MSW Field Education
Field education is more than a curriculum requirement — it is your opportunity to gain professional social work experience while earning your MSW.
During your field placements, you will:
- Apply the knowledge and skills you learn in the classroom in real practice settings
- Receive guidance under the supervision of an experienced social worker
- Make a positive impact on clients, organizations and the larger community
Field Education at UB
Our unique approach to field education contributes to our recognition as a leader in graduate-level social work education. By completing field education at the UB School of Social Work, you can:
- Benefit from comprehensive field experiences in the Buffalo Niagara area — a highly diverse, multicultural region with an array of populations, including children and families, military veterans, LGBTQIA+ individuals, immigrants and refugees, and many more
- Tailor your advanced-year placement to your interests thanks to our robust network of partnerships with hundreds of organizations locally, nationally and internationally that specialize in nearly every area of social work
- Gain exposure to many elements of social work practice, from clinical interventions to policy work
- Receive support from a dedicated faculty liaison, on top of the guidance you receive at your placement from an experienced social worker
At UB, you can also take advantage of many innovative opportunities:
- Complete your field placement at your current job with an employment-based field placement
- Immerse yourself in another culture with international and out-of-region placements
- Specialize in specific practice areas through placements with an enhanced curricular focus
UB students complete field in many settings
- Addiction treatment programs
- Correctional facilities
- Domestic violence agencies
- Foster care and adoption agencies
- Hospitals and medical practices
- Human service agencies
- Immigrant and refugee services
- Mental health care agencies
- Nursing homes
- Policy/advocacy groups
- Rural community services
- Schools
- Veterans agencies
- And many more!