Accreditation

Our MSW and BSW degree programs are nationally accredited through the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the only accrediting agency for social work education in the United States.

The CSWE accredits bachelor's- and master's-level social work programs according to a set of standards that establish thresholds for professional competence. This gives programs both structure and flexibility in their curriculum design, allowing them to target common benchmarks while responding to local needs.

Accreditation standards include:

Program mission and goals consistent with the purpose and values of the social work profession
Curriculum integrates core competencies and field experience
Learning environment embraces and supports diversity and gives students a voice in its governance
System of ongoing assessment

CSWE utilizes a competency-based education framework consisting of nine interrelated competencies and component behaviors that are comprised of knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes. Each course syllabi delineates the learning outcomes for that course, and each course outcome is aligned to at least one specific competency and dimension. Below are the competencies and practice behaviors for the BSW and MSW courses.

The EMU School of Social Work uses several tools and methods to regularly assess program outcomes and to guide program renewal. The most recent outcome assessments are posted here: