Category: accreditation

How to Get Competitive Advantage in the Job Market: The Role of Programmatic Accreditation

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Who is This Post For?

  • Students getting ready to declare a major, especially majors related to health, law, business, engineering, etc.
  • Students knowing what they want to major in and needing to choose between a college/university vs. another, all else being equal
  • Individuals getting ready to go back to school and invest a significant amount of money in their education

Why is Programmatic Accreditation Important?

  1. Licensing.  Graduating from a program that has discipline specific accreditation can take the licensure exam. This is especially true for Law and some Health programs (physical therapy, nursing, etc.).
  1. Competitive advantage in the labor market. Graduates of programs that are accredited by programmatic accreditation agencies may have a competitive advantage in the labor market. For example, job ads may require that only graduates from programs accredited by a certain accreditor would be considered for the position.

Continue reading “How to Get Competitive Advantage in the Job Market: The Role of Programmatic Accreditation”

Institutional Accreditation Agencies

Accreditation agencies function under the purview of the United States Department of Education (USDOE) and ensure that certain standards are met by universities and colleges. There are two types of accreditation (1) institutional and (2) programmatic/discipline specific.

Institutional accreditation can be national or regional. Institutional accreditation is not compulsory; but institutions that don’t have it cannot access financial aid funds (Pell grants, federal loans, etc). Continue reading “Institutional Accreditation Agencies”

7 Reasons Why College Credits Don’t Transfer

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College transfer can provide significant benefits when done well. However, when left to chance it can be fraught with problems. Today we discuss some of the issues related to college transfer and some of the most common reasons why credits don’t transfer from one institution to another.

Continue reading “7 Reasons Why College Credits Don’t Transfer”

Horizontal or Lateral College Transfer

Horizontal or lateral transfer refers to transferring credits between two similar institutions from one college to another college (2 –year to a 2–year institution) or from one university to another university (4–year to a 4–year institution). Please keep in mind that transferring credits between two institutions with different type of control (public or private) and accreditation (regional or national) can be difficult.

Continue reading “Horizontal or Lateral College Transfer”

Vertical College Transfer – From Community College to University

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Credit transfer between a college (2-year institution) and a university (4-year institution) is referred to as vertical transfer. Credit transfer between community college and university is one of the most common types of credit transfer and one of the most efficient ones. It is the most common one because most articulation or institutional transfer agreements cover it. It is efficient because credit loss is minimal during the transfer process. Continue reading “Vertical College Transfer – From Community College to University”

Transfer across Institutions Accredited by Different Accreditation Agencies

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It is important to keep in mind limitations related to credit transfer across universities and colleges accredited by different accreditation agencies when planning for college. Today’s post provides another way to look at college credit transfer through the lens of institutional accreditation. Losing credits during transfer can increase student debt and delay college graduation.

In 2006 the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined college credit transfer between institutions with different types of institutional accreditation. The report found that Continue reading “Transfer across Institutions Accredited by Different Accreditation Agencies”