*Electives vary year to year and address a wide range of social work topics. Electives are aimed at developing knowledge and skills to work with diverse populations and within different settings, allowing students to supplement their core social work curriculum with courses focused on their interests.

Example Electives: DBT, Embodied Healing, Community Inclusion & Equity in Public Health, Clinical Practice with Non-Cis Clients, Financial Management in Human Services, Play-Based Approaches with Young Children, Clinical Supervision & Leadership, Grant Writing and Fund Development, Mindfulness-Based Approaches, Body-Based Trauma Interventions, Critical Empowerment Practice with Multi-ethnic Communities, Attachment Theory & Practice, Psychology of Aging, Confronting Mental Health Challenges & Substance Use, Anti-racist Organizing for Social and Economic Change, Outdoor-Based Therapy, Biological Aspects of Aging

Students may count 3 credits of coursework from other UW departments towards their MSW elective requirement as long as the course is graduate level (500 or above) and related to social work.

Fieldwork

Field education is an integral component of your social work education. It provides a “practicum” experience, which prepares you for independent social work practice and professional leadership. Experiential learning – learning by doing – is how social work students learn the skills they need to succeed as social workers. For details, see Field Education.

The School of Social Work offers more than 600 practicum sites. We place students in a variety of settings, including behavioral health agencies, hospitals, schools, community nonprofits, courts, legislatures, and research institutes. The placement is tailored to a student’s chosen specialization and offers complex skill development.

Example Practicum Sites: