The Field Practicum is an essential component of the College's professional education for social work practice. The purpose of field instruction is to provide students with opportunities for development, integration, and reinforcement of competence through performance in actual service delivery situations. As students undertake learning within the reality of agency life, theory from the classroom is applied, skills are developed and refined, and attitudes and values are examined. Students are afforded opportunities for analysis of the effects of social policy on programs and services, opportunities for the development of research questions in relation to practice efforts, and opportunities for evaluation of practice interventions. Field instruction enables students to integrate the knowing, feeling and doing aspects of their social work education. The result is a knowledgeable, skilled, self-evaluating and professionally reflective social worker.

The UH-GCSW is affiliated with over 500 social work agencies in the greater Houston area. Field instruction is provided by qualified social workers practicing within those agencies and is overseen by faculty field liaisons from the College.