Office of Global Engagement
The Office of Global Engagement (OGE) at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work offers students and faculty opportunities for global research, global academic exchange programs, and global practicum education.
Meet the Office
Our Mission
To enhance the missions of the Steve Hicks School of Social Work and The University of Texas at Austin, by promoting academic and research global engagement initiatives, prioritizing underserved contexts and populations across the world. These activities are guided by a commitment to promote social justice and human well-being through global academic experiences, research initiatives, and advocacy grounded in global alliances.
International Practicums
The Steve Hicks School of Social Work has invested in sustainable and mutually beneficial global internships for more than three decades and coordinates closely with UT’s Texas Global office to provide robust support for interns studying abroad. Students seeking their Advanced Specialized Clinical or Administration and Policy Practice (APP) practicums will receive more information beginning the February prior to a January spring semester start, allowing ample time to learn more.
Oaxaca, Mexico
These partners are available for meaningful practicums in Oaxaca, Mexico, a tourist destination that at the same time also has the highest percentage of residents living in poverty within the most ethnically diverse state in Mexico.
- An outreach program serving children who would otherwise be working on the streets of Oaxaca. This established non-profit provides outreach, education, and counseling for children at or below the poverty line and their families. These extensive, multi-year services provide invaluable resources for Oaxaca’s community.
- This entrepreneurial program helps build capacity and develop sustainable business models especially with indigenous communities in rural Oaxaca, this organization is headed by a UT graduate and partners with Projects with Underserved Communities, a UT Engineering/Social Work collaborative project.
Clinical and Administration and Policy Practice internships available with both partnering agencies.
Fluent Spanish is required for clinical internships; proficiency is required for APP.
For more information, contact: Prof. René Gaitan.
New Zealand
This clinical internship provides a wide range of support services including individual counseling, workshops, consultation, and resource linkage on a university campus. Clients come from 21,000 undergraduate and graduate students from diverse backgrounds including 1700 Māori students, 1024 Pacific Islanders, and more than 2700 international students.
The internship will additionally provide a student experience with a very diverse caseload with a wide range of issues including depressive symptoms, anxiety, drug/alcohol concerns, relationship issues, and opportunities to work with a diverse demographic. The student intern will be able to gain training, modeling, and supervisory support with applications of Solution-focused, Narrative Theory, Cognitive Behavioral, and Relational approaches.
For more information, contact: Asst. Dean Tanya Voss.
Cape Town, South Africa
South Africa is often referred to as the rainbow nation because of its diverse cultures and religions. Some examples within South Africa’s borders are Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Tswana, Ndebele, Khoisan, Hindu, Muslim, and Afrikaner people. Internships in South Africa are based in the Cape Town area. The cultural richness of this international city makes it an incredible learning immersion in itself.
Students may intern at a variety of practicum sites that offer clinical and APP practicums. Placements in Cape Town have ranged from a substance use disorder treatment center, a grassroots housing advocacy organization, a child welfare policy think tank, and a clinical counseling center for children who have experienced trauma. Clinical and APP internships available.
For more information, contact: Professor Tammy Linseisen.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Switzerland
Social work students have been interning at the UNHCR in Switzerland and other UN sites for more than three decades. Opportunities vary but duties typically include program planning, strategic planning, technical consulting with field staff, program monitoring and evaluation, all in some of the most exciting settings in Europe and Asia.
For more information, contact: Asst. Dean Stacey Jordan.
Global Academic Exchange Program
