| countless online university offers fighting for your | | | | verifying the qualifications of a potential candidate. |
| attention online, one of your first priorities in finding a | | | | Therefore they find it much simpler and more practical |
| university is to verify its credentials. Accreditation can | | | | to only consider applicants qualifying from an |
| make all the difference in the quality of the education | | | | accredited institution whose standards they deem |
| being offered. It isn’t enough that a university is | | | | acceptable. |
| accredited. Find out more details about the | | | | Types of Accreditation |
| accreditation. It should be legitimate and have | | | | Accreditation of a college can itself be of two types, |
| recognition from the US Department of Education or | | | | institutional and specialized accreditation. The former |
| the Council for Higher Accreditation. | | | | applies to the institution as a whole to ensure that it is |
| What Is Accreditation | | | | able to conform to certain set standards. In specialized |
| The US Department of Education has identified key | | | | accreditation, it is only a particular program that is |
| points in ensuring the accreditation of an online | | | | involved for being able to meet specific industry |
| university. Firstly, the institution needs to be able to | | | | standards. |
| meet established standards. They should also offer | | | | Institutional accreditation is again of two types, national |
| assistance to students in identifying the right colleges | | | | and regional. National accreditation transfer credits are |
| and finding out the details of transfer credits. The | | | | not easily accepted by colleges and universities as it |
| college should have set goals for self-improvement | | | | implies inability to meet criteria for regional accreditation. |
| and increasing educational standards. Faculty and staff | | | | National accreditation is primarily limited to institutes that |
| needs to be involved in institutional evaluation and | | | | prepare students to join the workforce at the earliest. |
| planning. Criteria should be in place for availing federal | | | | They include religious schools, technical institutes, |
| financial assistance. | | | | vocational and correspondence schools. |
| Accreditation is defined as a voluntary, | | | | On the other hand regional accreditation is recognized |
| non-governmental process of peer review by which | | | | not just by the US Department of Education but is also |
| an institution meets specific standards. However in | | | | considered the standard for other colleges and |
| layman’s language, it is more practical to think | | | | universities. Transferring college credits becomes a lot |
| of it as the difference between a degree and the job | | | | easier as the college meets the necessary standards |
| that you’ve been striving for, and a waste of | | | | with a combination of theory and practical experience. |
| time, energy and money into a course that will | | | | In certain cases like engineering, law, medicine, science |
| eventually prove worthless. | | | | and teaching, the degree needs to be both |
| Today’s employers are already pressed for | | | | institutionalized and specialized in accreditation. |
| time. This means they can spare very little of it in | | | | |