Accreditation for Social Work Programs – A Complete Guide

Are you interested in becoming a social worker? In that case, you’ll need to pursue an accredited social work program. Unlike many other majors and career paths, accreditation for social work programs is a little more restrictive and focused. In fact, there’s only one genuinely worthwhile accrediting organization for social work programs.

Read on for a breakdown of social work program accreditation, the CSWE, and what it takes to become a social worker.

Article Navigation: Accreditation Explained | About CSWE Accreditation | Other Social Work Accrediting Bodies | Certificate Program vs. Degree Program Accreditation | Being a Social Worker | Professional Organizations | FAQs | Become a Social Worker Online

Accreditation Explained

Accreditation is a voluntary and decentralized process that “vets” academic institutions. In a nutshell, accreditation is a thorough review process that tells you if a given educational program, like a college degree program:

• Meets specifically defined standards of quality
• Is it worth the cost it imposes on its students
• Provides educational information that is modern and useful for an industry’s current practices

For example, suppose a trustworthy, well-known institution accredits a social work program. In that case, you can trust that social work program to be comprehensive, informative, and well worth the cost. It will teach its students industry-relevant information applicable to their current or future careers.

Accreditation is never permanent, however. Accreditation status has to be renewed periodically by the same institution, which is essential to ensure that a given program’s information remains relevant, accurate, and modernized. Most universities must repeat the accreditation application process every few years to every decade.

Because academic accreditation is voluntary and decentralized, it’s very trustworthy. A college or other institution of higher learning doesn’t have to accredit its programs. But accreditation is a mark of quality for schools and programs.

For instance, which should you choose between an accredited social work program and a nonaccredited program? Most students would choose the accredited program since they know they’ll get more educational value for their money. In addition, employers are more likely to look highly upon degrees from accredited institutions. They may see nonaccredited degrees as less worthwhile or not worth anything.

Bottom line: accreditation is essential because it marks a given college program as high-quality.

About CSWE Accreditation

The Council on Social Work Education, or CWSE, is social workers’ most crucial accrediting body. In fact, it’s the only nationally recognized accrediting institution for social work programs.

Therefore, if you want a valuable degree with decent prospects, your social work degree program needs to be CWSE-accredited.

What is the CSWE?

The CWSE, founded in 1952, is the go-to national association representing social work education throughout the US. At the time of this writing, CWSE membership includes over 800 accredited bachelor’s and master’s degree social work programs. It also includes various individual social work practitioners, agencies, and educators.

The CWSE supports a wide range of initiatives and activities to bolster social work education and give college students and graduates professional development or leadership opportunities. The goal of the CWSE is to ensure that social workers are as educated and high-quality as possible, both for themselves and their clients’ good.

What is CSWE Accreditation?

Social work programs from that institution that are CSWE-accredited are high-quality, informative, and valuable for everyone.

Suppose an employer for a social work position sees that your degree comes from a CWSE-accredited school. In that case, they will be more likely to give you that position than if you have a degree from a nonaccredited school.

CWSE accreditation must be renewed periodically and is challenging to obtain. Thus, you can be sure that a CWSE-accredited program is well worth your time and money.

What is the Purpose of the CSWE?

The CWSE aims to improve the social work field overall by ensuring that newly educated students have access to the most accurate, up-to-date social work information possible. Also, CWSE further provides support leadership and educational resources for social workers at all stages of their careers.

Think of the CWSE as a supporting and academic quality assurance institution that makes the entire social work field better.

Why is CSWE Accreditation Important?

Simply put, CWSE accreditation provides access to the most competitive jobs. If you get a degree without a CWSE accreditation for social work programs, you may find it difficult to find employment.

Furthermore, you may be unable to advance your degree studies if the CWSE does not accredit your current degree.

Getting an accredited degree is important so you don’t have to retake some education and waste years you could spend progressing your career.

What Are the 9 Social Work Competencies CSWE?

Any program accredited by the CWSE should produce students who can fulfill the nine core CWSE competencies. In other words, graduates from CWSE-accredited programs should be able to do nine critical things. These core competencies are:

• Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior
• Engage diversity and difference in practice
• The advancement of human rights, economic, and environmental justice
• Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice
• Engage with communities on the individual, group, and organizational levels
• Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities
• Intervene with communities on the individual, group, and organizational levels
• Evaluate practice with communities on the individual, group, and organizational levels

CWSE-accredited graduates have a wide range of knowledge for the tasks that social work jobs involve handling.

