Is institutional accreditation the same as program accreditation?
No. Institutional accreditation speaks to the overall quality of the institution without making judgments about specific programs. Institutional accreditation is accreditation of the whole institution, including all programs and sites. The accreditation of individual programs, such as those preparing students to practice a profession, is different from institutional accreditation and is carried out by “specialized” or “program” accrediting bodies that apply specific standards for curriculum and course content. The Commission does not maintain lists of programs offered by its accredited institutions. Each specialized accrediting body publishes a list of programs it accredits, and this information is also shown in the annual directory, Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education (available in many libraries). For further information about institutional and specialized accreditation (including names and addresses of accrediting bodies) write or call: Council on Higher Education Acc
