University of Houston-Clear Lake | Rigorous social work program rewarded with reaccreditation

The Council on Social Work Education has reaccredited University of Houston-Clear Lake’s Bachelor Social Work program for another eight-year cycle. This is the third time the association’s Commission on Accreditation, which holds social work education to the highest possible standards, has affirmed UHCL’s bachelor of social work degree program since its inception.

Reaccreditation is a lengthy process, says Professor of Social Work Stephen “Arch” Erich. “We started preparing about three years ago. It’s an opportunity for us to examine every aspect of our program in terms of curriculum, structure, how we might admit students, and what our purposes are. All done in a way that fits with our future goals.”

After months of scrutiny by CSWE’s Commission on Accreditation auditors, the association’s liaison sent back word “that there were ‘zero questions’ about our [reaccreditation] package and ‘zero areas of concerns,’” said Associate Professor of Social Work Heather Kanenberg. She added that the liaison wrote in an email, “That never happens around here.”

It’s good news not only for the program, Kanenberg said, but for students seeking licensure, which expands employment opportunities. In order to be licensed, students must graduate from an accredited program. UHCL’s Bachelor of Social Work grads are eligible to attain the State of Texas title Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker or LBSW.

“Many of our graduates want to work in medical fields, or schools, or with veterans and older adults in environments where they really will need licensure,” Kanenberg said.

“Many of our undergraduates will go to work. Many will go to work and also to grad school. The opportunity is there for our students who want to get some experience, but who aren’t going to get to their graduate degrees immediately. There are so many working students, students with families. It really does make a difference for them.”

Employment of social workers is projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024 – faster than the average for all occupations – the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, and adds that employment growth will be driven by increased demand for healthcare and social services.

“We are very confident that our students who are going directly into the workforce are very likely to get employed upon graduation,” Erich said. “Of our students who applied to grad school in the past three years, 97 percent of them got accepted. Virtually all those get accepted with advanced standing, which suggests some really good things about our program.”

In 2016, UHCL graduated 24 social work students – its largest cohort. This semester, 16 finished their path to graduation, Kanenberg said. “For their senior year they all do an internship or field practicum. They start in August and graduate in May.”

More students are elsewhere in the degree program. The department uses the upper-level “Introduction to Social Work” class as a predictor of student interest. This semester’s class – spring 2017, has 29 students. The fall 2016 semester’s class had 32.

Currently, there are no freshman or sophomore courses in social work, but lower-level students can declare when they apply that they are interested in majoring.

“I’m getting more and more requests to go out into high schools in the area and talk about social work,” said Roberta Leal, visiting assistant professor of Social Work. “Social work is on the map now. When youth know at an early age that social work is an option for a profession, then they can be more informed early on.”

Students also learn early on that social work takes commitment, Kanenberg said. “Our program and our mission is clearly centered on a construct of social justice. Our profession via our code of ethics obligates us to improve quality of life for all people and not just your favorite group,” she said.

“We spend [the introductory course] helping students understand their responsibilities and obligations as social workers, and also the possibilities within the field,” Leal said.

“The accreditation process forces us to think about how we integrate courses and content,” Erich said. “It asks a lot of students to make a decision to choose social work. There will be more than just course work to fit in their lives. It’s going to ask them to perform at a higher level.”

That demonstration of high standards begins in the introductory class, Leal said.

“We ask our students to commit to 40-plus hours of volunteer time in a social-work setting – before their internship – so early on they get to witness and experience social workers in action. This is part of the course curriculum.”

Students have many volunteer and internship choices, including social services, schools, government agencies, hospitals, hospices and more. UHCL has agreements with more than 70 Greater Houston area partners.

“Our students can be placed in a range of service industries, such as victims’ assistance programs in police departments, working with children and families who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition or learning disability, or physical or chronic ailments,” Leal said. “Students go from this very first exposure of, ‘Just go get your feet wet,’ through the rigors of the curriculum into the field practicum. I had a student say, ‘I learned these skills in my Practice with Individuals Class. And now I’m utilizing them in an agency based professional environment.’ I think that speaks volumes for how the program is designed to set the student up for professional success.”

Rigorous social work program rewarded with reaccreditation

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