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When assessing
an application for accreditation, all of the accrediting agencies
follow essentially the same basic procedures:
- The institution
or program prepares a self-evaluation;
- The accrediting
agency appoints a team to review the evaluation, visit the campus,
and make its own report; and
- The accrediting
agency determines whether or not to grant accreditation to the
institution or program. Some institutions or programs are granted
"pre-accreditation" prior to receiving full accreditation,
but pre-accreditation does not guarantee that accreditation
will be granted in the future.
How
to Use Accreditation Information
When choosing
an academic institution at which to continue your studies, you
should keep in mind that after you graduate and start looking
for a job, prospective employers may carefully examine your educational
credentials. In many cases, graduates of accredited institutions
have an advantage over people who have studied at schools that
are not accredited. Some employers may only seriously consider
job applicants who have attended accredited institutions. Therefore,
you should take some time to check into the accreditation status
of the school to which you are applying.
The
Six Regional Accrediting Associations in the United States
There are
six regional accrediting associations in the United States whose
primary purpose is the accreditation of educational institutions,
including public and private schools, colleges, and universities.
The six regional accrediting associations are: the Middle States
Association of Colleges and Schools, the New England Association
of Schools and Colleges, the North Central Association of Colleges
and Schools, the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges,
the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges. Each accrediting association
is responsible for accrediting educational institutions in a particular
area of the United States and, in some cases, other geographic
areas.
Middle
States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Commission
on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges
and Schools accredits educational institutions in the following
areas: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New
York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
New
England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England
Association of Schools and Colleges has two separate commissions
that accredit schools: The Commission on Institutions of Higher
Education and the Commission on Technical and Career Institutions.
These Commissions oversee the accreditation of institutions in
the following areas: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, and Vermont.
North
Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The Commission
on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association
of Colleges and Schools accredits educational institutions in
the following areas: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico,
North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin,
and Wyoming.
Northwest
Association of Schools and Colleges
The Commission
on Colleges of the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges
accredits educational institutions in the following areas: Alaska,
Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools
The Commission
on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
accredits educational institutions in the following areas: Alabama,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina,
South Caroline, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
Western
Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western
Association of Schools and Colleges authorizes two distinct commissions
that accredit schools: the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges
and the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
These Commissions oversee the accreditation of colleges in the
following areas: American Samoa, California, the Commonwealth
of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and Hawaii.
Other
Institutional Accrediting Agencies
Accrediting
Council for Continuing Education & Training (ACCET);
Accrediting
Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS); Distance
Education and Training Council
Institutional
Accreditation vs. Program Accreditation
In addition
to the six regional accrediting associations and other institutional
accrediting agencies, there are many professional accrediting
agencies that are responsible for accrediting specific programs.
Although an educational institution may be regionally accredited
by one of the institutional accrediting associations listed above,
this does not guarantee that all of its programs are accredited.
When applying to a specific professional program at an educational
institution, it is advisable to find out in advance if the institution
and program are both accredited by the appropriate accrediting
agencies.
Programs
and Professional Accrediting Agencies Recognized by the US Department
of Education
| Accrediting
Agency |
Program |
| Academic
Affairs and Credentialing Division, American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association |
Speech-Language
Pathology and Audiology |
| Accreditation
Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. |
Engineering |
| Accreditation
Department, American Occupational Therapy Association |
Occupational
Therapy |
| Accreditation
Services, National League for Nursing, Inc. |
Nursing |
| Accrediting
Commission on Education for Health Services Administration |
Health
Services Administration |
| Accrediting
Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications |
Journalism
and Mass Communications |
| American
Association for Marriage and Family Therapy |
Marriage
and Family Therapy |
| American
Bar Association |
Law |
| American
Council on Pharmaceutical Education |
Pharmacy |
| American
Physical Therapy Association |
Physical
Therapy |
| American
Veterinary Medicine Association |
Veterinary
Medicine |
| Association
of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools |
Rabbinical
and Talmudic Education |
| Association
of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs |
Business |
| Association
of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada |
Theology |
| Commission
on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs |
Allied
Health |
| Commission
on Dental Accreditation, American Dental Association |
Dentistry |
| Council
on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthetists Educational Programs |
Nurse
Anesthesia |
| Council
on Education for Public Health |
Public
Health |
| Council
on Naturopathic Medical Education |
Naturopathic
Medicine |
| Council
on Optometric Education, American Optometric Association |
Optometry |
| Council
on Podiatric Medical Education, American Podiatric Medical
Association |
Podiatric
Medicine |
| Department
of Education, American Osteopathic Association |
Osteopathic
Medicine |
| Division
of Accreditation, American College of Nurse-Midwives |
Nurse
Midwifery |
| Foundation
for Interior Design Education Research |
Interior
Design |
| Liaison
Committee on Medical Education, Association of American
Medical Colleges, American Medical Association |
Medicine |
| National
Accreditation Committee for Schools and Colleges of
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine |
Acupuncture |
| National
Architectural Accrediting Board |
Architecture |
| National
Association of Schools of Art and Design |
Art
and Design |
| National
Association of Schools of Dance |
Dance |
| National
Association of Schools of Music |
Music |
| National
Association of Schools of Theatre |
Theater |
| National
Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education |
Education |
| National
Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation |
Environment |
| Program
Consultation and Accreditation Office, American Psychological
Association |
Psychology |
| The
Council on Chiropractic Education |
Chiropractic |
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Article Source:
IEF Foundation
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