The Catholic University of America

Applying for Field at NCSSS as an Advanced Standing Student

Congratulations on your admission to our Advanced Standing program! If you are joining us this fall and will be a full-time student, you may apply for Advanced Year Field once your deposit has been received. Placement is made pending receipt of a satisfactory Final Field Evaluation, so please send this to us as soon as it becomes available.

First, you must select your concentration or specialization. Once you make that important decision, you will be ready to learn about the different agencies we are affiliated with. Finally, you will prepare and then submit your field application materials to the Office of Field Education listing your top choices of agencies in order of preference. Students learn about field options via our Field Education Search Engine which often includes links to agency websites as well as to the email addresses of students placed in the agencies in the current (2011-2012) academic year.

If you wish to learn about possible placement in your employment site, please read about our Employment-Based Internship and Work Residency Internship options. Contact us with any questions you may have. Likewise, if you wish to discuss developing a new field site, please contact us early because the affiliation process can be rather lengthy.

Field Education Search Engine: A username and password are required in order to log on to the search engine.When you log on, please read all instructions carefully so that you select agencies accepting students with your concentration/specialization.

  • To gain access to the search engine, contact Nenita Sola (sola@cua.edu or 202-319-5457).

Because we began referring our currently enrolled students some time ago, some of your choices will no longer be available. As you develop your list of choices, please feel free to check with us to verify availability. As you read about agencies, please note that if an application deadline has already passed, we cannot refer you there.

Field Application materials:

  1. Updated resume - be sure to include your upcoming MSW studies at CUA NCSSS.
  2. Advanced Field Application
  3. Internal Advanced Year Field Information
  4. Statement(s): Discuss your social work interests, field internship expectations and/or learning goals for the advanced year placement. We encourage you to personalize the statements for your 1st and 2nd choices, so that you can discuss specific interests in, and qualifications for those settings. Be sure to put your name on each statement. If one of your choices requires a cover letter, substitute that for the brief statement.
  5. A copy of your BSW Field Evaluation. If you have not graduated, please send us your Fall Semester Evaluation. We must have this before referring you to an agency.

We will refer you to an agency once we receive your field application materials, your most recent BSW Field Evaluation, verify your matriculation at NCSSS and confirm availability of the internship. 

Submit your materials as follows:

  1. Email the materials listed above (#s 1-4) to Ms. Nenita Sola. Never send materials directly to the agency, even when that is what their website may indicate. 
  2. If an agency requires additional information (i.e. transcript, writing sample or reference letters), mail that information as a single packet to us once you have gathered everything.
  3. Be sure to keep a set of everything for your records.



Ellen Thursby, PhD,LICSW
Director of Field Education
 

 Allyson Shaffer, MSW, LICSW
Associate Director of Field Education

 

Back to NCSSS Field

 

An outline of the ADVANCED YEAR interview process follows:

  • Based on the information you provide, you will be referred to an agency. Whenever possible, this will be the agency you list as your 1st choice.
  • Your field application, statement, resume and our referral letter will be emailed to that agency’s Internship Coordinator.
  • A referral letter will then be emailed to you. Your referral letter will ask you to call the Internship Coordinator at that agency to set up your field placement interview. Please call promptly unless your letter indicates otherwise. 
  • You may meet your potential field instructor, or you may interview with the Internship Coordinator, who will assign a field instructor at a later date.
  • You may be offered an internship slot at the interview, or you may be told that decisions will be made at a later date. If you leave the interview with any concerns or uneasiness about the agency, internship duties, the client population, etc., please contact the Director of Field Education or Associate Director of FIeld Education right away.
  • We ask that you promptly advise us of the outcome of the meeting, i.e., let us know that you were offered a slot, or that you will be contacted in a week or a month, etc., by emailing sola@cua.edu. 
  • Please note that a student may interview at a maximum of 3 agencies during the course of the advanced year placement process.
  • We offer two options for students employed in social service settings and/or employed in positions with largely social work job functions:

1. Employment-based Internship
2. Work Residency Internship