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Higher education accreditation in the United States

May 15, 2023

Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured. It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member institutions. It was first undertaken in the late 19th century by cooperating educational institutions, on a regional basis.

The federal government began to play a limited role in higher education accreditation in 1952 with reauthorization of the G.I. Bill for Korean War veterans. The original GI Bill legislation had stimulated establishment of new colleges and universities to accommodate the influx of new students, but some of these new institutions were of dubious quality. The 1952 legislation designated the existing peer review process as the basis for measuring institutional quality; GI Bill eligibility was limited to students enrolled at accredited institutions included on a list of federally recognized accredited institutions published by the U.S. Commissioner of Education.[1]

The U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (a non-governmental organization) both recognize reputable accrediting bodies for institutions of higher education and provide guidelines as well as resources and relevant data regarding these accreditors. Neither the U.S. Department of Education nor CHEA accredit individual institutions.[2] With the creation of the U.S. Department of Education and under the terms of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, the U.S. Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the secretary has determined to be reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit.[3]

Professional schools, which are often graduate schools, have separate organizations for accreditation.

Institutional accreditation

Institutional accreditation applies to the entire institution, specific programs, and distance education within an institution.[4]

Regional and national accreditation

Prior to 2020, there were regional and national accrediting agencies, both of which were accountable to the Department of Education. Regional bodies historically accredited institutions in a particular region of the country. National bodies were established to accredit institutions across the country, and sometimes beyond it. Within American higher education, regional bodies were considered more prestigious.[5]

In February 2020, the Department of Education eliminated the distinction between regional and national accrediting agencies, creating one unified set of institutional accreditors.[6] The department claimed that the change was intended to encourage cooperation between accredited schools to improve student experiences, uphold quality standards, and reduce the cost of higher education by encouraging transparent transfer of credits and mutual recognition of degrees between schools with common standards. It also claimed that the change was intended to allow students to be able to access the best school for their needs no matter what region they reside in.[7]

Four months after this change was made, the WASC Senior College and University Commission became the first accreditor to formally change its membership rules and requirements to allow institutions outside its historical geographic region to apply for membership and accreditation.[8]

Historically, educational accreditation activities in the United States were overseen by seven regional accrediting agencies established in the late 19th and early 20th century to foster articulation between secondary schools and higher education institutions, particularly evaluation of prospective students by colleges and universities.[9][10] These seven agencies were membership organizations of educational institutions within their geographic regions. Initially, the main focus of the organizations was to accredit secondary schools and to establish uniform college entrance requirements.[9][10] Accreditation of colleges and universities followed later, with each of the accrediting agencies splitting into separate organizations with one or more of those organizations focused exclusively on accrediting colleges and universities.[10] The higher education institutions holding regional accreditation were primarily non-profit institutions, with significant exceptions, as the largest US for-profit universities (e.g., University of Phoenix, Grand Canyon University) achieved regional accreditation.[11][12][13]

Regionally accredited schools were usually academically oriented and most were non-profit. Nationally accredited schools, a large number of which are for-profit, typically offered specific vocational, career, or technical programs. Regionally accredited institutions employed large numbers of full-time faculty, and the faculty set the academic policies. Regionally-accredited schools were required to have adequate library facilities. Except for some specific subject areas such as nursing, nationally-accredited schools did not hire many full-time faculty, usually hiring faculty by the course, without benefits and with no influence on the school's academic policies, which were determined by non-academic administrators, and ultimately investors. Their library facilities, if they existed at all, were far inferior to those of regionally-accredited schools. While there were some legitimate and well-intentioned nationally accredited schools, by and large they existed not to educate, but to make money for their investors. They lived on federal student aid and very high tuitions, often leaving graduating students with credentials of little value and large student loans, often without job prospects by which to pay them off. Critics considered national accreditation to be disreputable.[5] Schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, a national accreditor, were occasionally sued for leading prospective students to believe, incorrectly, that they would have no problem transferring their credits to a regionally accredited school.[14][15][16]

