Overview of Practice Doctorate Program (PDP) Accreditation Standards
Since the PDP accreditation pilot launch in October 2021 the Board of Accreditation (BOA) and CSWE staff have worked to review each benchmark stage and continue to evaluate pilot findings. As part of this process, the BOA is revising the Accreditation Standards for Practice Doctoral Programs in Social Work, which were approved and adopted for pilot use in June 2020. An accreditation standards writing committee, consisting of BOA and Commission on Educational Policy (COEP) representatives, was established and developed multiple drafts of accreditation standards for constituent and public feedback. Opportunities for feedback on draft 1 were open to the public in Spring 2024.
For more information on Practice Doctorate Program accreditation visit the PDP Timeline of Activities, which documents the process from 2010-2025.
Standards and Feedback Survey
We invite you to review the proposed draft and provide feedback. This is the second and final of two public comment periods in 2024. To submit feedback online, please complete this feedback survey by Monday, November 18, 2024. The survey also includes a summary of the proposed revisions made to each section of the standards.
Public Feedback Sessions
CSWE accreditation staff and members of the PDP Standards Writing Committee will gather for two public draft 2 feedback sessions, and encourage your attendance.
- At the CSWE Annual Program Meeting, on Friday October 25, 2024
- Session Title: Practice Doctoral Program (PDP) Accreditation Standards Draft 2 Feedback
- Virtually via Zoom, Friday, November 8, 2024 1:00-2:30 ET (register here)
Revision and Implementation Timeline
It is anticipated that additional practice doctoral programs will be able to seek accreditation in 2025, once the pilot concludes and accreditation standards have been adopted by the BOA. Additional information regarding the process to apply for accreditation can be expected in late 2024.
*The timeline below is subject to change.* 
PDP Standards Revision Committee Members
BOA representatives: Randy Magen, Chair, (Yeshiva University); César Abarca (New Mexico Highlands University); Antoinette Farmer (Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey), Tom Gregoire, BOA Chair, (The Ohio State University); Emmerentie Oliphant (Stephen F Austin University); Larry Ortiz (Loma Linda University); Katherine Perone (Western Illinois University); James Herbert Williams (Arizona State University)
COEP representatives: Mike Daley, (Texas A&M University-Central Texas), Shirley Gatenio-Gabel, (Fordham University); Karen Rice (Millersville University)
CSWE staff: Shanéa Thomas, Executive Director of Accreditation; Kat Gibson-Ledl, Director of Accreditation Services; Marilyn Gentner, Director of Accreditation Operations; Megan Fujita, Vice President of Education