Post-Master's Social Work Fellowship Accreditation
CSWE and its Commission on Accreditation (COA) are currently piloting the accreditation of post-master's social work fellowship programs. Fellowship programs are hosted by sites offering social work services in the United States, its territories, or on U.S. military installations and advance the knowledge and skills of a social work practitioner in a focused area of practice.
Unlike the academic programs accredited by COA, fellowship programs are practice-based and not tied to degree programs in colleges and universities. The purpose of fellowship training is for trainees to obtain advanced competencies and/or core expertise and skills beyond those attained through completion of a master's degree in social work.
Directory of Accredited Fellowship Programs
Timeline of Activities 2017-2021 Social Work Fellowship Accreditation
Fellowship Review Committee (FRC):
The committee serves as the primary review body for fellowship programs seeking initial or continued accreditation and is responsible for making accreditation decision recommendations to the Commission on Accreditation (COA). The FRC includes members from diverse social work practice areas and two COA members are appointed as liaisons to the FRC.
Fellowship Review Committee (FRC) Roster
Pilot:
The pilot was launched in October 2019 with 4 participating programs. A year into the pilot, it was determined that original requirements (4 eligibility requirements and 4 program criteria) were insufficient and that formal accreditation standards are warranted. Standards were developed and approved by the Commission on Accreditation (COA) during their October 2021 meeting. Now that the standards have been formally approved and adopted, CSWE staff will be working in late 2021 and early 2022 to revise fellowship accreditation materials to allow for additional fellowship programs to seek accreditation. Updates to be provided in early 2022.
Pilot FAQs
Standards:
The Post-Master’s Social Work Fellowship Accreditation Standards, approved and adopted in October 2021, will serve as the primary guiding document for fellowship accreditation. Accompanying policies and procedures and accreditation materials are currently in development to allow for additional fellowship programs to seek accreditation. Updates to be provided in early 2022.
Post-Master’s Fellowship Accreditation Standards
If you have an existing fellowship program, or are interested in developing one, we would love to hear from you! If you are interested in serving on the Fellowship Review Committee, please let us know! Please reach out to fellowship@cswe.org with any feedback or questions.