What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a voluntary dual-purpose process that schools (1) must be worthy of the trust placed in them to provide high-quality learning opportunities and (2) clearly demonstrate continual self-improvement. An accredited school is focused on a mission and goals for students; it is student-oriented and examines its students’ performance continuously; it accepts objective evaluation from a team of outside peer professionals trained by WASC; it maintains a qualified faculty within an effectively organized school; it collaboratively assesses the quality of its educational programs on a regular basis; and it plans for the future.
Accreditation is “the process by which a private, non-governmental agency or association grants (national) public recognition to an institution, program of study or service which meets certain predetermined standards, as determined through initial and subsequent on-site evaluations.” The accreditation process, in effect, provides public assurance that the individual, as a graduate of an accredited program, is adequately prepared to carry out a specific range of duties.
The Art Fund requires all applicants to be either provisionally or fully accredited with the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). The MLA’s Museum Accreditation Scheme sets nationally agreed standards for UK museums. To qualify, museums must meet clear basic requirements on how they care for and document their collections, how they are governed and managed, and on the information and services they offer to their users.
