Procedure and Forms

There are several forms for facilitating the practicum process and ensuring a smooth transition from the practicum to the thesis. These provide a mechanism for us to document the fulfillment of this graduation requirement. You can find a detailed description of the suggested practicum process here.

The Practicum Steps and Tips Checklist

The Practicum Steps and Tips Checklist is an aid intended to help students track their progress in completing the practicum process.

The Practicum Agreement Form

Once the practicum agency and project have been identified and agreed upon, it is the student’s responsibility to submit the Practicum Agreement Form (PAF) prior to the practicum start date. The specific educational objectives and activities of the practicum should reflect as many of the core competencies of each track as possible. These objectives should be initially outlined in the PAF by the student with input from the Practicum Preceptor. Students are encouraged to provide their Preceptor with copies of the track-specific evaluation criteria when planning the practicum to ensure that the Preceptor understands his or her responsibilities.

Once a draft PAF has been developed, students should send it to the Practicum Coordinator, Sara Shoener (sjs2162), for review. She will provide students with feedback regarding their PAFs and will send a confirmation email once all feedback has been addressed. The Practicum Coordinator will review students’ PAFs for: feasibility of the practicum plan, the practicum’s applicability to departmental and track core competencies, and any potential obstacles for completing the practicum on schedule. Once the agreement is complete, the student will obtain written approval (signatures on the PAF) on the nature, location, specific objectives and activities of the practicum from her Preceptor and faculty advisor. The student will then deliver the signed Practicum Agreement Form to the Practicum Coordinator for processing (Sara Shoener’s mailbox is on the 5th floor of the Allan Rosenfield building).

Under special circumstances, such as if the practicum placement is outside of the New York City area, in lieu of an original copy of the PAF, a faxed copy or email directly from the student to the Practicum Coordinator will suffice. If emailed, the email should be forwarded with the thread of the Practicum Preceptor’s and faculty advisor’s approvals. Note that approvals and submission of the PAF must be completed prior to the start of the practicum. Any time spent working on a practicum prior to receiving the approval from the Practicum Coordinator and faculty advisor will not be counted toward the 280 hours required by the department.

Summary Report Form

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that fulfillment of this degree requirement is recorded by submitting a Practicum Summary Report. Students should not wait until the period of review of graduation requirements because this can cause delays. When applicable – and with the authorization of the Preceptor – students should submit a sample of any products they helped develop (i.e. survey instrument, evaluation plan, policy brief, curriculum) as a supplement to the Summary Report. Students should submit a draft of their Summary Report to Sara Shoener (sjs2162). She will respond to students with any questions or suggestions for the report. Students should then have their Summary Reports signed by their Preceptors. Signed Reports can be submitted to Sara Shoener by leaving them in her mailbox on the 5th floor of the Allan Rosenfield Building. She will notify them that the report has been accepted that the requirement has been fulfilled. Summary Reports will be made available to future students as they seek examples of practica projects.

Practicum Evaluation Forms

At the end of the student’s practicum, the Practicum Preceptor and the student must complete the online Preceptor and Students Evaluation Forms. An email will be sent to the Practicum Preceptor and student with the web address and instructions for completing the online evaluation form. Once both evaluations have been completed online and the Summary Report has been submitted, the student has fulfilled the Practicum requirement. The Academic Program Coordinator will notify the Office of Student Affairs for graduation clearance.

The Department’s practicum process continuously improves thanks to feedback provided by students and supervisors at practicum placement sites. The practicum forms provide a formal mechanism for the flow of this information which allows us to better prepare students prior to practicum placement; improve our practicum procedures and performance in matching students to practicum sites; and document that the student has satisfactorily met all practicum requirements. All individual responses are strictly confidential.

The evaluations can also be accessed here:
Student Evaluation
Preceptor Evaluation