Accreditation

About CSWE Accreditation

CSWE's Commission on Accreditation (COA) is responsible for developing accreditation standards that define competent preparation and ensuring that social work programs meet them. In accordance with the requirements of CSWE's recognition body, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, the CSWE Office of Social Work Accreditation (OSWA) administers a multistep accreditation process that involves program self-studies, site visits, and COA reviews.

Current Number of Social Work Programs

As of the October 2011 COA meeting, there are:

472 accredited baccalaureate social work programs
213 accredited master's social work programs
26 baccalaureate social work programs in candidacy
16 master's social work programs in candidacy

Resources

New! Draft Report From the COA E-Learning Subcommittee

Review the draft report (PDF) from the COA E-Learning Subcommittee that was presented at the 2011 Annual Program Meeting. This draft is a work in progress, and comments are welcome. Please send comments to Paul P. Freddolino.
Learn About Degree Mills and Accreditation Mills

The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), the organization that recognizes CSWE, has several new resources about degree mills and accreditation mills. Learn more about the problem and how to combat it at the CHEA website.
Implementing 2008 EPAS

CSWE's Institutional Research office gave a presentation at the 2010 Annual Program Meeting on the preliminary findings from the implementation evaluation of the 2008 EPAS. A copy of the presentation on preliminary findings is below. Contact Jessica Holmes with any questions about the presentation or accreditation quality assurance.
Implementation of the 2008 EPAS: Quality Assurance Report and Discussion (PPT)

The next COA meeting will occur on:

February 9–11, 2012

Useful Links

October 2011 COA Decisions

Decisions ratified by the Commission on Accreditation in October 2011
EPAS Implementation

Application of 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (definitions, knowledge, and practice behaviors) to areas of advanced practice concentration or specialization. Additional resources related to implementation of the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards.
2008 EPAS Handbook

The CSWE Handbook of Social Work Accreditation Policies and Procedures (Handbook) for the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) is designed to be user friendly and provide more information about accreditation policies and procedures.