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Social Work Program Accredited

February 12, 2014

Angelo State University’s social work bachelor’s degree program has received Initial Accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Commission on Accreditation.

The social work program is a component of the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Social Work in ASU’s College of Health and Human Services (CHHS).  The Initial Accreditation period will run for four years, as long as ASU submits a satisfactory progress report in December.

“The CSWE grants accreditation to programs throughout the country,” said Dr. Thomas Starkey, ASU social work program director. “Without receiving accreditation, there would be no social work program at ASU, and hopefully this will allow us to continue to grow as a program.”

Accreditation serves the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices. The accrediting body, CSWE, holds programs accountable to those it serves—the profession, consumers, employers, students and their families.

“Accreditation is extremely important to a number of programs offered through the College of Health and Human Services, including nursing, physical therapy and now, social work,” said Dr. Leslie Mayrand, CHHS dean. “It lets the public know we offer high quality programs at ASU.”

“Having assisted with a number of accreditation efforts over the years,” she added, “I was struck by how detailed, comprehensive and lengthy the social work accreditation process was. I have nothing but praise for the social work faculty, led by Dr. Starkey, for their tenacity in achieving this incredible milestone.”

ASU’s Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) program first received Candidacy Status from the CSWE in 2010, and has now received its Initial Accreditation that will run through 2018.

“Accreditation for the social work program means that our students will be able to sit for the Texas state licensing exam and that our program is on par with other B.S.W. programs around the state and nation,” Starkey said.

In addition to the B.S.W., ASU offers a Master of Science in Social Work degree in collaboration with the University of Texas at Arlington.

“I believe with achieving accreditation,” Mayrand said, “as well as our successful collaboration with UTA to offer a master’s degree, our social work program is destined to become one of the most successful programs on campus.”

The CSWE is a nonprofit national association representing more than 2,500 individual members, as well as graduate and undergraduate programs of professional social work education. Founded in 1952, it is a partnership of educational and professional institutions, social welfare agencies and private citizens, and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the sole accrediting agency for social work education in the U.S.  More information is available online at www.cswe.org/.

For more information on ASU’s accreditation, call Starkey at 325-486-6130 or Mayrand at 325-942-2630. More information on the B.S.W. program is available online at www.angelo.edu/dept/psychology_sociology/degree_programs/social_work.php.