What Are the Criteria for CSWE Accreditation?

In addition to providing students with the above nine core competencies, any CWSE-accredited program must meet specific criteria. Programs must repeatedly and consistently meet these criteria to maintain their accreditation. These criteria include:

• Have acceptable program missions and goals
• Have an explicit curriculum for both generalist and specialized practices
• Encourage diversity and student development
• Give students a chance to participate in the program
• Follow a specific administrative and governance structure
• Use program resources appropriately

You can learn more about the criteria for CWSE accreditation on the CWSE’s website. The requirements were last updated in 2015, though the CWSE regularly reviews its criteria to ensure that it imposes strict and fair standards on all universities.

Where Can I Earn a CSWE-Accredited Social Work Degree?

Fortunately, you can earn a CWSE-accredited social work degree from various institutions. Hundreds of distinct colleges and universities currently maintain CWSE accreditation for social work programs. These schools are excellent for achieving social work degrees that will take you far in your career.

Students can pursue the best CWSE-accredited social work degrees from online universities. Some of these universities offer both in-person and online degrees and hybrid degrees. Even better, many of the best online social work degrees follow the same curriculums as their in-person counterparts.

Other Social Work Accrediting Bodies

While there may be a few social work accrediting bodies other than the CWSE, they aren’t usually worth your time and money. The Council on Social Work Education is the only fully approved and widely recognized accreditation for social work programs throughout the US.

This is partly because the CWSE operates in all 50 states, so you can trust its decisions to matter wherever you plan to attend school in the US. Furthermore, the CWSE is a recognized and licensed nonprofit accrediting agency, so for-profit schools don’t consider the organization’s decisions.

Overall, the CWSE does a great job of ensuring very high standards for social work programs. Move on if you see a social work program accredited by a body other than the CWSE. Odds are you’ll be able to find a great CWSE-accredited program online or in person elsewhere.

Certificate Program vs. Degree Program Accreditation

Degree programs aren’t the only programs accredited by the CWSE (and other institutions in other industries). Knowing the differences between programs and accreditation requirements is important before deciding which educational path to pursue.

Online Social Work Degree

Many students will benefit from pursuing an online social work degree, especially if the CWSE accredits that degree. You can pursue three levels of degrees, each of which may provide different benefits or career advancement opportunities.

Online BSW Programs – Overview

Online BSW or bachelor’s in social work programs are the bread-and-butter or basic degrees you need to earn to become a social worker. These programs will teach you the foundations of social work policies and practices and allow you to specialize your skills to some extent.

Most online BSW programs take around four years from start to finish. Some accelerated programs combine bachelor’s and master’s degrees into a single five-year curriculum.

Accredited Master’s in Social Work Programs – Overview

Accredited MSW or master’s in social work programs are the next steps in your education. These graduate programs prepare you to lead social work teams, develop policies and plans, and become a more focused social worker in one area or another.

Many career-oriented social workers eventually acquire CSWE accredited MSW programs to broaden their professional possibilities. Many of the most lucrative social work positions are only available when you have a graduate degree.

Social Work Ph.D. Programs – Overview

Others may pursue social work Ph.D. programs. DSW programs are research-focused. Students will perform social science experiments and come up with conclusions for developing policies or plans to help the public.

Social work Ph.D. programs take a long time to complete. Still, they can be worthwhile if you want to broaden the field of social work and related psychological knowledge.

Social Work Certification

You may alternatively wish to pursue social work certification. Certification proves that you have mastered a specific skill set or topic in the field of social work, but it is not the same as a full degree. In many cases, certification opportunities are available as part of accredited social work programs.

For instance, say that you have completed a BSW program. You can apply for certain jobs, but some of the best positions require you to learn an extra skill beyond the bachelor’s level. Rather than acquiring a full-on master’s in social work degree, you can pursue a certificate program for the specific skill instead.

Certificates are excellent and cost-effective ways to broaden your resume and skill set. But it’s important only to pursue social work certification programs from accredited institutions. As with degrees, ensure that your social work certification comes from a CWSE-accredited college or university.

Being a Social Worker

Acquiring social work education is just the start of being a social worker. To pursue social work, you need to know what to expect. For example, how much money you’ll make and what career advancement opportunities are available to you.

Types of Social Workers

Fortunately, there are many different types of social workers. In fact, you can specialize your career based on who you like working with, the kinds of work you enjoy doing, and how you want to impact the world positively.

