Practice Doctorate Accreditation Standards

2025 Accreditation Standards for Practice Doctorate Social Work Programs

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is pleased to announce the approval and release of the 2025 Accreditation Standards for Practice Doctorate Social Work Programs. The accreditation standards were developed and approved by the Board of Accreditation (BOA) on February 6, 2025.

2025 Practice Doctorate Accreditation Standards*
2025 Practice Doctorate Accreditation Toolkit

*Advance copy - version of document with graphic design forthcoming. 



Implementation Timeline

As of August 1, 2025: all practice doctorate programs seeking accreditation via traditional pathway or temporary alternative pathway will use the 2025 Accreditation Standards for Practice Doctorate Social Work Programs for the duration of the candidacy process. 

As of July 1, 2027: All accredited practice doctorate programs are expected to operate under the 2025 Accreditation Standards for Practice Doctorate Social Work Programs.

Social Work Education Continuum

Programs Accredited by the CSWE Board of Accreditation

Accredited by Institutional Accreditors*

Baccalaureate 

Social Work Degree

Generalist Practice

 

Competency-based 
 Education Model

Master's

 Social Work Degree

Specialized Practice

 

Competency-based 
 Education Model

Practice Doctorate

 Social Work Degree

Doctoral Practice

 

Practitioner-Scholar 
 Perspective

Research Doctorate

Degree | PhD

  • Generalist practice is grounded in the liberal arts and the person-in-environment framework. 
  • To promote human and social well-being, generalist practitioners use a range of prevention and intervention methods in their practice with diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, based on scientific inquiry and best practices. 
  • The generalist practitioner identifies with the social work profession and applies ethical principles and critical thinking in practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. 
  • They engage in research informed practice and are proactive in responding to the impact of context on professional practice.
  • Demonstrate an ability to engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate across client populations, problem areas, and methods of intervention. 
  • Extends and enhances the nine social work competencies that are demonstrated in observable behaviors indicative of competence in specialized areas of professional practice.
  • Specialized practitioners synthesize and use the knowledge and skills necessary for interprofessional collaborations based on scientific inquiry and best practices, consistent with social work values. 
  • They engage in both research and advocacy in their commitment to changing structural inequities and to informing and improving practice, policy, and service delivery.
  • Develop, translate, and advance 
     social work practice knowledge; use and evaluate research-informed practice critically to translate and innovate social work practice; engage in systematic inquiry; and apply and disseminate research-informed knowledge, values, ethics, and skills in social work through practice, professional leadership, and/or teaching. 
  • Core expertise and skills:
    1. advance practice through innovative approaches;
    2. use and critically evaluate research and knowledge;
    3. engage in scientific inquiry that reflects doctoral level scholarship; 
    4. develop and disseminate practice-relevant research-informed knowledge through a variety of channels, such as teaching, scholarship, professional presentations, mentoring, and administration;
    5. provide leadership in social work practice and/or education; and 
    6. develop and maintain substantive expertise in one or more areas of social work practice.
  • “Aims to prepare students to be scientists, scholars, and stewards of the discipline.”
  • “Prepare graduates to develop substantive knowledge in an area of specialization, be able to conduct independent research, and have transferable skills and competencies for productive employability.”

 

Source: 2023 GADE Quality Guidelines for PhD Programs in Social Work

*Research doctorate degrees are not programmatically accredited across health professions