Information for Out-of-State Students

SECURING A FIELD PLACEMENT

Students must complete all required steps listed below. Failure to complete on time will result in a delay in placement and/or graduation.

STUDENT CHECKLIST:

Review the out-of-state-FAQ

Complete all pre-placement requirements (Field Application, Resume upload) prior to due date in Sonia

Note: You will receive orientation information and access to Sonia approximately one semester prior to your field start date

Review Sonia for Currently Affiliated Agencies

Note: To determine if there are any agencies in your area currently affiliated with OSU, click on “sites” at the top of your Sonia page. Then click the arrow on the left side of the page to expand this box, allowing you to filter by state.

Submit Site Preferences (if agencies are available) and/or complete a Supplemental Site Preferences Form in Sonia. Instructions for this can be found here.

Contact potential agencies in your area and inquire about MSW internship opportunities

Note: Request to speak to someone directly (e.g. education coordinator, internship coordinator, clinical director, etc.)

  Gather ALL contact information for the agency including contact person’s name, email, and phone number

If the agency requests additional information, refer them to the Becoming a Field Agency Webpage

Complete the Supplemental Site Preferences Form prior to the due date in Sonia

Note: Form MUST include 2-3 agencies with all required information and cannot be submitted until you have spoken directly with someone from the agency

Update your placement officer upon submitting the Supplemental Site Preferences Form

Follow steps provided by placement officer to begin the Affiliation Agreement Process

LICENSURE

Please check with your local licensing board regarding licensure or any questions regarding a license. For licensing board contact information, licensure requirements and program approval status, please visit https://online.osu.edu/state-authorization/disclosures.

STATEMENT ON EVENING AND WEEKEND FIELD HOURS

The Office of Field Education recognizes that our students who are working and participating in the program have additional barriers in completing the field hours during typical business hours.

Evening and/or weekend field practicum hours are extremely limited due to the challenge agencies face in providing oversight and supervision during these time periods. For students requesting non-traditional field hours, please make note that you may not be placed at your preferred agency and that there may be a delay in starting field due to this limitation. The field office strongly encourages any student in this situation reach out to cswfield@osu.edu as early as possible to discuss options. We will also be asking you to keep an open mind about where you will be matched based on your availability in field.

Traditionally, we request that students make at least one business day available for the field practicum. Some of the ways we have supported students in this circumstance are the following:

• If a student is working in a social work agency setting, have they considered applying for an Employment Based Placement?
• Helping the student work with their employer to identify creative strategies to continue working and be in field. Some examples have included reducing to 32 hours a week, working four 10-hour shifts, and/or moving some of the employment hours to evening or weekend times.
• Talking about the possibility of completing the MSW II field practicum over the course of three semesters to maintain 16 hours a week in field versus the traditional 24 hours a week.
• Having a discussion with the student to share alternative part-time tracks for the program which would allow for less credit hours and a lower number of hours per week in field.

FIELD PLACEMENT AVAILABILITY

Field placements are completed during two to three workdays during normal business hours (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.). To complete field education, employed students must arrange their work schedules to accommodate weekday time in field placement. Additional field education hours may be approved for weekends and after business hours, with appropriate supervision available by the agency.