National Accrediting Agencies
Although not as popular as Regional Accreditation, National Accreditation is incredibly prevalent in vocational schools and career based education. National Accrediting Agencies also look at the entire school, as opposed to one program. They uphold strict guidelines to maintain membership.
If you are interested in career-based training, you can rest assured that any school recognized by a National Accrediting Agency will offer you an excellent education.
Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)
The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) has existed since 1912, making it one of the earliest-established accrediting agencies in the country. Both the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the U.S. Department of Education recognize it as an accrediting agency.Member Colleges
ACICS members include almost 700 educational institutions worldwide. These include two main types of schools: private post-secondary institutions that award diplomas or certificates and degree-granting post-secondary institutions that offer associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees in various professional or vocational fields. This includes distance education programs. The ACICS focuses on schools whose offerings are specifically designed to develop career-enhancing skills for their students.
ACICS Accrediting Process
Accreditation of member institutions is granted for periods of eight years; however, members submit information yearly in order to maintain accountability with ACICS. This information is comprised of financial data, student enrollment figures, and rates of job placement, as well as other data. ACICS uses this knowledge, as well as knowledge gathered throughout the rest of the review process, to assess a school's educational effectiveness. The mission of ACICS calls for not only educational excellence, but also for ethical educational and business practices on the part of its members. The ACICS runs workshops designed to guide institutions through the accreditation process.
Students who wish to discover whether or not their school is accredited by the ACICS can check the ACICS website or the U.S. Department of Education database. The ACICS also publishes a list of institutions whose accreditation status was revoked or denied; institutions currently seeking accreditation with ACICS; and previous member institutions that have closed.
Article Resources:ACICS
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Accrediting Commission for Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT)
The Accrediting Commission for Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT) accredits independent post-secondary educational institutions that prepare students for a diverse array of careers. Over 200,000 students at several hundred schools benefit from ACCSCT's efforts to promote high-quality, career-focused education at its member institutions. The ACCSCT works to establish and maintain appropriate standards and best practices for supporting this goal.
History of the ACCSCT
The ACCSCT (known at its founding in 1965 as the Accrediting Commission of the National Association of Trade and Technical Schools, prior to the separation of the accrediting agency from the association) has been recognized as an accreditor by the U.S. Department of Education since 1967. The ACCSCT oversees private degree-granting and non-degree-granting institutions whose main purpose is to educate students in trade and technical career skills. This also includes schools that offer distance education programs.
ACCSCT's Accrediting Focus
The ACCSCT does not accredit schools whose main purpose is general education (in other words, schools that are not specifically career-oriented.) ACCSCT supports schools that provide focused training opportunities. Member schools typically focus on education in areas such as information technology, automotive repair, culinary arts, or nursing and other medical careers. Because these schools offer specialized programs, students are able to study their chosen field intensively and enter the work force expediently.
ACCSCT publishes lists of member institutions, as well as lists of institutions that are up for initial accreditation or renewal; who are on probation; and who have had accreditation revoked.
For each member institution, self-study and on-site evaluations are part of the accreditation process, following initial determination of eligibility. Members benefit from ACCSCT's promotion of leadership, educational innovation, and continuous improvement.
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Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET)
The Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training (ACCET), first founded in 1974, has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as an accrediting body since 1978. ACCET's goal is to promote the educational quality of continuing education available through post-secondary training organizations, including those that offer certificates or occupational associate's degrees. Such organizations may include private career schools, trade associations that offer specialized training, religious organizations, and corporate training departments.
ACCET's Quality Standards
As part of its continuous striving for quality, ACCET is certified as an ISO 9001-Quality Management System by the International Organization for Standardization, and is the only recognized accrediting agency that holds this designation.
Accreditation is used to convey an official judgment of educational quality, and to encourage member institutions to continually self-assess and improve their offerings. This process includes four parts: the development of institutional goals relating to continuing education; institutional self-study; an on-site peer review process; and a final review by ACCET to determine whether or not the institution meets the appropriate standards. Accreditation is an important signal to the public of a school's educational quality, and provides a framework for institutions to assess their own success at meeting defined goals.
Goal of ACCET Accreditation
ACCET seeks to protect students' best interests by promoting effective continuing education and training. The accreditation process addresses issues such as student retention and employability, institutional finances, up-to-date educational offerings, clear enrollment practices, and overall integrity. By participating in ACCET's accreditation process, member organizations enjoy public recognition of their efforts, as well as the intrinsic benefits of self-evaluation.
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Council on Occupational Education (COE)
The Council on Occupational Education (COE) was first established in 1971 as part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It was first known as the Commission on Occupational Education Institutions (COEI). It is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a reliable accrediting authority for post-secondary institutions that offer both non-degree and associate degree programs in specific career fields, including those offered as distance learning programs. Its scope includes private career colleges, public technical colleges, Job Corps Centers, and military institutions.
