SOC-OFE Masters Students - Field Experience Manual:

Incomplete (I) Grades and Extensions

If you are not able to finish the required hours by the end of one quarter of practicum or two quarters of internship, you may be eligible for an incomplete (I) grade or an extension. To be eligible for either an I grade or an extension, you must complete all other course requirements satisfactorily by the last day of the term, including coursework, satisfactory evaluations, and supervision hours (both the site and faculty supervision requirements must be met during the field experience course—I grades and extensions cannot be used to make up supervision hours). I grades and extensions are available only for the completion of total and/or direct hours and are only available for Practicum and Internship II courses (only S or U grades are awarded for Internship I).

If you have completed at least 80% of the required hours (direct and total) and all other requirements for a field experience satisfactorily, you qualify for an I grade for the field experience course (Practicum or Internship II). I grades are granted only for completion of hourly requirements. Academic incompletes are not given in field experience courses; coursework will not be accepted after close of the course. If you are approved for an I grade, you will have up to 60 days following the end of the term to complete your required hours. If you are not able to complete the required hours in that time, your grade will change to a U per university policy, and you will need to repeat the field experience course and required hours.

You must have at least 1 hour of individual supervision with your Walden-approved site supervisor each week as well as attend a weekly faculty group supervision call each week, with the same requirements as in your previous field courses (see Supervision Requirements) for the duration of the Incomplete. Coursework is not required during an Incomplete; you will only complete hours on site and participate in site and faculty supervision. Your time log must be approved when you successfully complete your hours through the same process as during practicum and internship.

Notes: Faculty supervision is not available during the weeks between quarters and is, therefore, not required during those weeks.

Both site and faculty supervision (if available) must occur during the last week that you accrue hours, regardless of what day of the week the final counseling session occurs (e.g., a student who holds final counseling sessions on a Monday will still need to participate in both site and faculty supervision for the week).

If you complete all field experience requirements satisfactorily, with the exception only of direct and/or total hours, then you are eligible for a field experience extension. A full extension is required if you have not accrued at least 80% of the required direct and total hours by the end of the field experience (Practicum or Internship II), and students who have required at least 80% of hours, but are not confident that hours can be completed within the 60 days allotted for an I grade may elect to complete an extension instead.

To ensure that you are making progress through your program, the number of field experience extensions allowed is limited:

• You may take up to two extensions to fulfill the Practicum requirement. This provides you with a maximum of three quarters to complete the 100-hour practicum.
• You may take up to three extensions to fulfill the Internship requirement. This provides a maximum of five quarters for you to complete the 600-hour internship.

Each extension requires participation in an additional, full 10-week field experience course, including all coursework, supervision, and evaluations. If you are enrolled in an extension course, you will be responsible for completing all associated coursework and fieldwork requirements for the entire quarter, regardless of when final hours are achieved, and you should communicate this policy to your site supervisor. You must approach course assignments and discussion board posts and responses with new perspectives and new case presentations to maximize your continued learning experience. If you complete the required hours for the field experience prior to the end of the term, you must continue to remain active at the field site (maintaining at least a one-client caseload) and engage in weekly site and faculty supervision through the end of the extension term.

Note: If you need a field experience extension, an Unsatisfactory (U) grade will be temporarily recorded for your initial attempt at the field experience course. Upon satisfactory completion of the extension, the grade for the initial attempt at the field experience course will be changed to Satisfactory (S).

You must have an approved application in Meditrek® for every quarter of enrollment in field experience, including for I grades and extensions. The usual field experience application submission windows do not apply for I grades or extensions. See the SOC-OFE website for information about getting a new application started in Meditrek® for your I grade or extension.