Recognized institutional accreditors

The U.S. Department of Education recognizes the following organizations as institutional accreditors:[17]

Programmatic accreditation

These accreditors typically cover a specific program of professional education or training, but in some cases they cover the whole institution. Best practices are shared and developed through affiliation with the Association of Professional and Specialized Accreditors.[18] Both the US Department of Education[19] and CHEA[20] maintain lists of recognized US programmatic accreditors:

For broad resources on how programatic accreditation is managed in the United States (and globally) see Accreditation.org which provides background on the process, accords, agreements, and accrediting bodies related to engineering and computing degrees.

Other recognized accreditors

Several organizations exist that accredit institutions and which are not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or CHEA. These include:

Religious accreditors

Although many schools related to religious organizations hold regional accreditation or secular national accreditation, there are four different agencies that specialize in accreditation of religious schools:

These groups specialize in accrediting theological and religious schools including seminaries and graduate schools of theology, as well as broader-scope universities that teach from a religious viewpoint and may require students and/or faculty to subscribe to a statement of faith.[citation needed] Additionally, as of 2009, 20 U.S. states and Puerto Rico had some form of exemption provision under which religious institutions can grant religious degrees without accreditation or government oversight.[22][23]

Use of .edu top-level Internet domain

Main article: .edu

Since 2001, the use of the top-level internet domain, .edu has been restricted to accredited institutions, but non-qualifying institutions can still use .edu domain names obtained before the current rules came into force.[24] Academia.edu is a for-profit social networking site for academics.

Criticism of accreditation

Various commenters have written about the role and effectiveness of the American accreditation system. It has drawn particular interest since the rise of e-learning classes and institutions. A frequent point of discussion and criticism is that the traditional system is limited to measuring "input" factors, such as adequate facilities and properly credentialed faculty, rather than the quality of a school's educational output.[25]

In his 1996 book Crisis in the Academy, Christopher J. Lucas criticized the accreditation system as too expensive, onerously complicated, incestuous in its organization, and not properly tied to quality.[26][27] Similarly, a 2002 report by George C. Leef and Roxana D. Burris of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) argued that the system does not ensure or protect educational quality, while still imposing significant costs.[28][29] In a 2006 "issue paper", Robert C. Dickeson wrote that a lack of transparency, low and lax standards, and outdated regionalization were among the problems with regional accreditation.[30] Others, such as Edward M. Elmendorf of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, reject these claims, arguing that they are "picking around the edges" of a proven and necessary system for upholding standards.[26][31] Thomas C. Reeves notes that some schools unable or unwilling to meet the standards of traditional, regional accrediting bodies are closely involves, have begun much involved in creating national accrediting agencies with significantly lower standards.[32]

At various times the U.S. government has investigated changes to the accreditation system. In 2002 the House of Representatives Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness criticized the system.[31] Accreditation was a major topic of the Spellings Commission, which released its report on September 26, 2006.[33] The Council for Higher Education Accreditation recognizes that there are criticisms,[34] but has opposed these calls for reform, with President Judith S. Eaton arguing that the system is successful and needs to remain flexible to accommodate differences between schools and disciplines.[31] In 2013, President Barack Obama proposed changes in the accreditation system to hold "colleges accountable for cost, value, and quality".[35] He requested Congress change the Higher Education Act so that affordability and value are considered in determining which institutions are accredited and allow students access to federal financial aid; his criticism was directed at for-profit institutions.[36]

An article published by "University World News" on 2 February 2018 stated that the higher education accreditation community, which confers the quality-assurance seal of approval that allows United States colleges and universities access to billions of dollars of federal student aid, must do a better job of explaining itself to the public if it wants to reverse waning public confidence in higher education. That was one of the tamer recommendations voiced at a conference for accreditors, who are feeling the brunt of growing scepticism about the value of a US college degree.[37]

