Accreditation

The Social Work Department at NAU offers a BSW and MSW program accredited by CSWE. In addition, NAU is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

Why should I attend a program accredited by CSWE?

CSWE is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the sole accrediting body for social work education in the United States. Social work education programs that are accredited by CSWE have met a series of rigorous standards designed by leading social work educators and practitioners to ensure that students are adequately prepared for professional practice. Membership in the National Association of Social Workers and the social work licensing laws in most states require graduation from a CSWE-accredited program. The profession of social work in the United States looks to CSWE-accredited programs to produce individuals who have the knowledge and skills to be professional social workers. Your chances of being licensed or hired as a social worker are greatly enhanced by an accredited social work degree.

CSWE Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) uses the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) to accredit baccalaureate and master’s level programs. EPAS supports academic excellence by establishing thresholds for professional competence. It permits programs to use traditional and emerging models of curriculum design by balancing requirements that promote comparability across programs with a level of flexibility that encourages programs to differentiate.

EPAS stipulates four features of an integrated curriculum design: 1) program mission and goals 2) explicit curriculum 3) implicit curriculum a 4) assessment. As an accredited social work program, we follow the EPAS standards and are periodically reviewed by CSWE for compliance. The EPAS requirements can be read in full on the CSWE web site: www.cswe.org

Social Work Licensing Information

Licensing of social work practitioners is under the authority of a designated office in each individual state.  All 50 states and the District of Columbia require that a social worker sitting for a licensing exam be a graduate of a CSWE-accredited program.

Contact information for individual state licensing boards can be found on the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) website at www.aswb.org or through an internet search for a licensing board for a particular state.

Program Assessment 2020-2021

Find out more about NAU accreditation.