CSUEB draws crowds for annual social work internship fair

• February 8, 2013 11:00am

Over 150 students and approximately 83 social-service based agencies gathered in the New University Union’s Multipurpose Room on the Hayward Campus from 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 7 for CSUEB’s annual Master of Social Work Internship Fair. The event provides MSW students a chance to connect and set up interviews with local agencies who then may hire students on as interns, helping students achieve the 1,080 internship hours required to attain the MSW degree.

“(MSW) students are responsible for getting their own field placement, and the internship fair provides an environment for agencies to meet students and (later) hire them as interns,” said CSUEB’s new MSW Field Director, Ryan Smith. “Students can also interact with agencies and see if it’s a good fit for them.”

Students who attended the fair were able to connect with local organizations in a variety of field areas, including those focused on mental health, emancipated youth, crisis intervention and homelessness.    

“I had no idea how many agencies were out in the community,” said MSW student Jenae Brown, currently in her second year of the program, but attending the internship fair for the first time. “(The fair) not only gets you to network and see what’s out there, but it helps with your interviewing and communication skills.”

The MSW program at CSUEB addresses the growing need for social workers to work with individuals, families, groups and organizations. The program prepares advanced practitioners in the areas of Children, Youth and Families (CYF) or Community Mental Health (CMH) who will serve diverse, multicultural and multiracial communities. Students have the option to either enroll in a two year full time program in Hayward or a three year part time program in Oakland.

For more information about the full-time MSW program.  If you would like to learn more about the part-time MSW option, offered through CSUEB Continuing Education.

EM