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ (PDF). CHEA. January 1998. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 15, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  2. ^ U.S. Department of Education, Accreditation in the United States
  3. ^ College Review Journal, Complete List of National Accrediting Agencies 2011-06-16 at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ U.S. Department of Education, Accreditation in the United States
  5. ^ a b Aasen, Adam (November 18, 2008). "Battle rages on accreditation, college money". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  6. ^ 2020 February USDoEd Final Accreditation and State Authorization Regulations [1]
  7. ^ Judith Eaton, CHEA President Expresses Pros and Cons for Regionals going National https://www.chea.org/will-regional-accreditation-go-national-0
  8. ^ Lederman, Doug (February 27, 2020). "Go East (or North), Regional Accreditor". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Fred F. Harcleroad and Judith S. Eaton (2005), "The Hidden Hand: External Constituencies and their Impact," Chapter 9 in Philip G. Altbach, Robert Oliver Berdahl, and Patricia J. Gumport, editors, American higher education in the twenty-first century: social, political, and economic challenges. Page 263. JHU Press. ISBN 0-8018-8035-1, ISBN 978-0-8018-8035-3.
  10. ^ a b c History of the North Central Association
  11. ^ Judith S. Eaton, Accreditation and Recognition in the United States 2012-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, CHEA, 2008.
  12. ^ Geteducated.com. "Regional Accreditation vs National Accreditation for Online Colleges". Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  13. ^ Lechuga, Vicente (2005). The Changing Landscape of the Academic Profession. Routledge. p. 48. ISBN 9781135508678. Regional accreditation is considered more prestigious than national accreditation.
  14. ^ Heffter, Emily; Perry, Nick (February 24, 2006). "Student Takes on College and Wins". Seattle Times. Retrieved June 1, 2010 – via nwsource.com.
  15. ^ Billman, Jeffrey C. (April 14, 2005). "Bad Education". Orlandoweekly.com. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  16. ^ Hechinger, John (October 3, 2005). . Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2010 – via Collegejournal.com.
  17. ^ "Institutional Accrediting Agencies". U.S. Department of Education. 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  18. ^ "Association of Professional and Specialized Accreditors". ASPA-USA.org. March 31, 2003. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
  19. ^ "Accreditation in the United States: Programmatic Accrediting Agencies". U.S. Department of Education. June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  20. ^ "Programmatic Accrediting Organizations". Council for Higher Education Accreditation. 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  21. ^ The Committee of Bar Examiners, State Bar of California (August 28, 2009). Guidelines for Accredited Law School Rules. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  22. ^ Religious Exempt Schools 2011-02-21 at the Wayback Machine, Oregon Student Assistance Commission Office of Degree Authorization website, accessed March 21, 2011
  23. ^ EXEMPTIONS FROM THE HIGHER EDUCATION LICENSING PROCESS FOR RELIGIOUS COLLEGES 2018-03-21 at the Wayback Machine, Connecticut General Assembly website, accessed March 21, 2018
  24. ^ ".edu Internet Addresses". Diploma Mills and Accreditation – Diploma Mills. United States Department of Education. December 23, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
  25. ^ Reeves, Thomas C. (2003). "Storm Clouds on the Digital Education Horizon". Journal of Computing in Higher Education. 15 (1): 12–13. doi:10.1007/BF02940850. S2CID 15523346.
  26. ^ a b Reeves, Thomas C. (2003). "Storm Clouds on the Digital Education Horizon". Journal of Computing in Higher Education. 15 (1): 14. doi:10.1007/BF02940850. S2CID 15523346.
  27. ^ Lucas, Christopher J. (1996). Crisis in the Academy: Rethinking Higher Education in America. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312129361.
  28. ^ Leef, George C.; Burris, Roxana D. (2002). "Can college accreditation live up to its promise?" (PDF). American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Retrieved September 7, 2012. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  29. ^ Reeves, Thomas C. (2003). "Storm Clouds on the Digital Education Horizon". Journal of Computing in Higher Education. 15 (1): 13–14. doi:10.1007/BF02940850. S2CID 15523346.
  30. ^ Doug Lederman (March 31, 2006). "Dropping a Bomb on Accreditation". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
  31. ^ a b c Richard Morgan (October 11, 2002). "Lawmakers Call for More Accountability From Accreditation System". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  32. ^ Reeves, Thomas C. (2003). "Storm Clouds on the Digital Education Horizon". Journal of Computing in Higher Education. 15 (1): 12, 14–15. doi:10.1007/BF02940850. S2CID 15523346.
  33. ^ Spellings Commission (2006). A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education (PDF). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. p. 5. Accreditation, along with federal and state regulation, can impede creative new approaches as well.
  34. ^ Eaton, Judith S. (June 28–29, 2001). . Letter from the President. Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2013. U.S. accreditation, then, is a robust, complex and unwieldy and sometimes controversial enterprise. These are the first things that we see when we 'take a look at ourselves, accreditation...'
  35. ^ Eric Kelderman (February 13, 2013). "Obama's Accreditation Proposals Surprise Higher-Education Leaders". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  36. ^ Chris Parr (February 21, 2013). "Obama wants cost to feature in accreditation scheme". Times Higher Education. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  37. ^ Mary Beth Marklein (February 2, 2018). "HE accreditation sector faces pressure to reform". Retrieved August 19, 2020.

