What is accreditation, and why is it important?
Accreditation is a voluntary process that a school elects to go through in order to receive a “stamp of approval” from an accrediting association. Accreditation tells us that the educational institution has reached a level of performance, integrity and quality that warrants the confidence of the educational community and the public. Usually, only credits and degrees from accredited educational institutions will be recognized by other educational institutions and employers. For a more in-depth description and further information please read the separate section on Accreditation found in this web site.
Accreditation is a national system of monitoring the quality of credits you receive from an institution of higher education. Because Penn State is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, our courses are accepted for transfer by most other colleges and universities. If you are enrolled in a specific program at another institution and you are hoping to transfer one of our courses into it, you should check first with the other institution to make sure that the credits will transfer. In addition, Penn State is a Project Management Institute Registered Educational Provider® and the master in project management program is accredited by the AACSB—the highest standard of achievement for business schools, worldwide. Your education will be recognizable and highly regarded anywhere in the nation.
Accreditation is a comprehensive review that uses an investigative process to determine whether the agency/ program is committed to providing quality services and complying with best practice standards. In contrast to licensing, accreditation is a measure of providers’ commitment to best practice standards rather than compliance with inspection regulations. Accreditation makes a statement that an agency and/or program have complied with nationally recognized standards of best practice.
