Accreditation
“Accreditation in higher education is a collegial process of self-review and peer review for improvement of academic quality and public accountability of institutions and programs. This quality review process occurs on a periodic basis, usually every 3 to 10 years. Typically, it involves three major activities:
Institutional accreditation is carried out primarily by regional accrediting associations. Disciplinary accreditation is the province of discipline professional organizations, also called specialized accreditors.
- A self-study by an institution or program using the standards or criteria of an accrediting organization.
- A peer review of an institution or program to gather evidence of quality.
- A decision or judgment by an accrediting organization to accredit, accredit with conditions or not accredit an institution or program.”
Institutional accreditation is carried out primarily by regional accrediting associations. Disciplinary accreditation is the province of discipline professional organizations, also called specialized accreditors.