Field Education

Social Work Field Education

At UCCS, social work students have the opportunity to make a difference in their local community while gaining practice skills in key social work competency areas.

Student Placement

Field Instructors

Student Handbook

About Field Education

As field practice (e.g., internships) is considered to be the "signature pedagogy for social work" (CSWE, 2015, p. 12), the UCCS Social Work program will rely heavily on field education and community agencies to help produce competent practitioners.

The expected field hours for UCCS Social Work students include:

BSW students are required to complete no less than 400 hours of field practice.
Generalist practice (Year 1) MSW students are required to complete no less than 400 hours of field practice.
Specialized practice (Year 2) MSW students are required to complete no less than 500 hours of field practice.

Student Placement

Field placements will be tailored to the interests, educational goals, and career aspirations of each student. BSW and Generalist/first-year MSW students are typically in the field 2 days a week, and Specialized/second-year MSW students are typically in the field 3 days a week.

UCCS Social Work is currently placing both first-year and second-year MSW students, as well as BSW students, into field placements.

Placement Forms:

Access Sonia Live

Sonia Live

Become a Field Instructor

If you are interested in joining the College of Public Service as a Field Instructor, please complete the Field Instructor application.

Access Field Instructor Application

Outstanding Field Instructors of the Year

Megan McHugh

BSW Field Instructor of the Year

Having the opportunity to invest in a UCCS BSW student through this phase of her educational journey was an honor. It was a joy to see the intern’s growth, personal and professionally, as she worked alongside our Youth & Children’s team in support of TESSA’s families.

Megan received her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Texas A&M University. After college, she served the military community as a Health Educator at the Fort Hood and Fort Carson Army Wellness Centers. Megan has volunteered with several local non-profit organizations to include Springs Rescue Mission and COSILoveYou. She brings to TESSA a passion for investing in our youth and serving the Colorado Springs community. In her free time, Megan enjoys skiing, road trips, spending time with friends and family, and hiking with her dog named Harper.

Katie Ferguson-Glidewell

MSW Field Instructor of the Year

Being a field instructor for the Fostering Healthy Futures program has been a wonderful experience. I love working with my group of interns—nurturing their growth individually, and facilitating their journey together in their intern group. I am honored to witness the students growing, and also getting to watch a parallel process between the students and the children they are paired with—their mentees. This year has been amazing, and I am so grateful for my work with the MSW students!

Katie has been working in the field of social work with children and families for many years. She received her Bachelor’s in American Racial and Multicultural Studies from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. She later went on to get her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Denver in 2006. During her master’s program, she interned for the Fostering Healthy Futures program, the program that she now has the privilege of overseeing and for whom she supervises graduate students today, so the experience has come full circle! Katie’s work has intersected with child welfare for most of her career. She was an adolescent caseworker for Arapahoe County DHS from 2006-2008. She moved to Colorado Springs in 2009, and soon began working for AspenPointe (Community Mental Health Center) as the DHS Liaison—serving to connect children and families involved with DHS with needed mental health services under Medicaid. Beginning in 2015, she began working with El Paso County DHS as the Utilization Management Analyst assisting the county with overseeing youth in congregate care settings, supporting teams to create plans for treatment-driven care and return to the community. In 2018, Katie became the Placement Team Supervisor at DHS, working with child placement agencies and contracted DHS placements to meet the needs of children in the foster care system. In 2021, she came on in her current position as Program Supervisor of the Fostering Healthy Futures program. Fostering Healthy Futures is an evidence based intervention providing weekly mentoring and weekly psychoeducational group lessons to children who have experienced significant life stressors. FHF provides prevention-focused support and education for children ages 9-12 who have involvement with the DHS system.

Katie has an almost 3-year-old daughter, a 10-year-old son, and a 26-year-old stepdaughter. She lives with her children, husband and their goldendoodle puppy. Katie loves our beautiful state of Colorado and enjoys being outdoors and playing games with family.