MSW and BSW Program Assessment

The Social Work program at Walla Walla University received its first accreditation in the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in 1979 and initial CSWE accreditation for the MSW Program was granted in 1989. Since that time, the School of Social Work has successfully obtained reaffirmation of accreditation until 2027 for both the BSW and MSW Programs. In many states, including the State of Washington, applicants for social work licensure must have obtained a bachelor or graduate degree in social work from an academic program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) promotes academic excellence in baccalaureate and master’s social work education. The EPAS specifies the curricular content and educational context to prepare students for professional social work practice. Competency-based education is an outcome performance approach to curriculum design. Assessment is an integral part of competency-based education. Both the BSW and MSW programs have their own standards and program competencies that they seek to achieve.

Assessment of MSW Student Learning Outcomes: The Council on Social Work Education Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards 2015 (EPAS 2015) provides the competency framework that guides the assessment process. The first year, or generalist year,  of the MSW program is assessed using the generalist competencies. The second year of the MSW program, the clinical year, is assessed with the advanced clinical practice competencies. We use two measures to assess student learning outcomes in the MSW program: assessment assignments that are embedded throughout the curriculum, and data from the field education learning plan. The assessment data provided is the combined scores of these two measures, assessment assignment and field education, for each competency. For the latest summary tables of the MSW program assessment results for the generalist and advanced clinical levels, please click on the link below:
MSW Program Assessment Results 
 

Assessment of BSW Student Learning Outcomes: The Council on Social Work Education Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards 2015 (EPAS 2015) provides the competency framework that guides the assessment process. The BSW program is assessed using the generalist competencies. We use two measures to assess student learning outcomes in the BSW program: assessment assignments that are embedded throughout the curriculum, and data from the field education learning plan. The assessment data provided is the combined scores of these two measures, assessment assignment and field education, for each competency. For the latest summary tables of the BSW program assessment results, please click on the link below:
BSW Program Assessment Results