Millersville students cite internships, study-abroad and hands-on labs as central to social work training

Students in Millersville University's School of Social Work told a campus forum that internships, study'abroad and hands'on training facilities were central to their education.

The students said the program combines classroom learning with field placements and an accelerated bachelor'to'master's option that lets undergraduates take graduate courses before formal admission. That combination, they said, prepared them for community practice and jobs working with vulnerable populations.

"Going through the social work program, I was positively changed in many ways. All of our social work professors, in my opinion, are amazing. They're really here to help and support you and to give you those new experiences like going to a different country and presenting," said Student 1, identified in the transcript as a Student, Millersville University School of Social Work. The student described the faculty as supportive and credited them with creating opportunities beyond classroom instruction.

Student 2, a Millersville University School of Social Work student, said internships included an international placement: "I had the opportunity to do an internship in Cape Town. Just exposed me to things I would not have been exposed to if I didn't have that opportunity to complete an internship abroad." That student also said they completed two internships, one with the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center and one on campus, and added: "After I graduate, I will be working at the Jewish Community Center in Harrisburg doing community work with refugees."

Another participant, Student 3, described local practice exposure: "I remember visiting a drug and alcohol court to just observe what is going on in there. To know how social work is being practiced in the community." That student and others also noted a campus room used to record simulated therapy sessions so peers or instructors can provide feedback.

Students highlighted the accelerated bachelor's'to'master's pathway as a notable program feature. "One of those was the accelerated bachelor's to master's program where I was able to take graduate courses before I was admitted to graduate school," Student 1 said, adding the program helped prepare graduates both ethically and practically for client work.

Remarks in the session focused on educational preparation and did not include formal proposals, votes or administrative actions. Students described specific experiences and career plans but did not provide numerical enrollment figures, program budgets or timelines for curricular changes.