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Global Practice
Field of practice concentration
Global Practice
For 20 years, the Global Practice program has prepared students for careers in global social work, humanitarian aid, and international development through specialized coursework and immersive field experiences.
At the heart of the program is a full-time, 720-hour global field placement during your final semester. Working with a partner organization in the United States or internationally, you will gain hands-on experience addressing complex social challenges, strengthening systems, building capacity, and supporting locally driven solutions. With mentorship from experienced practitioners, you will develop technical skills, cross-cultural competencies, and the confidence to contribute meaningfully to global social work practice.
Specialized coursework prepares you to work across areas such as migration and refugee services, gender-based violence prevention, mental health and psychosocial support, and social policy. By completing your final-year coursework during the summer and fall, you can then dedicate your entire spring semester to this immersive professional experience.
BCSSW student Natalia Evens De Menezes trains in Kigali, Rwanda, with the Research Program on Children and Adversity (RPCA).
Thursday, October 22
12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
2006
Global Practice at the BC School of Social Work was founded
311
Graduates of the Global Practice program
55
Total number of countries where BCSSW students have completed their Global Practice placements
98
Total number of field agencies where Global Practice students have completed their field placements
Prepare to Make an Impact Beyond Borders
Academics
Curriculum
Our curriculum takes a person-centered approach, integrating clinical and macro skills to address individual well-being and systemic challenges in crisis settings, including refugee settlements, migration routes, borderlands, and post-conflict communities.
Required courses for the Global Practice program:
- Frameworks and Tools for Global Practice
- Global Policy Issues and Implications
- Research Methods for Global Practice
- Program Evaluation for Global Practice
Travel course: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Borderlands and Human Mobility at the San Diego/Tijuana Border
Electives: Global Child Protection • Trauma-Informed Psychosocial Interventions • Theories in Design Thinking for Social Change • Advanced Clinical Practice with Latinx Populations (in Spanish) • Public Health Social Work • Immigration and Refugee Issues • Climate Change and Environmental Justice: Implications for Social Work • History of Activism in the Black Community • Global Humanitarian Practice • Cross-Cultural Social Work
Field Practicum
You'll gain real-world experience through field practicums at international organizations.
- Full-time Block Field Placement: As a Global Practice student, you’ll complete your final-year coursework in the summer and fall, followed by a full-time spring field placement of at least 720 hours outside New England. Under experienced supervision, you’ll strengthen your cross-cultural and technical skills while gaining greater autonomy in global social work practice.
- Stipend/Travel Reimbursement: BCSSW offers partial financial assistance for lodging and travel for field placements outside of New England, helping make opportunities aligned with your career goals more accessible.
Certificates
Certificates, which are embedded within the MSW degree, enhance the Global Practice curriculum by placing special emphasis on person-centered approaches to human mobility, awareness of protection issues, engagement with diverse communities in crisis, and cross-sectoral collaboration.
Certificate in Refugees and Immigrants
This certificate provides in-depth knowledge on migration and refugee issues as well as the foundational skills to conduct interventions and accompany immigrant and refugee populations in diverse settings domestically and abroad. Students must complete the following courses during the MSW program:
- Re-thinking Diversity: Systems of Oppression & Privilege
- Immigration & Refugee issues
- Migration, Politics, and Social Work: The Challenge of Justice and Care for Services to Migrants
Certificate in Global Humanitarian Practice
This certificate enables students to build knowledge around various humanitarian issues, systems, and practices both domestically and internationally. Students must complete the following courses during the MSW program:
- Human Behavior and the Social Environment
- Global Humanitarian Practice
- Global Migration and Forced Displacement: Debates and Responses
Interdisciplinary Certificate in Humanitarian Assistance
BCSSW launched an Interdisciplinary Certificate in Humanitarian Assistance (ICHA) program, the first online offering within the school’s history, to ensure that its graduates and humanitarian partners have access to up-to-date knowledge on how best to respond to rapidly changing needs around the globe. The ICHA curriculum, developed in partnership with international non-governmental organizations, consists of eight modules that give students a grounding in the core, interdisciplinary competencies of global humanitarian assistance.
