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ACCREDITATION
Sites Of Organizations That Accredit Colleges and Graduate Schools

(This web site is intended to include only colleges and universities that are regionally accredited. Other accreditations may be included where so specified.)

The Famous Six Regional Accreditation Organizations

New England Association of Schools & Colleges accreditation of colleges, universities and other degree granting institutions of higher education in the New England region. Area: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. There are two institutions in Greece that are also affiliated.

North Central Association Commission on Institutions of Higher Education handles accreditation of colleges, universities and other degree granting institutions of higher education in the north central region. Area: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Higher Education accredits institutions of higher education in the Middle States region. Area: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and Certain Overseas Locations.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools the southern US and other locations. Area: Alabama , Florida , Georgia , Kentucky , Louisiana , Mississippi , North Carolina , South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas , Virginia , Extraterritorial (Includes Caribbean, Central and South America, and Mexico)

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) covers the western United States, including California, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Marinas Islands, the Pacific Basin, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and East Asia, etc.

Northwest Association Of Schools And Colleges covers Utah, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and other geographic areas


KEY SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON ACCREDITATION

Search for college and graduate school accreditation at the U.S. Department of Education .

Authoritative information on graduate school accreditation from the U.S. Department of Education

Other Accreditation Organizations

American Bar Association

American Psychological Association a major professional organization in Psychology that accredits graduate school programs.

Distance Education And Training Council is recognized by the US Department of Education

National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education a Specialized organization that accredits undergrad and graduate programs in education.

National Engineers Examining Board

This is my opinion:
Going outside the protective circle of regional accreditation is usually not a good idea and presents a complicated picture. There is where things get complicated! List of State Agencies that approve or register higher education institutions.
      (I put this here as general information, as this has been an issue for some students who have emailed me.) It is far better to go to a regionally accredited school (AND as I say in the introduction), there are professional organizations that accredit graduate programs (such as the ABA or APA) that are even better than regional accreditation. But, normally schools that have such advanced accreditation will also have regional accreditation.
      Now, while I'm at this let me mention one curve ball: church degrees. If you want to be a minister in a particular religion you should go with a school that is accredited by that religion, or that is accredited by an organization supported by that religion. Now, religious accreditation organizations that are widely recognized will usually appear on the Department of Education list. However, it's a fact that if you want to be a minister in a particular faith that requires a divinity degree, you will have to go to a school accepted by that faith. It's also a fact that some employers, such as those that hire hospital chaplains, may not recognize a degree from a school that is accredited only by an obscure or not-widely known church (although such religions, such schools, and such churches may have great merit). If you want that kind of "chaplain" or "pastoral counselor" job outside of the church itself, it's a better bet to go to a religious school accredited by an organization on the Department of Education list. Check with a prospective employer, such as a hospital that employs chaplains, to see what type accreditation they accept.
      Apart from all that, if you even consider a college does NOT have regional (or valid professional) accreditation it should, have accreditation from one of the sources recognized by the Department of Education(Valid sources of "professional" accreditation, in case there is doubt, should also appear on the Department of Education list).
      On a lower rung, but still generally on a rung, are schools that are state approved/registered institutions. Here is my point: If an institution is as a minimum not state approved/registered it is possible that it doesn't really exist or is not legal. Again, it's best to go with a regionally accredited school.
      Now, let me add this also, there has been criticism of regional accreditation bodies which says the they are conservative and therefore do not often facilitate innovation, they are also said to be bureaucratic and slow. It is probably true that there are non-regionally accredited schools that can give you a great education. The problem for me is that you may end up well educated, but your degree may not be recognized. And therefore you may not benefit the way you would like. Never-the-less, I believe that valid institutions exist that do not have regional accreditation. Therefore, I cannot say NEVER consider such an institution. However if you value recognition as well as education ... if you value possibly being able to transferee your credits to another good institution if you have a mind to ... if you are going to go to the trouble and expense of getting a valid education anyway ... if you don't have the time or resources to search for the "hidden jewel in the rough" ... my opinion is go with the sure fire real accreditation, accept no substitute.

Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education an organization involved in the debate regarding distance education.

Council for Higher Education Accreditation An authoritative non-government source of information on college and university accreditation.


Other Cool Info

Career Sites

Census Bureau data on AVERAGE income for various levels of educational attainment. Based on this information, on average, graduate degrees pay big!!

