The purpose of this brief article is to report an innovative attempt to promote high quality field education utilizing Specialized Field Education Units (SFEUs) while overcoming both the internal and external barriers noted above. This approach, an integrated field unit using a teacher-scholar model, has been implemented for the past five years by the joint field education programs of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro BSW and MSW programs. The results have been a higher level of full-time engagement in field education by full-time tenure-track faculty members, high student success as measured by achievement of CSWE competencies, and higher rates of faculty publication and funding for research programs