External links

  • Accreditation: Postsecondary Education Institutions – U.S. Department of Education

May 15, 2023
higher, education, accreditation, united, states, peer, review, process, which, validity, degrees, credits, awarded, higher, education, institutions, assured, coordinated, accreditation, commissions, made, member, institutions, first, undertaken, late, 19th, c. Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member institutions It was first undertaken in the late 19th century by cooperating educational institutions on a regional basis The federal government began to play a limited role in higher education accreditation in 1952 with reauthorization of the G I Bill for Korean War veterans The original GI Bill legislation had stimulated establishment of new colleges and universities to accommodate the influx of new students but some of these new institutions were of dubious quality The 1952 legislation designated the existing peer review process as the basis for measuring institutional quality GI Bill eligibility was limited to students enrolled at accredited institutions included on a list of federally recognized accredited institutions published by the U S Commissioner of Education 1 The U S Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation CHEA a non governmental organization both recognize reputable accrediting bodies for institutions of higher education and provide guidelines as well as resources and relevant data regarding these accreditors Neither the U S Department of Education nor CHEA accredit individual institutions 2 With the creation of the U S Department of Education and under the terms of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended the U S Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the secretary has determined to be reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit 3 Professional schools which are often graduate schools have separate organizations for accreditation Contents 1 Institutional accreditation 1 1 Regional and national accreditation 1 2 Recognized institutional accreditors 1 3 Programmatic accreditation 1 4 Other recognized accreditors 2 Religious accreditors 3 Use of edu top level Internet domain 4 Criticism of accreditation 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksInstitutional accreditation EditInstitutional accreditation applies to the entire institution specific programs and distance education within an institution 4 Regional and national accreditation Edit Prior to 2020 there were regional and national accrediting agencies both of which were accountable to the Department of Education Regional bodies historically accredited institutions in a particular region of the country National bodies were established to accredit institutions across the country and sometimes beyond it Within American higher education regional bodies were considered more prestigious 5 In February 2020 the Department of Education eliminated the distinction between regional and national accrediting agencies creating one unified set of institutional accreditors 6 The department claimed that the change was intended to encourage cooperation between accredited schools to improve student experiences uphold quality standards and reduce the cost of higher education by encouraging transparent transfer of credits and mutual recognition of degrees between schools with common standards It also claimed that the change was intended to allow students to be able to access the best school for their needs no matter what region they reside in 7 Four months after this change was made the WASC Senior College and University Commission became the first accreditor to formally change its membership rules and requirements to allow institutions outside its historical geographic region to apply for membership and accreditation 8 Historically educational accreditation activities in the United States were overseen by seven regional accrediting agencies established in the late 19th and early 20th century to foster articulation between secondary schools and higher education institutions particularly evaluation of prospective students by colleges and universities 9 10 These seven agencies were membership organizations of educational institutions within their geographic regions Initially the main focus of the organizations was to accredit secondary schools and to establish uniform college entrance requirements 9 10 Accreditation of colleges and universities followed later with each of the accrediting agencies splitting into separate organizations with one or more of those organizations focused exclusively on accrediting colleges and universities 10 The higher education institutions holding regional accreditation were primarily non profit institutions with significant exceptions as the largest US for profit universities e g University of Phoenix Grand Canyon University achieved regional accreditation 11 12 13 Regionally accredited schools were usually academically oriented and most were non profit Nationally accredited schools a large number of which are for profit typically offered specific vocational career or technical programs Regionally accredited institutions employed large numbers of full time faculty and the faculty set the academic