The bachelor’s degree program in social work at the University of Arkansas at Monticello has been reaccredited by the Council of Social Work Education through 2013, according to Vanneise Collins, head of UAM’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. 

   The six-year accreditation was awarded after the completion of a self-study and a visit from a team from the CWSE’s Commission on Accreditation in April 2005. 

    “This is a major accomplishment for our social work program,” Collins said. “Having an accredited social work program in southeast Arkansas is vitally important to our students, to our community and to this region.” 

   UAM first began offering a baccalaureate degree program in social work in 1996 and awarded its first degrees in 1999. The program was initially accredited by the CWSE in October 2001 retroactively to 1999. There are currently 74 students enrolled in the program. 

    “I want to congratulate Dr. Collins and her faculty for their efforts in the accreditation process,” said R. David Ray, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “This program provides a broad range of career opportunities and fills an important need in southeast Arkansas.” 

   Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the Licensed Social Work exam and can find jobs in agencies such as the Department of Children and Family Services, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and hospice care facilities, crisis intervention centers and prison systems.