Dordt Social Work Program Earns Accreditation
In mid-March, the Dordt University master of social work (MSW) program received full accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
“When we began planning for the MSW program years ago, we knew that receiving accreditation from CSWE would be an important yet complicated process. We are thankful to have received accreditation and to be able to offer a fully accredited MSW program,” said Erin Olson, professor of social work and director of the MSW program.
The MSW program, which currently has about 40 students and 10 graduates, began the three-year process toward full accreditation back in 2019. Graduating from an accredited program means Dordt graduates can pursue social work licensure at the master’s level, explained Olson.
“Dordt’s BSW [bachelor of social work] program has a long history of full accreditation with the CSWE, and now that the MSW program is fully accredited, we can continue to train high-quality social workers for service in God’s kingdom,” she said.
Leah Zuidema, Dordt’s vice president for academic affairs, said that MSW graduates are prepared to help individuals and organizations address some of the hurts of the world and to help people flourish by living and keeping with God’s good design for human relationships.
“CSWE accreditation gives assurance to students and employers that our program follows best practice in the field,” added Zuidema. “This enables us to attract more students and, in turn, we can prepare more graduates, having a greater kingdom impact on the culture around us.”
Dordt’s MSW program offers a Christ-centered social work education with engaging faculty, insightful coursework, and 100 percent online classes. The program offers specializations in clinical practice, community practice and administration, and advanced generalist practice. Dordt also offers an accelerated master of social work program, in which students can earn a bachelor’s degree in social work in three years and finish an MSW degree in the fourth year. For more information, visit dordt.edu/academics/programs/master-of-social-work.