Personalized Support. International Opportunities.
Field Practicum
You'll gain real-world experience through field practicums at international organizations, where your responsibilities may include drafting immigration policies, developing programs to prevent gender-based violence, or evaluating programs that protect children. The Field Education team works with you to ensure that you find an agency that aligns with your career goals.
Mentorship: The supervisor at your practicum will show you how to implement a social work perspective on a multidisciplinary team. Your advisor, an experienced MSW practitioner, will work with you and your supervisor to guide your practicum while sharing their perspective as a seasoned professional.
North America
Mexico
United States
Central America
Belize
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Nicaragua
Caribbean
Dominica
Dominican Republic
South America
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Peru
Europe
Albania
Belgium
England
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Kosovo
Malta
Romania
Spain
Switzerland
Africa
Cameroon
Egypt
Ethiopia
Ghana
Kenya
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Niger
Rwanda
Senegal
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Middle East
Jordan
Lebanon
Asia
Bangladesh
Cambodia
India
Indonesia
Kyrgyzstan
Mongolia
Philippines
Singapore
South Korea
Thailand
Vietnam
Australia
Australia
BCSSW alum Angelisa Diveny, MSW'21, at an international conference.
Career Outcomes
Our Global Practice graduates work in the U.S. and overseas in a range of positions that involve direct practice, program development, management, evaluation, research, training, capacity building, and policy. From policy development in Washington, D.C., to program implementation in Cambodia, our graduates contribute to policy, practice, and research that improve the lives and well-being of individuals, families, and communities worldwide.
Select job titles for alumni:
- Caseworkers (Asylum-Seeking Families)
- Child Protection and MHPSS Lead
- Gender-Based Violence Response Specialist
- Senior Associate
- Humanitarian Programmes Officer
- Monitoring & Evaluation Officer
Select agencies our alumni work for:
- Americares
- Creamos Guatemala
- International Rescue Committee
- Jesuit Refugee Service
- Maestral
- UNICEF
- United Nations Headquarters
- United States Peace Corps
- World Vision
Hear from Our Alumni
Global Practice Faculty
Our Global Practice faculty are conducting research, implementing novel interventions, and partnering with global leaders to improve the health and well-being of some of the most vulnerable people around the world.
Contact: Thomas Crea, Ph.D, MSW, Professor, Chair of Global Practice, and Assistant Dean of Global Programs
Committed to the Common Good
Recent Global Practice News
Support to Help you Succeed
Advising Center - Receive tailored academic guidance with a global perspective, including course selection, certificate options, and strategies for maintaining work/life balance while engaging in global work.
Field Education Team - The BCSSW field education team will help you find your field placement. The team facilitates connections with agencies around the world, so you don’t need to find practicum experiences on your own.
Career Services - Through individual appointments, global career programming, and networking events, BCSSW Career Services helps students pursue internationally oriented career paths by connecting them with alumni and employers engaged in global and humanitarian work.
Social Work Library - Enjoy a dedicated space to study and access hundreds of research databases. The Social Work Library is located right in McGuinn Hall.
Advisors - A team of dedicated advisors guides you throughout the program and includes faculty and practitioners with experience and expertise in global social work, international development, global health, human rights, migration, and more.
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Global Practice students at the annual send-off celebration.
For those of us who want to be agents of peace and change, the challenge is not only to serve the person in front of us, but also to address the systemic factors that affect that person's well-being in the context of their families, communities, and larger social contexts.
-Thomas Crea
Professor
Assistant Dean, Global Programs
Chair, Global Practice Field of Practice
Explore More
Your World-Changing Career Starts Here
Ready to Make a World of Difference?
Shape your MSW experience with the academic pathways, practical experiences, and specialized training that prepare you to lead in the areas that matter most to you.
Questions? Get in touch with Mary Schletzbaum, MSW Assistant Director, Global Field Education