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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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