For example, you can work as an administration and management social worker. Social worker administrators are essentially leaders in both public and private agencies. They may provide a variety of services to their clients. You need to know how to develop social policies and deliver social services.

Or maybe you are interested in being an advocacy or community-organizing social worker. Social work practice frequently focuses on community advocacy to advance the rights and needs of individuals or marginalized communities.

Other social workers focus on specific demographics or groups of people, such as:

• Elderly or aging individuals. Social workers may partner with older adults to help them live independently, care for social issues, and connect them to resources.
• Children. Child welfare social workers serve the most vulnerable populations by helping them through family therapy or connecting children to resources to prevent them from suffering.
• People with disabilities. Some social workers may assist the parents of children with one or more developmental disabilities and make sure they understand their legal rights and privileges.

Other types of social workers include:

• International social workers who focus on global social policy efforts
• Healthcare social workers who assist their clients deal with personal and social factors that may affect their health and wellness.
• Mental health and clinical social workers who work at mental health institutions or facilities
• Mental health and substance abuse social workers help individuals, communities, and families recover from substance abuse and its effects.
• Political social workers who take activism issues to political channels to enact widespread change
• Social work researchers perform necessary research that pushes the field forward. These individuals usually need a master’s degree or Ph.D. in social work or a related topic.

As you can see, the sky’s the limit regarding potential social work career paths.

Social Worker Education Requirements

However, no matter which type of social worker you decide to become, you’ll need to meet certain educational requirements.

Entry-level social workers usually require a bare minimum of an associate's or bachelor's degree. A bachelor’s degree in social work accredited by the CWSE will improve your employability with the best organizations.

Master's degrees in social work are only necessary for advanced management or research-oriented positions. PhDs or doctorates in social work are specifically for research-oriented jobs in most cases.

Again, be sure that you take a program accredited by the CWSE. That ensures you earn a well-rounded degree.

Social Work Degree Jobs

As mentioned earlier, you can pursue many different social work jobs once you have a degree.

For instance, you can become a standard social worker and focus on any number of issues, areas, demographics, and communities. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, traditional social workers earn over $50,000 annually. Furthermore, social work positions should grow by 9% until 2031, representing a faster-than-average growth rate.

Once you get an accredited bachelor’s degree, you may wish to specialize in the probation officer and correctional treatment specialty track. In this job, you’ll assist ex-criminals with following their probation or parole rules, helping them reintegrate into society. These professionals make over $60,000 a year.

Still, other social workers become rehabilitation counselors. These professionals have master’s degrees, and they help their clients become more independent if they have mental, developmental, emotional, or physical disabilities. They earn much less than they should at $38,560 per year on average, so only consider this career if you are very serious about making a positive difference.

Once you have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, you can become a social and community service manager. These individuals head and manage social policies in social work programs to support the public well-being of local communities. They also earn decent salaries, usually around $74,000 per year.

Professional Organizations

Depending on what social work profession you pursue or the resources you need, you may find the following professional organizations beneficial for educational assistance or networking.

• National Association of Social Workers
• International Federation of Social Workers

FAQs

What does CSWE stand for?

CWSE stands for the Council on Social Work Education.

How many competencies does the Council on Social Work Education require graduates of accredited programs to master?

The CWSE requires graduates of accredited programs to master nine core competencies, including being able to assist individuals and assess groups or families.

What is the highest qualification for a social worker?

The highest qualification for a social worker is a master’s in social work or MSW. While Ph.D. programs for social work exist, they focus on research and policy development rather than helping people personally.

How to become a social worker with no qualifications

You can get started as a social worker without qualifications if you find employment at a social work organization or facility. You won’t be able to help people with social work-related problems, of course. But you can see how the facility is run and gain valuable experience to help you pursue a degree program.

If you have no qualifications, try to attend an accredited bachelor’s program in social work. That will get you started on your career track.

Is Walden University CSWE-accredited?

Yes. The CWSE accredits Walden University’s BSW and MSW.

Is Simmons School of Social Work accredited?

Yes. The Simmons School of Social Work offers an MSW degree fully accredited by the CWSE, making it a great choice to pursue your graduate education.

Become a Social Worker Online

The CWSE is the only accreditation for social work programs that matters. If you want to become a social worker, earn a CWSE-accredited degree. Otherwise, you may have difficulty finding employment after graduation.

Fortunately, there are plenty of CWSE-accredited degree programs, many of which are online. GetEducated.com can help you find the perfect degree program based on your interests, time constraints, and budgetary needs. Check out our resources today.