Students pursuing their undergraduate social work degree (BASW) complete two components of Practicum Experience during their course of study.

Junior Year Seminar:

Students complete 60 hours of volunteer activities while also building understanding of agency structure and policies. Students do this while enrolled in the SW 355 seminar.  This course must be completed before students can advance to their Senior Year Practicum experience and may not be waived. Students must be accepted into the BASW Program in order to enroll in this course, it is part of the Junior Year course sequence.

Senior Year Practicum:

Students complete 400 practicum hours over Fall and Spring semester of their senior year at an approved community placement site. Students must complete all 300 level coursework before moving into their practicum. Prior to placement, students complete SW 356 during the spring of their Junior year. SW 356 provides support and structure for students to identify their own professional goals, explore potential sites and participate in interviews. All practicum placements are confirmed by the Director of Community Placement and Practicum Education.

Practicum occurs from late August to early May of the senior year and students must be co-enrolled in SW 455 & SW 456 both semesters. Personal liability coverage for the purpose of practicum activities is purchased by the university via special fees that are linked to these courses. Students may not begin practicum activities until the fall semester has begun. During seminar students engage in discussions, write reflective journals and develop individualized learning agreements which integrate their personal learning goals with the competencies established by the Council on Social Work Education. Seminar faculty provide direct support to students and community placement supervisors as needed, including conducting site visits and guidance around student evaluations.

Out of Area Placements:

For students seeking to attend our online BASW Program, please review the information on our DL Practicum Experience, and Practicum Requirements pages. 

The Cal Poly Humboldt Social Work Department has ongoing partnerships for community placements within the Superior Region of Northern CA, which includes these counties: Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Yuba. Out of area students may need to move to the Superior Region of Northern California to complete their social work degree. Students in the online program must live in the state of California while they are in the social work program.