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Types of Accreditation |
There
are two basic types of accreditation for degreegranting
institutions in the United States: institutional
and programmatic. As its name implies, institutional
accreditation reviews and accredits the whole institution.
Programmatic accreditation, sometimes called professional
accreditation or specialized accreditation, dealswith
programs, departments, or schools within an institution;
for example, a physical therapy program, a business
school, or a school of engineering. Several different
accrediting associations or bodies carry out each
of these types of accreditation. Institutional accreditation
can be divided into two types: regional accreditation
and national accreditation.
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Regional Accreditation
Regional accreditation is the primary type of institutional
accreditation used in the United States. It is carried
out by six organizations that cover different geographic
regions of the country. The six regional
accrediting bodies collectively serve more than 3,500
of the approximately 3,800 degree-granting institutions
in the United States. They are:
National Accreditation
In addition, there are several national accrediting
bodies that carry out institutional accreditation and
are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation
(CHEA) and/or the U.S. Department of Education. For
a complete and current list of these organizations,
see:
Regional Versus National Accreditation
Some institutions hold national rather than regional
accreditation because they are unwilling or unable to
meet the standards of regional accreditation. For example,
regional accrediting bodies require that between one-quarter
and one-third of the institution’s curriculum
be allocated to courses in general education (humanities,
social sciences, and physical sciences); this is a problem
for some specialized institutions. Another example involves
colleges that are controlled by religious denominations
that require that certain concepts (for example, creation)
be taken on faith; since all regional accrediting
associations require that institutions allow faculty
and students the academic freedom to pursue all ideas,
these institutions are not eligible for regional accreditation.
If you are considering a U.S. institution that holds
national accreditation but not regional accreditation,
you need to get answers to these questions:
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Will my home country’s government,
professional associations, and employers recognize
a degree from an institution accredited by a particular
national accrediting body but not a regional accrediting
body? |
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Will educational institutions in other countries
recognize a degree from a nationally accredited
U.S. institution? |
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Have graduates of this U.S. institution been
able to do with their degrees what I want to do
with my degree? For example, how many have gained
entry to a particular field of employment or were
accepted into a more advanced degree program offered
at another institution? |
You should also be aware that many U.S. institutions
that hold regional accreditation do not recognize credits
or degrees earned at other U.S. institutions that are
nationally accredited. This will be important to you
if you decide to transfer from one U.S. institution
to another part way through a degree program, or if
you plan to pursue degrees at different U.S. institutions;
for example, a bachelor’s degree from one school
and a master’s degree from another.
Institutions Not Holding Recognized
Accreditation
In many countries, government authorities require colleges
and universities to obtain accreditation, but in the
United States accreditation is voluntary. Therefore,
an institution can choose whether it wishes to be regionally
or nationally accredited, or even if it wishes to be
accredited at all. Or an institution may be accredited
by a body that is not recognized. Students at institutions
that do not hold some form of recognized regional or
national accreditation are likely to encounter difficulties
in the following areas:
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They will be ineligible for many
loans and scholarships, as well as some other
academic honors. For example, many foreign governments
will grant educational loans only to students
who are attending a regionally accredited institution. |
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It will be difficult to transfer credits to,
or to have degrees recognized by, other U.S. institutions
that do hold recognized regional or national accreditation. |
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Governments of other countries will often not
accept degrees from, or recognize, U.S. institutions
that do not hold regional or national accreditation. |
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Many private employers will not recognize credits
and degrees earned at an institution that is not
regionally accredited. |
In considering institutions that do not hold accreditation
from a recognized body, you need to be aware of two
additional factors:
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Recognized accrediting bodies have
strict policies to avoid any conflict of interest
between the institution being evaluated and those
who are doing the evaluating. For example, evaluators
cannot be students, alumni, owners, or employees
of the institution undergoing the evaluation.
This integrity in the accrediting process cannot
be guaranteed if the accrediting body is not recognized. |
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If you attend an institution that does not hold
accreditation from a recognized accrediting body,
not only may employers and governments not accept
your credits and degree, but also the education
that you receive may not be as current or comprehensive
or of as a high a standard as that offered by
institutions accredited by recognized bodies. |
If you are considering studying at an institution that
does not have proper accreditation, ask for the names
of alumni who have used their degrees to do something
similar to what you plan to do with yours. Then contact
the alumni for evaluations of their experience.
Programmatic Accreditation
Programmatic accrediting bodies accredit specialized
and professional degree programs or departments rather
than whole institutions. Very often, such programs or
departments are offered, or are based, at institutions
that already have institutional accreditation, so you
can be assured of their legitimacy and general quality.
A programmatic accrediting body is considered a “recognized”
accrediting body if it is a member of the Council for
Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the Association
of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA).
Membership in either CHEA or ASPA is an indicator of
the reliability of a programmatic accrediting association.
The U.S. Department of Education recognizes national
and regional accrediting bodies only and does not get
involved in programmatic accreditation.
For a complete and current list of programmatic accrediting
bodies recognized by CHEA, refer to the publication
Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education or
consult CHEA’s Web site at http://www.chea.org.
A few programmatic accrediting bodies are not members
of CHEA, but instead belong to ASPA. A full list of
these organizations can be found on the ASPA Web site
at http://www.aspa-usa.org.
For some professions, including those dealing with health
(for example, medicine or dentistry) or safety (for
example, engineering), you must be a graduate of a program
with programmatic accreditation in order to practice
in the specific field. If you are considering working
in a particular profession, check whether programmatic
accreditation is a prerequisite for practice before
enrolling in a degree program.
Even if programmatic accreditation is not required for
licensure, specialized accreditation offers a guarantee
that both the program and the faculty are qualified
and current in their profession, as judged by the accrediting
body.
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