SOC-OFE Masters Students - Field Experience Manual:

Enrollment in Field Experience Courses

SOC-OFE staff will register you for a field experience course; registration requires a field experience application in either Approved or Approval Pending Prerequisites ONLY status. If the application is not fully approved upon the final course audit, you will be removed from the course (see Approval of Field Experience).

The SOC-OFE works with field experience faculty members to determine group supervision times in advance and, when possible, to allow you to sign up for your field experience course section based on the assigned group supervision times on a first come, first served basis. Available group supervision times will be limited, based on faculty availability, so you must plan to be flexible with your schedule to accommodate your section’s assigned group supervision time. It is imperative that you monitor your Walden email account closely to ensure you receive communication regarding faculty group supervision for the upcoming quarter.

Whenever possible, you will remain with the same faculty supervisor and classmates for the duration of field experience, from practicum throughout internship. This is always subject to change, such as in the event of faculty availability change, a gap in your field experience progression (e.g., withdrawal from a field course, or summer quarter breaks in School Counseling experiences), or for students in the MS Dual Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling program who will join a new faculty supervisor and cohort for the SC internship, after completing the CMHC practicum and internship.

Notes: Because of the complexity of scheduling group supervision calls, requests for specific faculty cannot be honored and section changes typically are not allowed.

As a graduate student, you have committed to prioritize this phase of your education. Therefore, regarding your group supervision time, keep in mind that a “conflict” is defined solely as an existing commitment due to employment that cannot be adjusted. A conflict is not a time that might be inconvenient or for which you would have to alter your schedule. This is an important part of your degree, equal to all other requirements.

You can remain active at your field experience site between quarters if you continue to have weekly supervision with your Walden-approved site supervisor. You will be expected to contact the SOC-OFE to be connected with a field experience academic coordinator if any concerns arise during those weeks.

If you are extending your practicum and/or internship, or if you are in between quarters of internship, you can count hours between quarters toward the next quarter of field experience. However, you cannot begin counting hours toward internship hours until the start of the first internship quarter (i.e., you can continue to work at your field site with supervision in between practicum and internship, but the hours accrued during the weeks in between practicum and internship will not count toward field experience requirements).