policies Regionally accredited schools were required to have adequate library facilities Except for some specific subject areas such as nursing nationally accredited schools did not hire many full time faculty usually hiring faculty by the course without benefits and with no influence on the school s academic policies which were determined by non academic administrators and ultimately investors Their library facilities if they existed at all were far inferior to those of regionally accredited schools While there were some legitimate and well intentioned nationally accredited schools by and large they existed not to educate but to make money for their investors They lived on federal student aid and very high tuitions often leaving graduating students with credentials of little value and large student loans often without job prospects by which to pay them off Critics considered national accreditation to be disreputable 5 Schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges a national accreditor were occasionally sued for leading prospective students to believe incorrectly that they would have no problem transferring their credits to a regionally accredited school 14 15 16 Recognized institutional accreditors Edit The U S Department of Education recognizes the following organizations as institutional accreditors 17 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools American Bar Association American Board of Funeral Service Education American Osteopathic Association American Podiatric Medical Association Association for Biblical Higher Education Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools Association of Institutions of Jewish Studies Association of Theological Schools Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs Council on Chiropractic Education Council on Occupational Education Distance Education Accrediting Commission Higher Learning Commission Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology Middle States Commission on Higher Education Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools International Association for Learner Driven Schools Midwifery Education Accreditation Council Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences National Association of Schools of Art and Design National Association of Schools of Dance National Association of Schools of Music National Association of Schools of Theatre New England Commission of Higher Education New York State Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools WASC Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges WASC Senior College and University CommissionProgrammatic accreditation Edit These accreditors typically cover a specific program of professional education or training but in some cases they cover the whole institution Best practices are shared and developed through affiliation with the Association of Professional and Specialized Accreditors 18 Both the US Department of Education 19 and CHEA 20 maintain lists of recognized US programmatic accreditors Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine ACAOM Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education ACAE CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing ACEN CHEA recognized USDE recognized Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education ACME Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs ACBSP CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ACEND Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education ACPE CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Accreditation Council on Optometric Education ACOE CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant ARC PA CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools ABHES Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications ACEJMC CHEA recognized not USDE recognized American Academy of Forensic Sciences Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission AAFS FEPAC CHEA recognized not USDE recognized American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Council for Accreditation AAFCS CFA CHEA recognized not USDE recognized American Board of Funeral Service Education Committee on Accreditation ABFSE CHEA recognized USDE recognized American Council for Construction Education ACCE CHEA recognized not USDE recognized American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission ACFEF AC CHEA recognized not USDE recognized American Library Association Committee on Accreditation ALA CoA CHEA recognized not USDE recognized American Occupational Therapy Association Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education AOTA ACOTE CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation AOA COCA Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized American Physical Therapy Association Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education APTA CAPTE CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding American Podiatric Medical Association Council on Podiatric Medical Education APMA CPME CHEA recognized USDE recognized American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation APA CoA CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education AVMA COE CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation AAQEP CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Association for Behavior Analysis International Accreditation Board ABAI CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Association for Biblical Higher Education Commission on Accreditation ABHE CHEA recognized USDE recognized Association for Clinical Pastoral Education Accreditation Commission ACPE Inc Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Association of Technology Management and Applied Engineering ATMAE CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Aviation Accreditation Board International AABI CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education CAHIIM CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy COAMFTE AAMFT CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care CoARC CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs CAAHEP CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education CAATE CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education CAHME CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs CAMPEP CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education CCNE Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Commission on Dental Accreditation American Dental Association CODA Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Commission on English Language Program Accreditation CEA Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation COMTA Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized Commission on Opticianry Accreditation COA OP CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Commission on Sport Management Accreditation COSMA CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs CACREP CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Council for Interior Design Accreditation CIDA CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Council for Standards in Human Service Education CSHSE CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation CAEP CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar American Bar Association ABA Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology American Speech Language Hearing Association CAA ASHA CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs COA CHEA recognized USDE recognized Council on Accreditation of Parks Recreation Tourism and Related Professions COAPRT CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Council on Chiropractic Education CCE CHEA recognized USDE recognized Council on Education for Public Health CEPH Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Council on Naturopathic Medical Education CNME Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Council on Social Work Education Commission on Accreditation CSWE COA CHEA recognized not USDE recognized International Accreditation Council for Business Education IACBE CHEA recognized not USDE recognized International Fire Service Accreditation Congress Degree Assembly IFSAC DA CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology JRCERT CHEA recognized USDE recognized Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology JRCNMT CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board American Society of Landscape Architects LAAB ASLA CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Liaison Committee on Medical Education LCME Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized although not eligible for Title IV funding Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council MPCAC CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Midwifery Education Accreditation Council MEAC Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education MACTE Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences NAACLS CHEA recognized not USDE recognized National Association for the Education of Young Children NAEYC CHEA recognized not USDE recognized National Association of Schools of Art and Design Commission on Accreditation NASAD Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized National Association of Schools of Dance Commission on Accreditation NASD Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized National Association of Schools of Music Commission on Accreditation NASM Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized National Association of Schools of Theatre Commission on Accreditation NAST Not CHEA recognized USDE recognized National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education NCATE CHEA recognized USDE recognized Network of Schools of Public Policy Affairs and Administration Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation NASPAA COPRA CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Planning Accreditation Board PAB CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System PCSAS CHEA recognized not USDE recognized Teacher Education Accreditation Council TEAC CHEA recognized USDE recognized For broad resources on how programatic accreditation is managed in the United States and globally see Accreditation org which provides background on the process accords agreements and accrediting bodies related to engineering and computing degrees Other recognized accreditors Edit Several organizations exist that accredit institutions and which are not recognized by the U S Department of Education