College Accreditation: What is It, and Who is Involved?
Colleges and universities are quick to cite their accreditation status when recruiting students. Those choosing a college need to know what accreditation means and why it is important. Before paying for an education, prospective students should understand the basics of accreditation.
Accreditation may be regional or national and may cover the entire institution or a single degree program. The following is an explanation of these different types of accreditation and their meaning for students and graduates.
Regional accreditation is the most prestigious and is sought by most colleges and universities. There are six regional accrediting organizations:
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Regionally accredited institutions will generally recognize credits transferred from other regionally accredited schools.
To become an accredited institution, a school must submit to a rigorous review process in which the agency evaluates faculty, facilities and curriculum offerings to ensure they meet the standards set by the organization. After initial accreditation, there are periodic reviews so the school can show it still meets those standards. Schools with deficiencies are given an opportunity to fix them and will lose their accredited status if deficiencies persist.
National accreditation organizations are often associated with online career schools. The Distance Education and Training Council is one such national organization. Regionally accredited schools may not always accept transfer credits from nationally accredited programs, so students should check individual school policies if they plan to transfer between schools.
Program accreditation is another level of accreditation that may be important for those pursuing medical or technical fields. Organizations such as ABET (the Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology) evaluate specific degree programs such as a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering or Master of Science in Computer Science. Within a college, some degree programs may have a different status, e.g. the baccalaureate program in mechanical engineering may be accredited while the graduate programs are new and pursuing accreditation.
Program accreditation can be vitally important in some fields. For example, most libraries will only hire librarians with an M.L.S. degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association. The American Psychological Association and the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education are also examples of organizations that accredit degree programs in their respective fields. Students who plan to go to graduate school will want to make sure their baccalaureate degree will meet graduate school admission requirements in their field of study.
Students benefit from accreditation in several ways. The credits they earn will be transferable. The degrees they earn will be recognized by employers and graduate schools. Most important of all, they can have confidence that their school or program was independently evaluated for quality of faculty, facilities and course offerings.
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