Accreditation is a certification of the academic quality of an institution of higher learning. Schools that lack recognized accreditation often claim accreditation from another source; such accreditations are meaningless to the academic community.

The U.S. Department of Education does not directly accredit educational institutions and/or programs. However, the U.S. Secretary of Education is required by law to publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities as to the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education and the higher education programs they accredit, within the meaning of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

The following list of recognized accreditation associations of higher learning in the United States is taken from the United States Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education and the Directory of Council on Higher Education Accreditation Recognized Organizations 2005-2006.

Regional accreditation

Regional accreditation is considered the "best" accreditation and "you can be assured that it will be as valid as a degree from any regular university."^*

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) Middle States Commission on Higher Education

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC-CIHE) Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
  • (NEASC-CTCI) Commission on Technical and Career Institutions
• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC) The Higher Learning Commission

• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)

• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges

• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC-ACCJC) Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
  • (WASC-ACSCU) Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities

Other accreditation

These accreditations may cover the whole institution, or they may cover only a specific program of professional training.

• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)

• Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM)

• Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)

• Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA)

• Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)

• Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)

• Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)

• American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE)

• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT/COAMFTE) Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education

• American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Council for Accreditation (CFA)

• American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (CoA-NA)

• American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar (ABA)

• American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) Committee on Accreditation

• American College of Nurse-Midwives, Division of Accreditation (ACNM)

• American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) Board of Trustees

• American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF) Accrediting Commission

• American Dietetic Association Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE-ADA)

• American Institute of Certified Planners/Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)

• American Library Association (ALA) Committee on Accreditation (CoA)

• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)

• American Optometric Association (AOA) Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE)

• American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME)

• American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Accreditation (CoA)

• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB)

• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology

• American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Division of Education and Research

• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

• Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)

• American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)

• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)

• Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)

• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)

• Council on Aviation Accreditation (CAA)

• Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) Commission on Accreditation

• Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) Commission on Standards and Accreditation

• Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Office of Social Work Accreditation and Educational Excellence

• Distance Education and Training Council (DETC)

• Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER)

• Joint Review Committee on Education Programs in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT)

• Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology (JRCNMT)

• National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)

• National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS)

• National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT)

• National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)

• National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD)

• National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)

• National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA)

• National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST)

• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)

• National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc. (NLNAC)

• National Recreation & Park Association/American Association for Leisure and Recreation (NRPA/AALR) Council on Accreditation

• New York State Board of Regents, and the Commissioner of Education

• Society of American Foresters (SAF)

• Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC)

Religious accreditation associations

• Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS)
• Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE) Commission on Accreditation
• Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) Commission on Accrediting
• Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) Accreditation Commission

See also

• Council on Higher Education Accreditation
• IAU Universities List
• List of unrecognized accreditation associations of higher learning
• Nationally recognized accrediting agencies
• School accreditation
• US Department of Education

Links

• Directory of CHEA Recognized Organizations 2005-2006.

Academic institutions | Education in the United StatesUnrecognized accreditation associations | School accreditors