or CHEA These include The State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners 21 Religious accreditors EditAlthough many schools related to religious organizations hold regional accreditation or secular national accreditation there are four different agencies that specialize in accreditation of religious schools Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools AARTS Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada ATS Association for Biblical Higher Education ABHE Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools TRACS These groups specialize in accrediting theological and religious schools including seminaries and graduate schools of theology as well as broader scope universities that teach from a religious viewpoint and may require students and or faculty to subscribe to a statement of faith citation needed Additionally as of 2009 20 U S states and Puerto Rico had some form of exemption provision under which religious institutions can grant religious degrees without accreditation or government oversight 22 23 Use of edu top level Internet domain EditMain article edu Since 2001 the use of the top level internet domain edu has been restricted to accredited institutions but non qualifying institutions can still use edu domain names obtained before the current rules came into force 24 Academia edu is a for profit social networking site for academics Criticism of accreditation EditVarious commenters have written about the role and effectiveness of the American accreditation system It has drawn particular interest since the rise of e learning classes and institutions A frequent point of discussion and criticism is that the traditional system is limited to measuring input factors such as adequate facilities and properly credentialed faculty rather than the quality of a school s educational output 25 In his 1996 book Crisis in the Academy Christopher J Lucas criticized the accreditation system as too expensive onerously complicated incestuous in its organization and not properly tied to quality 26 27 Similarly a 2002 report by George C Leef and Roxana D Burris of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni ACTA argued that the system does not ensure or protect educational quality while still imposing significant costs 28 29 In a 2006 issue paper Robert C Dickeson wrote that a lack of transparency low and lax standards and outdated regionalization were among the problems with regional accreditation 30 Others such as Edward M Elmendorf of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities reject these claims arguing that they are picking around the edges of a proven and necessary system for upholding standards 26 31 Thomas C Reeves notes that some schools unable or unwilling to meet the standards of traditional regional accrediting bodies are closely involves have begun much involved in creating national accrediting agencies with significantly lower standards 32 At various times the U S government has investigated changes to the accreditation system In 2002 the House of Representatives Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness criticized the system 31 Accreditation was a major topic of the Spellings Commission which released its report on September 26 2006 33 The Council for Higher Education Accreditation recognizes that there are criticisms 34 but has opposed these calls for reform with President Judith S Eaton arguing that the system is successful and needs to remain flexible to accommodate differences between schools and disciplines 31 In 2013 President Barack Obama proposed changes in the accreditation system to hold colleges accountable for cost value and quality 35 He requested Congress change the Higher Education Act so that affordability and value are considered in determining which institutions are accredited and allow students access to federal financial aid his criticism was directed at for profit institutions 36 An article published by University World News on 2 February 2018 stated that the higher education accreditation community which confers the quality assurance seal of approval that allows United States colleges and universities access to billions of dollars of federal student aid must do a better job of explaining itself to the public if it wants to reverse waning public confidence in higher education That was one of the tamer recommendations voiced at a conference for accreditors who are feeling the brunt of growing scepticism about the value of a US college degree 37 See also EditList of recognized higher education accreditation organizations List of unrecognized higher education accreditation organizations Accreditation millNotes EditReferences Edit Recognition of Accreditation Organizations A Comparison of Policy amp Practice of Voluntary Accreditation and The United States Department of Education PDF CHEA January 1998 Archived from the original PDF on June 15 2010 Retrieved November 6 2009 U S Department of Education Accreditation in the United States College Review Journal Complete List of National Accrediting Agencies Archived 2011 06 16 at the Wayback Machine U S Department of Education Accreditation in the United States a b Aasen Adam November 18 2008 Battle rages on accreditation college