Guided by CSWE standards, the Social Work Program is designed to enhance course content through experiential opportunities. Students are required to complete a minimum of 680 hours in “the field” throughout their program. These volunteer field experiences are done in a variety of human service and human-service related agencies that provide assistance to individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. They may address a single client system and single social issue, or may address a multitude of client systems and issues simultaneously. Two semesters of a minimum of 70 hours per semester are required of pre-Social Work majors before they can be admitted to the Social Work Program. This is typically done in the sophomore year. Once students are fully admitted to the Social Work Program, they are expected to complete additional volunteer field placements in each of the following two semesters, a minimum of 70 hours per semester or 5 hours per week. During the final year of the program, students will complete 400 hours of internship, or 200 hours each semester.
Some of your field placements may require that you pass a background check before you can participate in the placement. If you fail to pass the background check, you may be unable to complete the Social Work Program at Central.