Accreditation

Class Location: The Internet.

Description: This course is designed to teach you all about accreditation.

Objective: Learn what accreditation means and how it affects your outlook on an institution.

You’ve likely heard the word “accreditation” as you’ve started researching graduate schools. But what exactly is accreditation, and what does it mean to you as a potential grad student?

Accreditation is the process that measures whether an educational institution meets generally accepted minimum standards. It’s sort of like a certification for an educational institution or program, labeling it as academically reputable. Several national and six regional private organizations determine accreditation for colleges and universities in the U.S.

There are two kinds of accreditation—institutional and program. Institutional accreditation applies to an entire college or university. In addition to the school’s educational programs, the accreditation is based on many other factors, including administration, financial stability, admissions processes, student and faculty achievement, and more. The six regional organizations usually provide institutional accreditation. Keep in mind that this kind of accreditation validates the overall quality of the school. It doesn’t address the quality of the school’s individual programs.

Program accreditation (also known as specialty or professional accreditation) is granted to a specific program within a school. This kind of accreditation comes from the national organizations. For instance, the American Bar Association accredits law schools, as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology does for engineering programs. Not all fields of study have accreditation, and it’s more relevant in some areas than others.

Accreditation is important for both the school and the student. Schools do not have to submit to the accreditation process, but they lose a number of benefits if they don’t. Aside from affecting their reputations, a lack of accreditation means that a school will likely lose students for a number of reasons. First, federal and state financial aid is usually available only to students at accredited schools, and students at non-accredited schools often lose bank loans and private scholarships, as well. In addition, international students usually can’t get visas to attend non-accredited schools in the U.S. Employers and other educational institutions often don’t recognize degrees or transfer credit from non-accredited colleges and universities.

As for program accreditation, the importance depends largely on the field of study. For instance, in fields like law, medicine, or engineering, going to a non-accredited school will be a complete waste of your time and money. You won’t be able to get a job based on your degree. In other areas, like business, attending a non-accredited program will make it difficult for you to get professionally certified.

It’s easy to find out whether an institution or program is accredited. Schools publicize their seals of approval. And the accrediting organizations provide complete lists of the schools and programs they recognize. Just visit their websites for more information. In addition, educational counselors also have access to this information.

You should definitely know the accreditation status of any school or program you want to pursue. Depending on your field of study, it may make all the difference. But accreditation isn’t everything. Just because a college is accredited doesn’t mean the program you want to attend there is the best choice. Accreditation can help you refine your search for the right college or program, but you’ll have to consider many other factors before deciding where you want to go to school.