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MSW Practicum

MSW Practicum

MSW students complete two practica—a 360-hour Foundation Practicum, followed by a 600-hour Concentration Practicum.

In your practica, you will translate the theories and skills learned in the classroom into real-world practice. Our students emerge from this fieldwork with a host of meaningful experiences bringing positive change where it’s most needed, and have broadened the soft skills that make for strong teammates and leaders. The issues you’ll engage in—as well as the personal connections you’ll make—will serve you throughout your career. With over 400 diverse community partner organizations, you will find a practicum site whose mission aligns with your passion.

At the Brown School, students have the unique opportunity to select their own practica sites. This self-directed process offers tremendous options and flexibility—our students complete practica locally, nationally and globally. Our Office of Field Education wants every student to have the support they need to make a well-informed selection. Our Foundations of Field course (taught in your first semester), as well as a team of advisors will help you navigate the entire process, from determining your field work goals, to designating sites, to serving as a sounding board for questions that come up during your practicum experience.

In recent years, MSW students have completed practica in organizations such as:

Clinical Practice

  • BJC Behavioral Health
  • St. Louis Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center
  • Family Forward – Therapeutic Preschool Program

Policy and Advocacy Organizations

  • Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health
  • Missouri Jobs with Justice
  • Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
  • PROMO (Promoting Equality for All Missourians)

Community Development

  • Care International
  • United Way
  • Rise

Non-Profit Administration

  • Alliance for Building Capacity
  • Deaconess Foundation
  • Parents as Teachers National Center

For many, fieldwork builds an exciting bridge between coursework and practice. Our faculty offer many opportunities to more deeply integrate these experiences, providing opportunities for evaluation and research projects that use your practicum site as a location.

If you’re interested in an international practicum, read more about our Global Opportunities.