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“This is a historic moment for the social work profession,” said Dr. Megan Fujita, who is serving as acting Executive Director of Accreditation at CSWE. “After more than 15 years of dialogue, collaboration, and data collection–including a 4-year pilot program–we are ready and proud to welcome more than 50 new and existing practice doctorate programs to CSWE.
“Our aim is to help each program achieve accreditation’s core purposes: quality assurance, academic improvement, professional preparation, and public accountability.”
Dr. Octavio Ramirez, who chairs the CSWE-BOA, echoed Dr. Fujita’s excitement. “At the core of the social work profession is the responsibility to create and sustain healthy communities and contribute positively to the public good,” Ramirez said. “We need doctors of social work––practitioner-scholars––strengthening reciprocity between academia and practice.
“The CSWE-BOA’s commitment to our new partner programs is to honor their unique story and review each program with diligence and care per the national standards. We express gratitude for the many staff, volunteers, stakeholders, and public members that have contributed to this important work.” Accreditation is an elective peer-review system for recognizing educational institutions and professional programs affiliated with those institutions.
Accreditation ensures these institutions and programs have a level of performance, integrity, and quality that entitles them to the confidence of the educational community and the public they serve.
The CSWE-BOA began accepting applications for practice doctorate program accreditation on August 1, 2025. This milestone comes 51 years after CSWE first launched accreditation for baccalaureate social work programs. It continues a legacy of academic oversight that began with the accreditation of master’s programs at CSWE’s founding in 1952, building on decisions by its predecessor organizations dating back to the 1910s.
CSWE is proud of the practice doctorate programs preparing the next generation of practitioner-scholars, and grateful to our volunteer BOA members and reaffirmation site visitors who invest their time and talents in the peer-review accreditation process.
Founded in 1952, CSWE is the national association representing social work education in the United States. Its members include more than 900 accredited baccalaureate and master’s degree social work programs and their affiliated social work educators, students, and staff, as well as practitioners and agencies dedicated to advancing quality social work education. Through its many initiatives, activities, and centers, CSWE supports quality social work education and provides opportunities for leadership and professional development so that social workers are empowered to play a central role in achieving the profession’s goals of social and economic justice. CSWE’s Board of Accreditation is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the United States and its territories.
Published on : September 3, 2025
ALEXANDRIA, VA – The Council on Social Work Education’s Board of Accreditation (CSWE-BOA) can now officially accredit Practice Doctorate Social Work Programs. That is according to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation’s (CHEA) Committee on Recognition, which officially approved CSWE’s request for a change in scope of accreditation.“This is a historic moment for the social work profession,” said Dr. Megan Fujita, who is serving as acting Executive Director of Accreditation at CSWE. “After more than 15 years of dialogue, collaboration, and data collection–including a 4-year pilot program–we are ready and proud to welcome more than 50 new and existing practice doctorate programs to CSWE.
“Our aim is to help each program achieve accreditation’s core purposes: quality assurance, academic improvement, professional preparation, and public accountability.”
Dr. Octavio Ramirez, who chairs the CSWE-BOA, echoed Dr. Fujita’s excitement. “At the core of the social work profession is the responsibility to create and sustain healthy communities and contribute positively to the public good,” Ramirez said. “We need doctors of social work––practitioner-scholars––strengthening reciprocity between academia and practice.
“The CSWE-BOA’s commitment to our new partner programs is to honor their unique story and review each program with diligence and care per the national standards. We express gratitude for the many staff, volunteers, stakeholders, and public members that have contributed to this important work.” Accreditation is an elective peer-review system for recognizing educational institutions and professional programs affiliated with those institutions.
Accreditation ensures these institutions and programs have a level of performance, integrity, and quality that entitles them to the confidence of the educational community and the public they serve.
The CSWE-BOA began accepting applications for practice doctorate program accreditation on August 1, 2025. This milestone comes 51 years after CSWE first launched accreditation for baccalaureate social work programs. It continues a legacy of academic oversight that began with the accreditation of master’s programs at CSWE’s founding in 1952, building on decisions by its predecessor organizations dating back to the 1910s.
CSWE is proud of the practice doctorate programs preparing the next generation of practitioner-scholars, and grateful to our volunteer BOA members and reaffirmation site visitors who invest their time and talents in the peer-review accreditation process.
Founded in 1952, CSWE is the national association representing social work education in the United States. Its members include more than 900 accredited baccalaureate and master’s degree social work programs and their affiliated social work educators, students, and staff, as well as practitioners and agencies dedicated to advancing quality social work education. Through its many initiatives, activities, and centers, CSWE supports quality social work education and provides opportunities for leadership and professional development so that social workers are empowered to play a central role in achieving the profession’s goals of social and economic justice. CSWE’s Board of Accreditation is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the United States and its territories.