will be two different field placements in social services agencies, departments or other service delivery systems located throughout the State of Maryland and surrounding areas. Foundation Field Education Practicum
The first placement is referred to as the Foundation Field Practicum and is part of the foundation curriculum. The foundation placement is not based on a student’s specialization/concentration, but is designed to provide a generic social work experience. Assignments are made by the Field Education faculty. Students doing their Foundation placement spend two full days a week (16 hours) at a field placement site to which they have been assigned. Placements are either on Monday and Wednesday or on Tuesday and Thursday and are generally within a 50-mile radius of the student's home. All Foundation placements begin in the Fall and continue through the Spring semester. All student assignments, which are submitted to the Liaison and/or Field Instructor, are completed in their Electronic Field Notebook. There is one course outline and student performance evaluation form for the Foundation Practicum. Advanced Field Education Practicum
The second placement is referred to as the Advanced Field Practicum. This placement supports the concentration and specialization that the student chooses as the focus for his/her advanced study. The student's preference for particular placement site is a consideration in arranging this placement. Advanced Field Practice begins in the Fall and continues through the Spring semester. The only exception to this Fall-Spring sequence is the Summer-Fall sequence which is available only in faculty-based field education units. Summer-Fall placements are dependent on the student's concentration, specialization, and availability of space in the particular field education unit. Students doing their Advanced placement spend three full days a week (24 hours) at the field placement site. The placement days are generally Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. A student applying for an Advanced Field Practicum may request an extended field placement, which requires him/her to be in a field placement two days a week from the beginning of the semester to the end of July. Once a student has begun a placement based upon this model he/she will not be allowed to shift to the three-day a week model. Students who choose this field placement model will not graduate until the end of July. There is a course outline and a student performance evaluation form for each concentration. Application for a Field Education Practicum
Students are required to apply for a field practicum placement. Information about the placement process, including placement opportunities and requirements, as well as application deadlines, is made available to students through announcements in the Student Bulletin and online in the student’s Field Electronic Notebook. Employment-Based Field Education
The School has developed an Employment-Based Field Education option for those students who want to have their field placement at the agency where they are full-time employees. Employment-Based Field Education proposals involve the participation of the student, his/her agency supervisor, the agency administrator, and the potential Field Instructor. The agency is required to demonstrate that it has the capacity to provide the student with a field placement that is separate and distinct from his/her work assignment and provides the student the opportunity to achieve the learning objectives set forth in the field curriculum. A copy of the Employment-Based Field Education policy and the form for the proposal are available online. Agencies and Field Instructors
Agencies and Field Instructors must be approved by the Assistant Dean for Field Education. Agency administrators and social workers interested in becoming approved field placement sites and Field Instructors should contact the Field Education Office to discuss their interest. All referrals for placement of a student must originate in the Field Education Office. Field Education Manual and Calendars
A Field Education Manual, which contains the policies and procedures for the Field Education program, is available online (http://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/field_education/current_students.htm). Two Field Education Calendars are published annually. One is for all Foundation students and Advanced Field Practice students on the regular schedule. The other is for the Advanced Field Practice students on the extended field placement schedule. These calendars are also available online. Students are expected to take responsibility for knowing the Field Education calendar and when their application and assignments are due. top . | 