money The Florida Times Union Retrieved June 3 2011 2020 February USDoEd Final Accreditation and State Authorization Regulations 1 Judith Eaton CHEA President Expresses Pros and Cons for Regionals going National https www chea org will regional accreditation go national 0 Lederman Doug February 27 2020 Go East or North Regional Accreditor Inside Higher Ed Retrieved April 23 2022 a b Fred F Harcleroad and Judith S Eaton 2005 The Hidden Hand External Constituencies and their Impact Chapter 9 in Philip G Altbach Robert Oliver Berdahl and Patricia J Gumport editors American higher education in the twenty first century social political and economic challenges Page 263 JHU Press ISBN 0 8018 8035 1 ISBN 978 0 8018 8035 3 a b c History of the North Central Association Judith S Eaton Accreditation and Recognition in the United States Archived 2012 03 07 at the Wayback Machine CHEA 2008 Geteducated com Regional Accreditation vs National Accreditation for Online Colleges Retrieved March 20 2018 Lechuga Vicente 2005 The Changing Landscape of the Academic Profession Routledge p 48 ISBN 9781135508678 Regional accreditation is considered more prestigious than national accreditation Heffter Emily Perry Nick February 24 2006 Student Takes on College and Wins Seattle Times Retrieved June 1 2010 via nwsource com Billman Jeffrey C April 14 2005 Bad Education Orlandoweekly com Retrieved June 1 2010 Hechinger John October 3 2005 A Battle Over Standards At For Profit Colleges Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on December 4 2008 Retrieved June 1 2010 via Collegejournal com Institutional Accrediting Agencies U S Department of Education 2021 Retrieved May 25 2021 Association of Professional and Specialized Accreditors ASPA USA org March 31 2003 Retrieved June 1 2010 Accreditation in the United States Programmatic Accrediting Agencies U S Department of Education June 28 2021 Retrieved July 3 2021 Programmatic Accrediting Organizations Council for Higher Education Accreditation 2021 Retrieved July 3 2021 The Committee of Bar Examiners State Bar of California August 28 2009 Guidelines for Accredited Law School Rules Retrieved October 4 2010 Religious Exempt Schools Archived 2011 02 21 at the Wayback Machine Oregon Student Assistance Commission Office of Degree Authorization website accessed March 21 2011 EXEMPTIONS FROM THE HIGHER EDUCATION LICENSING PROCESS FOR RELIGIOUS COLLEGES Archived 2018 03 21 at the Wayback Machine Connecticut General Assembly website accessed March 21 2018 edu Internet Addresses Diploma Mills and Accreditation Diploma Mills United States Department of Education December 23 2009 Retrieved February 19 2010 Reeves Thomas C 2003 Storm Clouds on the Digital Education Horizon Journal of Computing in Higher Education 15 1 12 13 doi 10 1007 BF02940850 S2CID 15523346 a b Reeves Thomas C 2003 Storm Clouds on the Digital Education Horizon Journal of Computing in Higher Education 15 1 14 doi 10 1007 BF02940850 S2CID 15523346 Lucas Christopher J 1996 Crisis in the Academy Rethinking Higher Education in America New York St Martin s Press ISBN 9780312129361 Leef George C Burris Roxana D 2002 Can college accreditation live up to its promise PDF American Council of Trustees and Alumni Retrieved September 7 2012 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Reeves Thomas C 2003 Storm Clouds on the Digital Education Horizon Journal of Computing in Higher Education 15 1 13 14 doi 10 1007 BF02940850 S2CID 15523346 Doug Lederman March 31 2006 Dropping a Bomb on Accreditation Inside Higher Ed Retrieved May 17 2013 a b c Richard Morgan October 11 2002 Lawmakers Call for More Accountability From Accreditation System The Chronicle of Higher Education Retrieved September 7 2012 Reeves Thomas C 2003 Storm Clouds on the Digital Education Horizon Journal of Computing in Higher Education 15 1 12 14 15 doi 10 1007 BF02940850 S2CID 15523346 Spellings Commission 2006 A Test of Leadership Charting the Future of U S Higher Education PDF Washington DC U S Department of Education p 5 Accreditation along with federal and state regulation can impede creative new approaches as well Eaton Judith S June 28 29 2001 Taking a look at ourselves accreditation Letter from the President Council for Higher Education Accreditation Archived from the original on March 22 2013 Retrieved April 12 2013 U S accreditation then is a robust complex and unwieldy and sometimes controversial enterprise These are the first things that we see when we take a look at ourselves accreditation Eric Kelderman February 13 2013 Obama s Accreditation Proposals Surprise Higher Education Leaders The Chronicle of Higher Education Retrieved April 12 2013 Chris Parr February 21 2013 Obama wants cost to feature in accreditation scheme Times Higher Education Retrieved April 19 2013 Mary Beth Marklein February 2 2018 HE accreditation sector faces pressure to reform Retrieved August 19 2020 External links EditAccreditation Postsecondary Education Institutions U S Department of Education Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Higher education accreditation in the United States amp oldid 1152984729 Regional accreditation, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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