Autonomy and Visibility in Undergraduate Social Work Education

Abstract

Autonomy and visibility are important issues for social work education. Although a specific accreditation standard on autonomy exists, research reveals limitations in autonomy can result in difficulty attaining or maintaining accreditation. In 1980, accredited undergraduate units identified themselves using more than 50 different titles. By 1990, this diversity had been reduced, and the more common title “Social Work Program” was used by more than one third of all units. What is unknown is whether these changes resulted in more freestanding programs or more programs within a host department and greater or less visibility and autonomy. To explore these issues, questionnaires were sent to all U.S. accredited baccalaureate social work programs. Results indicated that the majority of respondents perceived the established governance and administrative structures of their programs as either adequate or very adequate. However, nearly 25% of the respondents found the support staff arrangement unsatisfactory. Moreover, more than one third of respondents indicated a desire for greater autonomy and more than two thirds desired more visibility of their programs.

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