IMPORTANT: These are DRAFT READ-ONLY documents in development for use by practice doctorate programs after the practice doctorate accreditation pilot concludes. It is anticipated that programs will be able to seek accreditation in late-2025. The timeline is subject to change pending Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) review, expansion of the BOA’s accreditation scope, and adoption of the final and forthcoming Accreditation Standards for Practice Doctorate Social Work Program Accreditation. These documents are provided publicly for informational and planning purposes only and subject to change.
Additional toolkit items will be released mid-late 2025.
Phase 1 Accreditation Toolkit items for practice doctorate programs include:
- Candidacy Eligibility Application
- Reaffirmation & Initial Accreditation Eligibility Application
- Temporary Alternative Pathway Application
- Current Practice Doctorate Candidacy Fees and Related Expenses
Practice doctorate programs will be able to seek accreditation via two distinct pathways:
- Traditional Pathway: for new and developing practice doctorate programs
- Temporary Alternative Pathway: one-year initial accreditation process for existing practice doctorate programs
The Temporary Alternative Pathway was developed in recognition that practice doctorate programs have longstanding operational history and pilot participation was limited by design. Therefore, this pathway allows existing practice doctorate programs an expedited candidacy and initial accreditation option, while the traditional candidacy benchmarking process is developmental and designed to build a new educational program.
1) Traditional Pathway Summary
3-year developmental model (current candidacy processes and procedures):Application & Staff Approval
- Submission of Candidacy Eligibility Application & Candidacy Eligibility Fee
- Submission of Benchmark 1 document for staff approval
- Program granted pre-candidacy upon staff approval of Benchmark 1 document
- Candidacy Visit 1
- Benchmark 1 is submitted for BOA review 30 days prior to the visit
- Program invoiced for Candidacy Visit 1 Fee
- Candidacy Visit Report produced
- Program Response to the Candidacy Visit Report
- Candidacy decision by BOA
- Candidacy Visit 2
- Benchmark 2 is submitted for BOA review 30 days prior to the visit
- Program invoiced for Candidacy Visit 2 Fee
- Candidacy Visit Report produced
- Program Response to the Candidacy Visit Report
- 2nd Year Candidacy decision by BOA
- Submission of Initial Accreditation Eligibility Application & Initial Accreditation Fee
- Candidacy Visit 3
- Benchmark 3/Initial Accreditation Self-Study submitted for BOA review 30 days prior to visit
- Program invoiced for Candidacy Visit 3 Fee
- Candidacy Visit Report produced
- Program Response to the Candidacy Visit Report
- Initial Accreditation decision by BOA
2) Temporary Alternative Pathway Summary
1-year expedited process (see Temporary Alternative Pathway Application for eligibility information):- Submission of Temporary Alternative Pathway Application (including Initial Accreditation Self-Study), Candidacy Eligibility Fee, and Initial Accreditation Fee
- Program granted pre-candidacy upon staff approval of Temporary Alternative Pathway Application
- Candidacy decision by BOA
- Candidacy Visit 3
- Benchmark 3/Initial Accreditation Self-Study submitted for BOA review 30 days prior to the visit
- Program invoiced for Candidacy Visit 3 Fee
- Candidacy Visit Report produced
- Program Response to the Candidacy Visit Report
- Initial Accreditation Decision by BOA