List of recognized accreditation associations of higher learning

Accreditation is a certification of the academic quality of an institution of higher learning. Some countries have independent/private organizations that oversee the educational accreditation process, while other countries accredit through a government agency. Some countries require accreditation and others consider it voluntary. In either case accreditation denotes academic quality and schools that lack recognized accreditation often claim accreditation from unrecognized sources. Unrecognized accreditations are meaningless to the academic community.

Below are several lists of recognized accreditation associations of higher learning according to the corresponding government. See school accreditation for lists of various databases for accredited schools.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong a school does not have to be accredited, but "It is up to your employer or institution to recognize your qualifications." [http://www.hkcaa.edu.hk/First.htm] The Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation can make recommendations. Currently, accreditation in Hong Kong and China are jointly recognized. [http://www.hkcaa.edu.hk/First.htm]

*Hong Kong Bar Association
*Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation

India

Accreditation for universities in India are required by law unless it was created through an act of Parliament. Without accreditation " It is emphasized that these fake institutions have no legal entity to call themselves as University/Vishwvidyalaya and to award ‘degree’ which are not treated as valid for academic/employment purposes." [http://www.education.nic.in/htmlweb/he-centraluniversities-list.htm]

Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by autonomous institutions established by the University Grants Commission: [http://www.education.nic.in/higedu.asp]

* All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) including the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) [http://www.nba-aicte.ernet.in/]
* Distance Education Council (DEC)
* Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR)
* Bar Council of India (BCI)
* National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
* Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)
* Medical Council of India (MCI)
* Pharmacy Council of India (PCI)
* Indian Nursing Council (INC)
* Dentist Council of India (DCI)
* Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH)
* Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)

Pakistan

In 2003, Canada began helping Pakistan develop an accreditation system. [http://www.pakistanlink.com/Headlines/Jun05/02/03.htm] Currently, these accreditors must be recognized by the Higher Education Commission.

*Pakistan National Accreditation Council

United Kingdom

Under the Education Reform Act 1988 it is illegal to offer a degree or qualification that implies it is a degree, without permission from the Secretary of State, a Royal Charter or an Act of Parliament. [ [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880040_en_12.htm#mdiv214 See the Education Reform Act 1988, sections 214 to 217] ] Some qualifications relating to particular professions are regulated by the government, [See [http://www.dfes.gov.uk/europeopen/eutouk/eutouk_search_form.shtml this page] on the DfES website for a list] but most non-degree qualifications are unregulated.

It is important to distinguish between the accreditation status of an institution, and the accreditation status of the qualifications it offers. These two aspects will often be dealt with by completely different organisations, and an institution that has one does not necessarily have the other. The Department for Education and Skills maintains a list of all bodies that have their own degree awarding powers ('recognised bodies'), all bodies that currently teach a course which leads to the award of a degree from a recognised body ('listed bodies'), and 'recognised awards' which are awarded by bodies who have very specific degree awarding powers. [See http://www.dfes.gov.uk/recognisedukdegrees/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.view&CategoryID=1 for all three lists.] Prospective students should also consult the National Database of Accredited Qualifications, [http://www.ndaq.org.uk/] maintained by all three UK accreditation bodies. All bodies who award UK degrees are subject to a regular external quality assurance reviews by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). Non-accredited qualifications given by professional bodies (e.g. those of the Institute of Directors) can be prestigious, and should not be automatically discounted.

Organisations involved in the accreditation of further and higher education institutions and/or qualifications in the UK are:
*The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in England
*The Department for Education, Life-long Learning and Skills (DELLS) in Wales
*The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) for Northern Ireland.
*The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) across the UK
*The British Accreditation Council for independent HE and FE institutions across the UK
*The British Council for English language schools only
*The Engineering Council UK for degrees in engineering and technology in order to be registered as professional engineer(Chartered Engineer-CEng- or Incorporated Engineer-IEng)
*The Open and Distance Learning Quality Council (ODLQC)
*The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) for publicly-funded institutions

United States

The United States Department of Education does not directly accredit educational institutions and/or programs. However, the U.S. Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of Nationally recognized accrediting agencies in the United States that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit, within the meaning of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

In 2006 it was reported that Bush Administration officials in the Department of Education were calling for accreditors to make increased use of measurable "learning outcomes," such as graduation rates, in their processes, but the department's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity expressed reservations about adding this type of requirement. [ [http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/12/05/naciqi Can You Say NACIQI?] , "Inside Higher Ed", December 5, 2006.]

