The Essential Guide to Master of Social Work Practicums

Updated on: August 14, 2026 | 10 minutes read

By: Elizabeth Quinn

Psychology

The desire to pursue a Master of Social Work (MSW) is often rooted in a commitment to helping others and creating positive change—in individuals, families, and communities. While coursework builds your foundation, true confidence comes from direct practice. Whether you are exploring what earning an MSW entails or preparing for graduate study, field education turns classroom concepts into practical skills.

If you’re earning an MSW, you’ll need to complete a minimum of 900 hours of hands-on education¹ in real-world settings—this is what’s known as a “practicum.” Think of it like an internship, but with this key difference: practicums are shorter, more supervised experiences specifically designed to help you develop the skills every social worker needs before graduation and licensure.

This article will explore the practicum process—from choosing a site to maximizing your practical training through community service—along with tips on how to make the most out of your practicum, and how Alliant University’s online MSW prepares its students for these experiences.

Finding your place: Where MSW students complete their field education

As they complete their practicums, MSW students learn to deliver culturally responsive care while working with individuals, families, groups, or communities experiencing a variety of conditions and factors, such as:

Trauma
Child abuse and neglect
Anxiety
Depression
Grief
Substance abuse and co-occurring disorders
Domestic violence and human trafficking survival
Mental illness
Developmental challenges
Homelessness
Incarceration
Immigrants, refugees, and migrant families
Military service members and military families
Special education support and children who are deaf or hard of hearing
Foster care and adoption services
Pregnant and parenting teens
Transgender and LGBTQ+ community support

Organizations offering practicums to MSW students must meet specific qualifications and criteria. In her role as Director of Field Education and Practicum in Alliant’s MSW program, Dr. Sara Strayer (PhD, LSW) is committed to helping students find practicum sites that meet these criteria and align with students’ career goals and areas of interest.²

“Really, we’re looking to see that the organization provides social work services so students will have contact with clients during their practicum and an opportunity to practice their skills,” Dr. Strayer says.

Alliant MSW students have completed practicums in diverse settings across the social work field, including:

Community mental health centers
Child welfare services
Medical settings
Homeless outreach centers
Substance abuse treatment centers
Correctional facilities
Psychiatric hospitals
School-based settings
Senior services
Foster care and adoption services

Practicum partner organizations—such as El Centro De Amistad, San Mateo Medical Center, Kern County Behavioral Health, Legacy LA, and select local school districts³—provide students with hands-on opportunities to serve diverse communities while gaining direct practice experience.

A practicum site must have a qualified MSW supervisor available to oversee students’ work. These supervisors also reinforce the social work perspective, helping student process their experiences and connect them to their academic knowledge. MSW supervisors must have a MSW degree from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)-accredited school and two years of post-MSW practice experience.

In rare cases, a student may be able to find a paid practicum, also known as an employment-based practicum. The organization must still meet the same criteria and qualifications as any other practicum site and ensure the student’s supervision as an employee is conducted separately from the student’s supervision of their practicum.

Here’s what you need to know about Alliant’s practicum hours: Traditional MSW students complete 900 practicum hours—300 over one trimester in their first year and 600 over two trimesters in their second year. Advanced standing MSW students complete only the 600-hour advanced practicum, building on experience gained in their Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program.

While this sounds like a lot, it’s what the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) specifically recommends for MSW students. Why?

“By that point, students have developed the professional competence, knowledge, and skills they need to practice effectively after graduation,” Dr. Strayer says. “It’s an invaluable experience to spend that time in the field practicing assessments and interventions directly with clients.”⁴

Securing your practicum: How Alliant supports your search

Your practicum is where classroom theory meets real life. At Alliant, you won’t navigate the placement process alone. Our MSW students work with faculty starting right in their first trimester to determine their practicum needs and preferences—locations, populations, settings, goals, schedules, and other factors—using those details to help plan their experience.

As part of this formal planning process, students take an active role in securing potential sites, applying, interviewing, and completing onboarding steps like background clearances.

However, Dr. Strayer and the field education team provide dedicated guidance and structure throughout the search. For students living outside Alliant’s campus areas, the MSW Practicum Office uses a standardized approval process—evaluating local organizational services and supervisor qualifications through virtual communication and documentation to ensure sites meet program standards.

“It’s an honor to work with students, and I really see it as a partnership where we collaborate and work together to help them have a successful experience.”⁵

Hands-on learning: The day-to-day reality of your field experience

Your practicum offers countless opportunities to learn what social workers actually do. Depending on your placement, you might participate in individual therapy, group counseling, case management, facilitating trainings, engaging in advocacy, conducting research, completing assessments, interventions with clients, program evaluations, policy reviews, crisis intervention, community education and outreach, and housing assistance.

“Alliant students are doing amazing work in their communities,” says Dr. Strayer. “It’s really exciting to see them have all of these different opportunities and really learning not only about themselves through the process, but also about the folks that they’re serving and developing their identity as a professional social worker.”⁶

Doran Edwards, a graduate of Alliant’s MSW program, shared positive experiences of his first practicum at the California State Department of Rehabilitation. His goal at the time? Gaining more experience outside his comfort zone to grow as a future clinician.

