Social Work Program Earns Reaffirmation of Accredited Status

The Kuyper College Social Work program recently earned reaffirmation of its accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education for another eight years, a vital marker of a strong program, said Associate Professor and Program Director Jen Colin.

“The CSWE sets the standard at a national level. If you want to offer a bachelor’s degree in social work, you have to have that accreditation,” Colin said.

This reaffirmation represents an extraordinary effort by Kuyper’s Social Work faculty, who spent nearly three years reviewing and refreshing curriculum and teaching practices to ensure complete alignment with CSWE standards and with the College’s mission and values.

Associate Professor and Director of Field Education Kelli Hoffman said the process also strengthens the program’s ongoing commitment to excellence.

“It validates that, yes, we have an impactful program,” she said. “But it also reminds us that we need to continue growing and shaping the curriculum to meet the needs of our changing world.”

Hoffman added that CSWE’s stamp of approval signals to prospective students that Kuyper is an ideal place to develop the knowledge and skills needed for competent, ethical, and evidence-based generalist practice. Accredited status also enables graduates to potentially qualify for advanced standing in Master of Social Work programs—saving up to a year of coursework and significant tuition costs.

“The validity of a BSW (bachelor of social work degree) opens up a lot more job opportunities as well,” Hoffman said.

Both Hoffman and Colin noted that Kuyper’s program stands out among CSWE-accredited schools for its distinctly Reformed lens.

At Kuyper, students learn that the mission of the social work program is “to equip students with the knowledge, values, and skills for competent, ethical, and evidence- based generalist practice in order to advocate for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice, embracing the dignity and worth of each person made in God’s image, and celebrating our diverse, global society.”

“With a social work degree from Kuyper, you learn the CSWE competencies, but you also get the Reformed worldview perspective,” Colin said.

“Students get to see how well Scripture and social work actually align with each other,” Hoffman added.

Both professors said they found the reaccreditation process personally enriching, especially after hearing from students.

“It instilled a sense of pride that we’re offering students our best, and that they’re going to graduate from the program with a comprehensive education,” Colin said.