Washington, DC Field Education Program

For over 25 years, the University of Alabama School of Social Work has given M.S.W. students the opportunity to do their internship in Washington, D.C. This unique internship offers students experiences that prepare them for future careers in a social work rich environment that provides innovative direct service programs and a chance to understand first hand how policy directs practice. Over 400 students have graduated from the program, gaining invaluable work experience and course credit.

There is no other program like it in the nation. The program is a full time, 40 hours a week, internship program, Spring Semester, in our nation’s capitol. The University and the School of Social Work receive widespread, national recognition due to the program’s success. Dr. Phillip Crunk, who coordinated the program from 1986 to 2005, says that “students have experiences in agencies that cannot be duplicated….these opportunities allow UA students to work at the cutting edge of knowledge.”

Students are placed throughout the Washington, DC area in a variety of challenging placements including: NIH (National Institutes of Health), NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health), VOICES for America’s Children, Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, National Naval Medical Center, Child Welfare League of America, Latin American Youth Center, Amnesty International, Whitman-Walker AIDS Clinic, Sasha Bruce Youthworks, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, etc. Even though our students have been so well received that many agencies request students, the placement opportunities change each year, as new placements are added. For a complete list of past Washington, DC placements: http://sw.ua.edu/msw/washingtonagencyplacement.htm

One of the advantages to our program in Washington, DC is that we work to match the student’s interests and career goals with their internship placement. Every effort is made to match the student’s specific interests to the needs of the agency and to coordinate student expectations with agency needs

SW 501: 
While in Washington, students take SW 501, Social Welfare Advanced Policy Analysis, which is taught every other Wednesday afternoon at the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). SW 501 is exceptionally suited for Washington, DC, in that our students are able to go to Capitol Hill, meet with Congressmen and their staff and learn first hand how policy is created. Through class and their internships, students gain experience with social practice from the perspective of the nation’s capitol and are exposed to new methods of practice and policy. Students are exposed to social policy in the making, whether in Congress, the Supreme Court, or in their agency placement. We take advantage of being in Washington, DC, through participation in special events and by providing opportunities for students to meet and discuss critical issues with representatives from a wide variety of areas, including NASW (National Association of Social Workers), Congress, CSWE (Council on Social Work Education), and advocacy, health care and human services agencies.

Financial Aid:
Scholarships and stipends for the Washington, DC program are available and include:
Hartford Washington Fellows in Aging Education
Vulcan Washington Fellows
The Washington Program Endowed Scholarship
The Beaulieu Scholarship
The Madeline Hill Scholarship
For a complete list of School of Social Work scholarships:
http://sw.ua.edu/currentstuds/scholarships.htm

To apply for financial assistance awarded through the School of Social Work, contact the Associate Dean (102A Little Hall). Financial assistance awarded through the school may carry an obligation to complete a specific type of field placement and to make yourself available for employment in that field of social work after graduation. Specific Washington, DC program scholarships require a competitive application process. Contact Carroll Phelps, Washington, DC Program Coordinator, for more information.