What makes a degree accredited

An accredited degree can make a huge difference in your future career; doing a little research now can save time and trouble in the future. Imagine five students, with rosy future careers as a lawyer, librarian, dentist, nurse, and psychologist lying ahead of them. Although their interests and career paths are radically different, they all have one important question to answer before choosing their professional program. Is their program of choice-not just their college or university-properly accredited?

In order to answer this question, each student must first understand the difference between institutional accreditation and program accreditation. For institutional accreditation, representatives from dedicated accrediting institutions evaluate colleges and universities. This is a means for colleges and universities to assess their own performance and compare themselves with other schools.

If a school is awarded accreditation means that the institution meets certain standards of educational quality. The most widely accepted institutional accrediting bodies in the United States are six regional agencies:.

Institutional accreditation is not necessarily a guarantee that credits will transfer between institutions, although it does make it far more likely. Students can check with the program to which they wish to transfer to see if credits will be accepted. Attending an accredited program also carries numerous other benefits.

Students at institutionally accredited organizations are eligible for federal financial aid, and employers are much more likely to recognize accredited degree programs. Furthermore, having undergone an accreditation process means that the institution meets a high standard of educational quality.

In contrast, many unaccredited institutions are the equivalent of diploma mills, providing nothing of actual value to their students. Similarly, some "accrediting agencies" are also mills, set up simply to give an aura of legitimacy to the institutions that they falsely accredit.

Students should always check the U. Department of Education database of recognized accrediting bodies and institutions. The second type of accreditation, program accreditation, is generally administered by professionally oriented specialty accrediting bodies.

The idea is that professionals in a given field are best able to judge a program's educational quality. For instance, law schools are accredited by the American Bar Association and library schools are accredited by the American Library Association.

Individual professions-such as nursing, dentistry, and psychology-are covered by their own specialized agencies. In many cases, attending a program that is recognized by the right agency is a prerequisite for obtaining a job in fields such as psychology, law, and healthcare.

Many programmatic accreditors such as the APA require that accredited programs be housed in an institutionally accredited school. Programs may be offered that are judged by these specialty bodies, without necessarily possessing institutional accreditation.

For instance, continuing education programs within non-educational settings such as hospitals may be accredited by a specialized accreditation agency. Such courses may count professionally towards professional certifications or state licenses but will not transfer for college transfer credit.

Similarly, if a specialty body accredits a program at a school, but the school itself is not institutionally accredited, the program may have professional value, yet credits will not transfer and students may not be able to receive federal financial aid. Since professional requirements vary, it is crucial to find out what accreditation is necessary for a given career.

No matter what vocation a student chooses, it is wise for her to become familiar with the professional requirements in the field. Tools for investigating professional accreditation requirements include:.

With a little research into accreditation, students can be assured of taking the right steps towards a rewarding career. Department of Education Back To Top. You have done your research. You know how important accreditation is to your educational experience, and you are determined to find out if your school of choice is accredited before you commit to a program.

But there are dozens of different accrediting organizations. Does it matter what agency accredits your school? After all, accreditation is accreditation, right? Unfortunately, that is not quite true.

The organization that accredits a college, university, or vocational program is a major indicator of educational quality. Your school must be evaluated by a recognized accrediting agency in order for you to get your money's worth. But with so many accrediting agencies including fraudulent "accrediting agencies" with official-looking websites how can you tell what to look for when you decide what school to attend? First of all, you need to know whether to find a school that has regional accreditation or national accreditation.

Department of Education does not accredit schools itself, but it does recognize certain accrediting agencies. You can check the DOE database for specific information on an accrediting body. You can also use the CHEA Council on Higher Education Accreditation as a source of information; however, if your school is not accredited by an organization recognized by the Department of Education, you will not be eligible for financial aid, and you may have other difficulties, such as transferring credits or obtaining professional licenses.

The information below applies to institutional rather than programmatic accreditation; even if your school as a whole is accredited by one of these agencies, you would still need to make sure that your professional program is recognized by the appropriate state licensing bodies and professional associations.

Regional accrediting organizations assess public and private institutions of higher education, including distance education programs offered by these institutions.

Although the accrediting agencies are regionally based, each one is widely recognized. There are also additional institutional accrediting agencies that are recognized by the U. Students should be aware that while most nationally accredited institutions will accept transfer credits from regionally accredited institutions, the opposite is not true. A student who earns an associate's degree from a nationally accredited school, for example, may not be able to transfer any credits to count towards a degree at a regionally accredited school.

Always check individual school policies if you plan to transfer schools later in your educational journey. Note that the information in this article may be subject to change - for instance, if an accreditor changes its name - so always check the U. Whether you're training to work in aviation, you're enrolled in an online nursing program or you've just started taking classes to become a certified teacher, you probably want to know if a degree program is accredited.

Accreditation matters in today's competitive job market. What is accreditation, and how does it impact your future job prospects? Employers look for candidates who hold degrees from accredited schools, and specific program accreditation can separate candidates who get a call back and those who end up in the discard stack.

Before you sign up for classes, know whether your program holds appropriate accreditation. Think of accreditation as proof that a program or university has met a series of standards set out by an objective board of knowledgeable people. Program accreditation indicates that a specific degree program adheres to rigorous academic standards and educational requirements. In essence, a student who enrolls in an accredited program at one school could transfer to another accredited program without worrying about the quality.

The two programs might not share the same curriculum or requirements, but they will both adhere to reliable standards.

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What is the difference between accredited and recognised degree course? Accredited Degrees Accredited Degrees are degrees recognised by professional bodies of their respective professions. For example, a Lawyer who obtained a law degree overseas and wishes to practice law in their home country needs to Get accredited by the Bar Only selected degrees from overseas universities will be able to apply for the membership of the Bar in your home country.

Register as a member and pass the qualification for admission into your Bar These are some of the courses that require accreditation: Dietetics, Dentistry, Architecture, Pharmacy, Psychology, Physiotherapy, Optometry, Engineering and Social work. Recognised Degrees Recognised degrees are courses and careers that generally do not need accreditation. Do You Meet Entry Requirements. Not Meeting Entry Requirements.