Section 338.2906. Educational standards; adoption by reference.

(1) The board adopts by reference in these rules   the     standards of the council on social work education for the accreditation   of                            social

work education programs set forth in the publication entitled "Handbook of Accreditation Standards and Procedures," fifth edition, February 2003, which is available for inspection and distribution at cost from the Board of  Social  Work, Bureau  of Health  Professions,   Michigan

Department of Community  Health, 611 West Ottawa, Lansing,  MI  48909,  or from the Council on Social Work Education, 1725 Duke Street, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22314-3457 at a cost of $40.95 as of the time of  adoption of  these  rules.   A  copy of this publication may be purchased from the council on social work  education   by calling      1-703-683-8080      or          via the council's internet website at http://www.cswe.org. Completion of  an  accredited   social  work  education program at the level required by the act shall be evidence of completion  of  a  program  acceptable to the department and approved by the board.  Any   other program that is submitted by an applicant shall be evaluated by the board to determine the program's equivalence to the standards of an accredited program.

(2)   The board adopts by reference the recognition standards and criteria of the council for higher  education   accreditation  (chea),  effective January 1999,  and  the procedures   and    criteria    for     recognizing postsecondary accrediting agencies  of  the

U.S. department of education, effective July 1, 2000. Copies of the standards and criteria  of  the council  for   higher education accreditation and  the   U.S.   department of education are available for inspection and distribution at cost from the Board of Social Work, Bureau of Health Professions, Department of Community Health, 611 West Ottawa,  P.O.

Box 30670, Lansing, MI 48909. The chea recognition standards also may be obtained from the Council for  Higher  Education   Accreditation,  One  Dupont Circle NW, Suite

510,      Washington,      DC      20036-1110,      or      from       the      council's   website  at http://www.chea.org at no cost.  The federal recognition   criteria may be obtained from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education, 1990 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006 or from the department's website at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/OPE/index.html at no cost.

(3)       The  board   adopts  by  reference   the  standards  of   the following postsecondary accrediting organizations, which may be obtained from the individual accrediting organization at the identified cost:

(a)    The standards of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, set forth in the  document   entitled "Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education: Eligibility Requirements and Standards  for   Accreditation,"  2002   edition,  which    is available    free   of    charge on    the    association's    website    at http://www.msche.org or for  purchase at a cost of

$7.40 as of the time  of adoption of these rules.

(b)  The standards of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., Commission on Institutions  of   Higher  Education,  209 Burlington  Road, Bedford, MA  07130,  set  forth  in  the   document entitled  "Standards  for Accreditation," 2001 edition, which is available free of charge on the association's website at http://www.neasc.org.

(c)   The standards of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the Higher Learning Commission, 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602, set forth  in   the  document  entitled  "Handbook   of Accreditation," 2003 edition, which is available for purchase through the association's website at http://www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org at a cost of $30.00 as of the time of adoption of these rules.

(d)    The standards of the Northwest Association of  Schools,  Colleges,   and Universities, the Commission on Colleges and Universities, 8060 165th Avenue NE, Suite 100, Redmond, WA 98052, set forth in the document entitled "Accreditation Handbook," 2003 edition, which is available for purchase through the association's website at http://www.nwccu.org at a cost of $20.00 as of the time of adoption of these rules.

(e)    The standards of the Southern  Association   of  Colleges  and Schools, Commission on Colleges, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033, set forth in the document  entitled  "Principles   of        Accreditation:                                                                             Foundation for Quality Enhancement", January 2004,  which  is  available  free  of charge  on   the association's website at http://www.sacscoc.org or for purchase at a cost of $12.00 for members and $24.00 for nonmembers as of the time of adoption of these rules.

(f)    The standards of the Western Association of  Schools  and  Colleges,   the Accrediting Commission for Senior  Colleges  and    Universities,   985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501, set forth in the document entitled "2001 Handbook of Accreditation," which is available free of  charge

on  the commission's website at http://www.wascweb.org or for purchase at  a cost   of

$15.00  for  member  institutions  and    $20.00    for     nonmember institutions  as  of the time of adoption of these rules.

(g)   The standards of the Western  Association  of   Schools  and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for   Community  and  Junior    Colleges,   10 Commercial Blvd.,

Suite 204, Novato, CA 94949 set forth in the document  entitled "Accreditation Reference Handbook", July 2003, which is available free of charge on  the commission's    website    a http://www.wascweb.org.

History: 1979 AC; 1992 AACS; 2003 AACS; 2005 AACS.