Accreditation

Accreditation is a non-governmental, professional peer review

process by which educational institutions and programs are
provided technical assistance and are evaluated for quality based
on pre-established academic and administrative standards. It is a
process that assures the educational community and the general
public that an institution or a program has clearly defined and
appropriate objectives and maintains conditions under which their
achievement can reasonably be expected. Accreditation
encourages improvement through continuous self-study and
review and fosters excellence in postsecondary education through
the development of principles and guidelines for assessing
educational effectiveness and ethical business practices.
Functions of Accreditation
Certify that an institution or program has met established
standards.
Assist prospective students in identifying acceptable
institutions.
Assist institutions in determining the acceptability of transfer
credit.
Help to identify institutions and programs for the investment
of public and private funds.
Protect an institution against harmful internal and external
pressure.
Creat goals for self-improvement of weaker programs and
stimulating a general rising of standards among educational
institutions.
Involve the faculty and staff comprehensively in evaluation
and planning.
Establish criteria for professional certification and licensure
and for upgrading courses offering such preparation.
Provide one of several considerations used as a basis for
determining eligibility for Federal financial aid assistance.
Types of Accreditation
There are two basic types of educational accreditation:
institutional and specialized or programmatic.
Institutional accreditation applies to the entire institution,
indicating that each of an institutions parts is contributing to the
achievement of the institutions objectives. Institutional accrediting
bodies are either regional or national. The first difference between
the two types is one of geographical scope. As their names
suggest, the regional accreditors concentrate on a specific area of
the country, while the national accreditors are available to any
interested institution.
Another difference is their history and focus. The regional
accrediting bodies started as leagues of traditional colleges and
universities in a specific area. Historically, these institutions
prepare individuals for an advanced degree. The national
accrediting bodies started as associations of institutions with a
common theme and usually accredit institutions with career-
focused curriculum.
Specialized or programmatic accreditation normally applies to
programs, departments, or schools that are parts of an institution.
Programs such as law, medicine, pharmacy, engineering, and
business are examples of programs requiring specialized
accreditation.
Accreditation does not provide automatic acceptance by an
institution of credit earned at another institution, nor does it give
assurance of acceptance of graduates by employers. Acceptance
of students or graduates is always the prerogative of the receiving
institutions or employer. For these reasons, students should take
additional measures to determine, prior to enrollment, whether or
not their educational goals will be met through attendance at a
particular institution. These measures should include inquiries to
institutions to which transfer might be desired or to prospective
employers and, if possible, personal inspection of the institutions
at which enrollment is contemplated.
To ensure the school you are considering is accredited by a
reliable accrediting agency; the accreditor should be recognized
by the U.S. Department of Education. Additional information
about accreditation and a listing of recognized accreditors can be
found on the U.S. Department of Educations website.
Unaccredited Schools
However, you can still receive a quality education from a non-
accredited school. A number of postsecondary institutions have
legitimate reasons for not seeking accreditation. For example,
accreditation is a lengthy process. Accreditors require an
institution to operate successfully for a number of years to
determine its viability before it will consider if for accreditation.
Institutions focusing on vocational training programs may choose
not to seek accreditation and still offer widely accepted
certifications. Their reputation and curriculum may be deemed
superior by the community, as well as the workforce. In the end,
each student must decide the value of the education the
institution provides and the benefits he/she will receive from its
programs.