What is accreditation?
Accreditation is broadly defined as a voluntary, self-regulatory process by which governmental, non-governmental, voluntary associations or other statutory bodies grant formal recognition to programs or institutions that meet stated quality criteria. Recognized accreditation is a peer-reviewed process designed to protect the public interest by applying specific standards to the quality of a program or institution.
In the U.S., the legitimacy of a school is established, in part, by a system of peer review. Legitimate accrediting agencies such as the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), Western Association of Schools and Colleges WASC, and the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) arrange for member schools to review applicants to determine if they meet the organization’s standards. Schools that complete this rigorous review can call themselves “accredited.” Agron & Associates believes that “accreditation helps schools impart degrees that avail students of increased opportunities,” and significantly adds to a school’s reputation. Most importantly, the rigourous multi-year process makes the school more effective at reaching its own goals.
Accreditation verifies that an institution meets specific criteria and offers quality education. In the United States, institutions voluntarily request accreditation from one of six regional associations. The regional association that accredits Raymond Walters College is the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association (NCA). The Higher Learning Commission evaluates an entire institution to determine how well the institution fulfills its mission and meets the Commission’s five criteria. The RWC self study and the subsequent evaluation by the HLC will cover admissions, student services, educational activities, student learning, governance, administration, financial stability, institutional resources, and relationships with internal and external constituencies.
In the United States, accreditation is used to assure quality in educational institutions and programs. Accreditation is a voluntary, non-governmental process of peer review. It requires an educational institution or program to meet certain, defined standards or criteria. Accreditation is sometimes confused with certification. In general, institutions and programs are accredited, and individuals are certified. There are two types of accreditation — institutional and specialized. Institutional accreditors, such as those referred to as “regional” accreditors, examine the college or university as a whole educational institution. Specialized accreditors evaluate specific educational programs. Professional accreditors, such as those for medicine, law, architecture and engineering, fall into this category. Accreditation serves to notify: Parents and prospective students that a program has met minimum standards; Faculty, Deans, administrators, program’s strengths and weaknesses and of ways t