Mission of the COE
As part of its defined mission, the Council has five specific goals. Briefly summarized, these goals include: offering assurance of educational quality to the public; guiding institutions through a process of continual improvement; promoting high standards (both ethical and educational); enhancing public understanding of the value of career education; and making sure that accreditation validates achievement.
Fundamentally, the Council aims to validate and promote the skills and credentials offered by its member institutions. The portability of credentials, job placement of graduates, relationships between member institutions and business leaders, and the place of occupational education in the global economy are all key issues.
Accreditation Process
In order to become accredited by the Council, institutions must meet basic eligibility requirements, engage in an intensive self-study process, and be evaluated by an accreditation team through a site visit. This process encourages one of the Council's main priorities, the goal of continuous institutional self-improvement. Accreditation not only represents a measure of educational quality for the general public; it is also a means for institutions to assess their own offerings.
Article Resources:Council on Occupational Education
The U.S. Department of Education
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Distance Education Training Council (DETC)
The Distance Education Training Council (DETC) was established in 1926 in order to promote ethical practices and appropriate educational standards in the correspondence-course industry. Its Accrediting Commission was founded in 1955, and is recognized as a national accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The Accrediting Commission articulates standards of educational excellence for distance learning institutions, emphasizing quality assurance, student rights, and continuous institutional improvement via self and peer review. It covers distance degree programs up to and including the professional doctoral degree.
Why DETC Accreditation is Important
DETC accreditation is beneficial to its member institutions because it provides a framework for self-evaluation and improvement. It also acts as a marker of educational quality for the general public, most importantly for potential students and their future employers. By acting as a resource and by generally promoting educational excellence for member institutions, the DETC's Accrediting Commission is able to nurture the educational experiences of students worldwide.
Core Values of the DETC
The DETC is aligned with seven core values, namely:
- self-regulation
- volunteerism
- respect for institutional uniqueness
- institutional self-improvement
- fairness and transparency of decision-making
- excellence in student services
- responsiveness to the changing global community of distance education
DETC accreditation signifies that an institution is able to meet its stated educational goals for students and offers structured programs and services that enable that to happen. DETC accreditation takes into account whether or not an institution provides an educational experience that benefits its students and graduates.
Important Information for Transfer Students
Students who are interested in attending a DETC-accredited institution and then transferring credits to another college or university should first check with the desired transfer school about their credit transfer policies. According to a DETC survey in 2006, among the students who graduated from a DETC-accredited program and tried to transfer credits or degrees, 70% were able to do so; however, not every college or university accepts distance learning credits. University credit transfer policies vary widely, so it is a good idea to plan ahead.
DETC's Accrediting Commission works to promote and nurture the quality of distance education programs, helping to ensure that students who choose distance learning are able to meet their educational goals.
Article Resources:Distance Education Training Council
The U.S. Department of Education, Accreditation
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American Culinary Federation
The American Culinary Federation (ACF) has been in existence since 1929, serving chefs and cooks by promoting the professionalism of the culinary industry and furthering culinary education. It is comprised of over 22,000 members across the U.S. The ACFEFAC (American Culinary Federation Education Foundation Accrediting Commission) accredits both post-secondary and secondary institutions that train students in the culinary arts.
Goals of the American Culinary Federation
The ACFEFAC works to sustain quality standards in culinary arts education. It articulates and establishes standards for its member institutions; fosters accountability; rewards professionalism; and encourages the use of the most current practices in culinary education. Accreditation is an important signal to the public and to potential students that an institution is credible and rises to a certain level of educational quality. The Accrediting Commission of the ACF's Educational Foundation is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
Scope of Accreditation
The post-secondary programs covered by the ACFEFAC offer associate's degrees, certificates, and diplomas. Culinary arts programs accredited by the ACFEFAC must be more than 1,000 hours in length and be offered by an authorized postsecondary institution. Institutions conduct self-studies before being evaluated by ACFEFAC evaluators during a site visit.
Educational Assurance Program
The ACF's Educational Foundation also offers an "educational assurance" program to organizations that offer non-degree programs of less than 1,000 hours in length. This is not to be confused with accreditation; however, it is designed to provide some assessment of the educational quality of programs such as demonstration classes, military training programs, online programs, and some international programs. This program uses documents related to curriculum, teaching methods, institutional mission, and faculty profiles, as well as a site visit, in order to determine if an institution can be "educationally assured" by ACFEF. Although it provides a sense of educational quality, it is not the same as the formal accreditation offered by the ACFEF's Accrediting Commission.
Article Resources:American Culinary Federation
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