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SAGU Social Work Degree Receives CSWE Accreditation Candidacy

Waxahachie, TX

August 30, 2019 | Andrew Hurst


Sandra Harp, Ph.D., with Social Work Instructor Lacey Todd, M.S.S.W., and alumna
Fille Kinyamahanga following a graduation ceremony

Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) is excited to announce that the Social Work Bachelor鈥檚 Degree program has achieved Candidacy for Accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education鈥檚 Commission on Accreditation .

Dr. Sandra Harp, Instructor and Program Coordinator for SAGU鈥檚 Social Work Degree Program, has played a critical role in helping to establish candidacy – a process that she explains began several years ago before she had arrived on SAGU鈥檚 campus. 鈥淚t was clear that my role was to assist SAGU with the accreditation process for the Social Work program,鈥 she says. 鈥淪tudents graduating from a CSWE (Council on Social Work Education) accredited program have the ability to be in Advanced Placement at graduate schools with an accredited MSW (Master鈥檚 of Social Work) program.鈥

This benefit also allows BSW (Bachelor鈥檚 in Social Work) students to complete their master鈥檚 degree in half the time due to many of the required courses for a master鈥檚 level degree having been already completed at the undergraduate level. 鈥淗alf the time, half the cost!鈥 she exclaimed.

鈥淭he good news for SAGU BSW students is that since we were officially granted CSWE candidacy, these students will receive a diploma from an accredited BSW program.鈥

鈥淲e are placed alongside an esteemed list of universities with accredited Social Work programs. Additionally, our BSW faculty must meet specific criteria for teaching Social Work courses. I’m also excited about offering the BSW program with two options: Distance Education or On-Campus (or a hybrid).鈥

To learn more about SAGU鈥檚 Bachelor鈥檚 Degree in Social Work, .

A full statement by the Council on Social Work Education regarding our candidacy is provided below.


Southwestern Assemblies of God University鈥檚 Bachelor鈥檚 Degree in Social Work program has achieved Candidacy for Accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education鈥檚 Commission on Accreditation.

Candidacy for a baccalaureate or master鈥檚 social work program by the Council on Social Work Education鈥檚 Commission on Accreditation indicates that it has made progress toward meeting criteria for the assessment of program quality evaluated through a peer review process.聽 A program that has attained Candidacy has demonstrated a commitment to meeting the compliance standards set by the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, but has not yet demonstrated full compliance.

Students who enter programs that attain Candidacy in or before the academic year in which they begin their program of study will be retroactively recognized as having graduated from a CSWE-accredited program once the program attains Initial Accreditation.聽 Candidacy is typically a three-year process and attaining Candidacy does not guarantee that a program will eventually attain Initial Accreditation. Candidacy applies to all program sites and program delivery methods of an accredited program. Accreditation provides reasonable assurance about the quality of the program and the competence of students graduating from the program.

For more information about social work accreditation, you may contact .


As a leading Christian university, SAGU educates and prepares individuals who want to serve Christ and others. SAGU helps students discover and develop their God-given callings in a Spirit-empowered, learning community.

We believe in affordable tuition, made possible in part through the financial support of donors who embrace the mission of SAGU and the importance of affordable, accredited programs to train Christians for leadership in ministry, business, education, and service.

Most majors are available in-person in Waxahachie, TX, and online through a wide range of associate, bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚, and doctoral degrees.