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School of Social Work

Assessment and Accreditation

The University of Montana School of Social Work is committed to ongoing assessment and continuous improvement of its Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) programs.

Accreditation Status

The University of Montana Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Board of Accreditation (BOA).

Accreditation of a social work program by the BOA indicates that it meets or exceeds standards of program quality evaluated through a peer review accreditation process. An accredited program has sufficient resources to meet its mission and goals, and the BOA has verified that it demonstrates compliance with all accreditation standards.

Accreditation applies to all program options, which include locations and delivery methods. Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.

Review our programs' accredited status in CSWE's Directory of Accredited Programs. For more information about social work accreditation, contact CSWE's Department of Social Work Accreditation.

Assessment and Continuous Improvement

The School of Social Work takes its mission of preparing students for BSW and MSW practice very seriously. We are committed to a values-based process of continual self-assessment, soliciting the participation of a variety of constituencies and using assessment findings to continually improve the program.

We employ a range of procedures to ensure a process that is effective, inclusive, comprehensive, varied, and instructive.

Principles of Program Assessment

The School's assessment plans are based on the following principles:

Programs continually evaluate themselves relative to their mission and goals.
Programs continually evaluate themselves relative to the Core Competencies and Practice Behaviors necessary for the profession, and required by schools accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
Program assessment is grounded in and guided by the core values of social work.
The results of the ongoing evaluative process are instructive in terms of program needs, strengths, and improvement.
Program assessment identifies both what is effective and what could be improved.
Programs continually identify constituency and workforce roles and issues that graduates are expected to fulfill and address.
Programs stay abreast of continually shifting and evolving social needs, trends, and issues.
Students are included as partners in the process of program assessment and continuous improvement.
Professional social work practice and schools of social work are accountable to clients, agencies, communities and society, and program assessment works toward ensuring that accountability.
Program assessment is a model for students about the importance of critical reflection, evaluation, and continuous improvement in all arenas of professional practice.
Program assessment is important within an institutional context and is coordinated with institutional accreditation processes and institutional assessment plans and measures.
Program assessment reflects commitment to professional leadership.

Research Methodologies

The School of Social Work is committed to evaluating itself through high quality research methodologies that are:

Varied in terms of the participants and subjects, process, frequency, and purpose
Balanced in terms of qualitative and quantitative measures
Intentionally designed to utilize mixed methodologies
Purposeful in terms of timing and repetition
Committed to the participation and involvement of students in terms of input and feedback
Committed to the participation and involvement of a variety of constituencies in providing input and feedback
Overlapping and integrated in such a way that outcomes are measured in multiple ways over time
Consistent with social work best research practices

BSW Assessment Plans and Outcomes

The School of Social Work publicly reports assessment plans and student learning outcomes for the BSW program as part of its ongoing assessment and CSWE accreditation requirements.

MSW Assessment Plans and Outcomes

The School of Social Work publicly reports assessment plans and student learning outcomes for the MSW program as part of its ongoing assessment and CSWE accreditation requirements.