What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a rigorous voluntary process of self study and external peer review. The accreditation process is carried out by a private, non-governmental agency that grants public recognition to an institution or program that meets certain established and nationally accepted standards or requirements for quality education and training. These accreditation standards cover curriculum, faculty qualifications, admissions requirements, finances, administration, facilities, learning resources and a number of other important areas.
Accreditation refers to the process of assessment to determine if a course (and the Academic Organizational Unit offering the course) meets the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) Accreditation Standards for Psychology Courses. Courses which do not achieve APAC accreditation are not recognised by Psychologists’ Registration Boards in Australia as suitable training towards registration as a psychologist, nor are they recognised by the Australian Psychological Society as suitable for membership of that Society.
Accreditation is a process by which an impartial organization (URAC) will review a company’s operations to ensure that the company is conducting business in a manner consistent with national standards. URAC’s accreditation process consists of a review of policies and procedures (the “desktop review”) and an onsite visit to the applicant organization to determine that it is, in fact, operating according to its stated policies.
Accreditation is the means that a national authoritative body (such as the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board, or ANAB) uses to give formal recognition that a Registrar is competent to carry out specific tasks. Accreditation, which is voluntary and strictly enforced by the accreditation body, provides assurance to a Registrar’s customers that the Registrar operates according to internationally accepted criteria.
