School of Social Work

The Undergraduate Field Practicum (SW 4971) is a six credit hour (400 clock hours) course taken during the third (fall) semester of the Professional BSW Core Courses. Students begin their field instruction placement one week prior to the beginning of the semester and spend 24 hours per week (usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday) in a field placement agency assigned by the Director of Field Education. Placements are generally made within local agencies that have been approved by the School and that meet students' educational needs and areas of interest as closely as possible. Refer to the Field Instruction Manual for additional information.

Students who are within 15 hours of graduation, and who meet other GPA requirements may be permitted to dually enroll in up to 6 credit hours of graduate coursework while still an undergraduate. BSW seniors who meet eligibility requirements and have completed all other BSW graduation requirements can use their final semester to take up to 6 hours of coursework toward the MSW degree. More information on dual enrollment.

An undergraduate student must complete a minimum of 120 semester credit hours and have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 for graduation. At least 30 of the last 36 hours for degree must be completed with MU courses. Based on a course equivalency assessment, credit towards graduation may be given for work completed in other colleges and universities and for course work completed through University of Missouri Independent Study Center.

Professional BSW Core Courses must be taken in proper sequence, requiring a minimum of three semesters to complete the program. Students must achieve a grade of "C+" or better in all required BSW Core Courses in order to qualify for the BSW degree. In the third semester of the Professional BSW Program (fall semester of the senior year), each student spends three full days a week- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in a social service agency for supervised field instruction, and two days (Tuesday and Thursday) on campus.

Advanced Standing Status

Students who graduate with a MU BSW degree are eligible to apply for Advanced Standing status in Master of Social Work (MSW) programs. The MU MSW Advanced Standing program grants a waiver of up to 21 credit hours for an accelerated 39 credit hour MSW degree