Career choice help and a general college/university search utility from the College Board.

What kind of a degree do I need to be a ..... Look it up in the Occupational Outlooks Handbook (on the net, from the US government)


FINANCIAL AID INFO

FINANCIAL AID IN THE USA - Usually, you have to be at least a half-time student (6 semester hours per semester) in order to qualify for any financial aid. THE BEST PLACE to learn about financial aid is, usually, the institution to which you apply, because they (usually) know that your financial aid is their life blood. They get very good at finding money!! However, I have included these links for your information or use:
US Department of Education where you can file your federal financial aid forms and get information about federal financial aid programs.
Online education is sometimes disadvantaged at getting financial aid due to swindles which occurred long ago. Now as the linked article reveals, there are 15 institutions in a Department of Education pilot program to test the value of offering full financial aid to online students. Thirty-five more institutions will be added in a year or so, as I understand it.
Also, don't forget that you may be able to deduct part of your tuition as part of the "life long learning credit" on your federal income tax, and the single, head of household deduction may also help defray the costs of education for some.


MORE USEFUL INFO

A directory of links to the home pages of colleges,community colleges, and universities, US and Canada. In case you have one you are trying to look one up.

LAW SCHOOL? The ABA site discusses "correspondence" law schools as a means to qualify people to sit for the bar exam.

LAW SCHOOL? California Bar web site identifies law schools, including "correspondence" (distance/online) law schools, that can qualify a graduate to take the California bar exam. (These schools may or may not have regional accreditation, but produce an acceptable creditial that qualify a graduate to take the California bar exam.)

EduSpeara Distance Education interest group site

Open courseware provides access to college course material enables you to explore and learn on your own without being enrolled. MIT and Columbia University

International Education Here's an information source sponsored by the US Government

Search for Scholarships(WLH) send me an email to let me know if using this helped you, or is it worthwhile (I don't know if it is really useful or not but I include it in case you are interested.)

US News and World Report ranking of graduate schools

Virtual University Gazette Excellent source of contextual information about higher-distance education.

The World Lecture Hall (WLH) contains links to pages created by faculty worldwide who are using the Web to deliver online class materials. Also distance and other online courses within the University of Texas System

More info on "diploma mills": Here is an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education on"diploma mills" The Department of Education also offer information on "diploma mills".


Click a Link Below For the Type of Degree You Need

All Degrees | Business | Doctorates | Education | Engineering/Tech | Health | Other Majors | Psych & Related

Click here for University Consortiums
groups of universities that offer online, distance, and elearning graduate school programs, all degrees & all majors.


Also, other sites by this author:

Find Your Online Bachelor's or Associate's College Degree

WebQuest on Psychology Experiments


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This is the accreditation and other cool information page and relates to Master's degrees as well as Doctorate degrees. The programs identified are also sources of online classes and courses.

Thanks for visiting this web page... Have a great day!!!

Click a Featured School to Get Direct Info


George Washington University

MBA or Master's in Education. Well-known and highly respected university.



Fischler School of Education and Human Services of Nova Southeastern University

Education Masters, Specialists, and Doctorates; plus Tech and Business degrees


Western Governors University

WGU is an award-winning and affordable, private university whose offering include competency-based credit, so you can earn credit through courses and/or through a portfolio of achievements that demonstrate competencies. Offering Master's degrees in Education or Business.


eCornell of Cornell University
Go Ivy League!
Graduate Certificates in Business areas.


Northcentral University

Programs designed to provide individualized
support & economical tuition...
Master's and Doctorate's in
Psychology; Business; Education


St. Joseph's University

emphasizes assuring that students develop key skills, including sensitivity to ethical and moral issues. Master’s Degree in Business Intelligence or in Instructional Technology.


Ashford University

Affordable, Accelerated, & Convenient! Master's in Organizational Leadership; Organizational Management; Human Resources; Teaching and Learning with Technology. Also, MBA.


Post University

A private university in Connecticut offers a degree with career-oriented classes plus classes that give the big picture... Master's in Human Services


American InterContinental University - Online

... accelerated, a master’s degree can be earned in as little as 10 months...Master's in Education, Info Tech, or MBA


Walden University

Doctorates and Master's with many popular majors such as business, administration, education, psychology, health, engineering, & IT .


Strayer University

Master's degrees with choice of synchronous or asynchronous classes.