Field Education at MSASS
Field Education is an integral part of our degree program at MSASS. Graduate students
collaborate with non-profit, community-based programs and government organizations while
working on their degree coursework. Students may select field placements in the area of
Direct Practice and
Community and
Social Development.
Field Education provides a forum for students to integrate the knowledge, skills and values that
comprise the core of the professional social work practice with a self-identity as competent
beginning professionals. The practice setting affords students with opportunities to apply didactic
theory to practice, give and receive feedback regarding skill development, and experience the
realities of the social work profession. There is the potential for a mutual exchange of practical
and theoretical knowledge that may serve to enhance innovative change in both the clinical and
academic venues. The Field Education Department endorses this expansive view of the opportunities
that students and field instructors share to re-define both social work education and social work
practice for the future.
The foundation of the field experience is based on the objectives outlined in the MSASS
Ability-Based Learning Environment (ABLE)
. These Eight Abilities form the structure of the field learning contract which is developed
each semester through a collaborative process involving students, field instructors and field
faculty advisors. This document captures the field learning opportunities essential to maximize the
integration of the academic and practice experience central to graduate social work education.
Students are encouraged and expected to articulate and incorporate the skills necessary for
successful field performance in the Learning Contract. Opportunities for the development of
critical thinking skills, self-assessment, offering and receiving professional feedback, and
flexibility of approach are valued elements inherent to the field site.
Case Western Reserve University defines education as a "transforming" opportunity. The Field
Education Department provides students with the contextual format for this transformation to be
realized.
What Makes Us Different?
The Field Education Program at MSASS is a unique way to learn about specialized fields of social
work. Because we are based in Cleveland, MSASS offers field placements within a community rooted in
rich social work tradition. Our network provides numerous opportunities for students to provide
significant change in the lives of people. With our Field Education Program, you can choose
placements in the specializations of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA), Children Youth and
Families (CYF), Mental Health (MH), Criminal Justice (CJ), Aging (AG), Health (H) and Community and
Social Development (CSD).
In addition to a diverse range of experienced field instructors, we offer students a wide
selection of field education options here -- and abroad. Additional program highlights include:
- a paid stipend for field placements
- a mutual selection process for field placements (student interviews)
- the ability to learn in multiple evidence-based environments
- the ability to work with diverse populations
- placements within a broad range of community-based organizations
- community-based field seminars
- field placements that provide direct practice and macro-level assignments
Getting Started
Do you want to learn more about the Field Education program at MSASS? Read our
Field Education
Manual.
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