“My first practicum was a really eye-opening and a really empowering experience. As a graduate student assistant, I had the chance to support individuals in gaining meaningful employment and assessing essential services that promoted independence and self-efficacy out in the community. I was also involved in assisting them with accommodations, sitting in on interviews, reviewing documentations and learning firsthand how the social work intersects with state policy and vocational rehab. This experience really deepened my understanding of advocacy, system-level support, and kind of the importance of accessibility and equality in public services.”⁷

Real talk: How to balance practicum, school, and life

Let’s be honest: While social work is a rewarding career, it’s also challenging. The good news? Your practicum strengthens your ability to face these challenges as experienced mentors stay by your side. Addressing these challenges firsthand is another practicum benefit, allowing you to manage and overcome them in real time.

Balancing practicum hours, coursework, job commitments, and personal life can present challenges. Before selecting a site, take time to evaluate your weekly schedule—accounting for field hours, classes, work shifts, caregiving, and travel. While many agencies operate during standard business hours, some offer evening or weekend flexibility depending on agency needs and supervision availability. To help you navigate this, the Practicum Office collaborates with you early on to identify sites that align with your availability.

Once placement begins, you’ll continue receiving structured support from site supervisors, seminar instructors, and the Practicum Office to help navigate documentation, evaluations, or unexpected scheduling adjustments.

“Alliant faculty really understood that many of us are working professionals and/or have families or other obligations out in the real world,” Doran said. “They were flexible, responsive, and always encouraged open communication. I never felt like I was navigating it alone.”⁸

Thankfully, students and faculty in a graduate social work program understand better than anyone the importance of supporting strong mental health and wellness, which can help normalize these struggles.

“My classmates, my supervisors, and especially the student organizations, they helped create a sense of belonging, and also connecting with peers who understood the demands of the program really helped me stay motivated and accountable,” said Doran. “Plus, there are resources like counseling services and academic advising. Looking back, the network of support was really the difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling empowered. It definitely helped me build confidence as I navigated a more challenging academic environment and prepared me for my future career.”⁹

Setting yourself up for success: Insider advice from students and faculty

Both Doran and Dr. Strayer say that, when it comes to finding a practicum, start early, communicate, and be proactive. Students must be transparent and specific about their unique goals, and MSW programs like Alliant’s should take a collaborative approach that incorporates CSWE competencies, program requirements, and student and agency needs.

What sets Alliant apart: Curriculum, support, and CSWE accreditation

According to Dr. Strayer, Alliant’s MSW curriculum stands out in how it prepares students for their practicum. “The Alliant MSW program curriculum does a nice job of preparing students to enter the practicum. They have a first semester where they are becoming oriented with the profession. What does it mean to be a social worker? What do social workers do? Talking about how it relates to policy and human development and all those different factors.”¹⁰

During their fieldwork, Alliant MSW students are concurrently supported by a seminar course specifically focused on their practicum experiences. The course also helps them apply what they’re learning in real time.

The online MSW program at Alliant is CSWE-accredited, meeting rigorous academic standards that ensure students receive a quality education recognized and respected in the field. Alliant’s MSW program includes a research component and offers a convenient, adaptable learning environment that helps students achieve objectives and improve abilities as professional social workers.

As an Alliant MSW student, you can also benefit from:

Flexible field placements that fit your schedule and provide a specialization that works best for you.
A work-life balance approach that prioritizes your learning while accommodating personal obligations.
Courses that apply principles of cultural competency, cultural humility, and inclusive awareness to help reduce inequities and disparities.
Training for diverse careers that promote community health and wellness.
A clinical focus, with certification exam prep built into the courses.

For those seeking a career in social work, a practicum is not only required but a transformative way to turn academic knowledge into hands-on experience, bridging the gap between theory and practice. Practicum experiences are invaluable for building professional relationships, diverse learning opportunities, networking for future career opportunities, and self-reflection and growth. As Dr. Strayer puts it, “I’ll just share that every social worker has gone through a practicum and that you can do it too, and that you have the support available as you’re going through it.”¹¹

Social work training is rigorous, but the rewards are worth it. It’s natural to feel overwhelmed by the whole process, which is why Alliant is here to help. We provide the hands-on experience that makes your coursework come to life. With small MSW cohorts and classes taught by expert faculty with real-life social work experience, you’ll benefit even more, just like Doran.

“To anyone walking this path, especially if you are first to do it in your family, just know this: that you’re capable, you are needed, and you’re not alone.”¹²

Ready to start your MSW journey? Contact our admissions team at [email protected] or 866-U-ALLIANT to learn how you can gain the hands-on experience that will shape your social work career.

Sources

Author Unknown, “Prepare for your Education,” Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), Accessed November 30, 2025 ↩︎
Strayer, S. (Guest). (2025, October 30). “Taking the Pain Out of Practicum” (No. 1) [Audio podcast episode]. Social Work Matters. Alliant University. ↩︎
Listed organizations are examples of potential practicum sites. This list is not exhaustive, and placement at any specific site is not guaranteed. ↩︎
Strayer, “Taking the Pain Out” ↩︎
Strayer, “Taking the Pain Out” ↩︎
Strayer, “Taking the Pain Out” ↩︎
Edwards, D. (Guest). (2025, October 30). “Taking the Pain Out of Practicum” (No. 1) [Audio podcast episode]. Social Work Matters. Alliant University. ↩︎
Dora, “Taking the Pain Out” ↩︎
Dora, “Taking the Pain Out” ↩︎
Strayer, S. (Guest). (2025, October 30). “Taking the Pain Out of Practicum” (No. 1) [Audio podcast episode]. Social Work Matters. Alliant University. ↩︎
Strayer, “Taking the Pain Out” ↩︎
Edwards, D. (Guest). (2025, October 30). “Taking the Pain Out of Practicum” (No. 1) [Audio podcast episode]. Social Work Matters. Alliant University. ↩︎