The following list of recognized accreditation associations of higher learning in the United States is taken from the United States Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education [http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.asp] and the Directory of Council for Higher Education Accreditation Recognized Organizations 2005-2006. [http://www.chea.org/Directories/index.asp]

Regional accreditation

:"Regional accreditation is considered the standard accreditation for the vast majority of public and private universities:
*Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) Middle States Commission on Higher Education

*New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC-CIHE) Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
**(NEASC-CTCI) Commission on Technical and Career Institutions

*North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC)

*Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)

*Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges

*Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC-ACCJC) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
**(WASC-ACSCU) Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities

Additionally, the Board of Regents of the State of New York is recognized as an accreditor for degree-granting institutions of higher education in the state that designate the agency as their sole or primary accrediting agency. [ [http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html#RegionalInstitutional Accreditation in the United States] , US Department of Education] New York is the only state that is eligible to be federally recognized as an accreditor due to a grandfather clause in federal law that allows recognition for state agencies if they were recognized as accreditors before October 1, 1991. [Alan L. Contreras, [http://insidehighered.com/views/2005/08/30/contreras Why States Shouldn’t Accredit] , Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 30, 2005]

National accreditation

The "national accreditors" get their name from their common (but not universal) practice of accrediting schools nationwide or even worldwide.

Professional accreditation

These accreditations typically cover a specific program of professional education or training, but in some cases they cover the whole institution.

*Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
*Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM)
*Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
*Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA)
*Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
*Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)
*American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT/COAMFTE) Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education
*American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Council for Accreditation (CFA)
*American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (CoA-NA)
*American Bar Association (ABA) Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
*American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) Committee on Accreditation
*American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) Division of Accreditation
*American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) Board of Trustees
*American Culinary Federation (ACF) Accrediting Commission
*American Dental Association (ADA) Commission on Dental Accreditation
*American Dietetic Association Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE-ADA)
*American Institute of Certified Planners/Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)
*American Library Association (ALA) Committee on Accreditation (CoA)
*American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
*American Optometric Association (AOA) Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE)
*American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation
*American Physical Therapy Association Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
*American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME)
*American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Accreditation (CoA)
*American Society for Microbiology American College of Microbiology
*American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB)
*American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
*American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Division of Education and Research
*Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
*Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
*American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
*Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
*Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)
*Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
*Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
*Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation
*Commission on Opticianry Accreditation
*Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
*Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)
*Council on Aviation Accreditation (CAA)
*Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) Commission on Accreditation
*Council on Education for Public Health
*Council on Naturopathic Medical Education
*Council on Occupational Education
*Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) Commission on Standards and Accreditation
*Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Office of Social Work Accreditation and Educational Excellence
*Joint Review Committee on Education Programs in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT)
*Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology (JRCNMT)
*Liaison Committee on Medical Education
*Midwifery Education Accreditation Council
*Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education
*National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)
*National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS)
*National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)
*National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT)
*National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health Council on Accreditation
*National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) Commission on Accreditation
*National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD) Commission on Accreditation
*National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) Commission on Accreditation and Commission on Community/Junior College Accreditation
*National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA)
*National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) Commission on Accreditation
*National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
*National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council
*National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)
*National Recreation & Park Association/American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (NRPA/AALR) Council on Accreditation
*Planning Accreditation Board
*Society of American Foresters (SAF)
*Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC)

Religious accreditation associations

*Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS)
*Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) Commission on Accrediting
*Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) Commission on Accreditation
*Association for Clinical Pastoral Education Accreditation Commission
*Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) Accreditation Commission
*United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Commission on Certification and Accreditation

Nonspecialized accreditation

These recognized accreditation organizations provide accreditation to whole institutions for diverse educational programs:

*Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET)
*Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)
*Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT)
*American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE)
*Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)

ee also

* IAU Universities List
* List of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning
* Educational accreditation

References

External links

* [http://www.chea.org/Directories/index.asp Directory of CHEA Recognized Organizations 2005-2006] (United States)
*US Department of Education, [http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html Accreditation in the United States] (includes categorized lists of nationally recognized accreditors)