2014 DOE Higher Education Accreditation Processes and Policies

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   Accreditation in the United States 

The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. Here you will find lists of regional and national accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as reliable authorities concerning the quality of education or training offered by the institutions of higher education or higher education programs they accredit.  Read More . . . . . . . . 

What is accreditation?  Accreditation is the recognition that an institution maintains standards requisite for its graduates to  gain admission to other reputable institutions of higher learning or to achieve credentials for  professional practice. The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions  of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality.

What are accrediting agencies?  Accrediting agencies are organizations (or bodies) that establish operating standards for educational  or professional institutions and programs, determine the extent to which the standards are met, and  publicly announce their findings.

Are there different types of accreditation?  There are two basic types of educational accreditation, one identified as “institutional” and one  referred to as “specialized” or “programmatic.” Institutional accreditation normally applies to an  entire institution, indicating that each of an institution’s parts is contributing to the achievement  of the institution’s objectives, although not necessarily all at the same level of quality. Specialized accreditation normally applies to the evaluation of programs , departments, or schools  which usually are parts of a total collegiate or other postsecondary institution. The unit accredited  may be as large as a college or school within a university or as small as a curriculum within a  discipline. Most of the specialized accrediting agencies review units within a postsecondary institution  which is accredited by one of the regional accrediting commissions. However, certain of the specialized  accrediting agencies accredit professional schools and other specialized or vocational or other  postsecondary institutions which are free-standing in their operations. Thus, a "specialized" or  "programmatic" accrediting agency may also function in the capacity of an "institutional" accrediting  agency.  In addition, a number of specialized accrediting agencies accredit educational  programs within non-educational settings, such as  hospitals.  Read More . . . . . . . .