HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION IN THE UNITED STATES

1
HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION IN THE UNITED
STATES

• What International Education
• Professionals REALLY Need to Know
• Presenters
• Ann M. Koenig, AACRAO, USA
• Rolf Lofstad, NOKUT, Norway
• Chair Eric Staab, Grinnell College, USA

2
HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION IN THE UNITED
STATES

• What International Education
• Professionals REALLY Need to Know
• Part 2 Perspective from the European side

3
Handouts for this part of the session

• Please send e-mail with your POSTAL address to
• rlo_at_nokut.no
• www.nokut.no

4
The European Perspective

• Background information
• Results of a mini-survey among European
  professionals
• Use and abuse

5
What is accreditation?

• A tool for protection! A tool to protect
• employers from substandard employees
• our own students from substandard competitors
  for admission or jobs
• students from entering substandard institutions
• our recognised institutions from substandard
  applicants

6
What is accreditation?

• A tool to protect
• our recognised institutions from entering into
  cooperation with substandard institutions
• (state) loan funds/ providers of grants by
  preventing students from spending taxpayers
  money on substandard (or fraudulent)
  institutions/study programmes.

7
National sovereignty

• Higher education is strongly linked to
• National history
• Linguistic identity
• Cultural specificities
• National economic developments
• Social cohesion
• hence
• A field of national policy-making

8
European traditions (generalized)

• HE system belong to the national state
• Institutions a priori recognized
• QA/Accreditation relatively new trend
• Bologna Process gt EHEA
• QA/Accr. owned by / working for govt.
• QA/Accr. largely a mandatory process

9
Recognition in Europe

• Recognition practices harmonized through
• Cooperation and information exchange
• Bi- or multilateral agreements
• Initiatives in the Bologna Process
• Ratification of the Lisboa Convention
• The joint Council of Europe / UNESCO Convention
  on the recognition of qualifications concerning
  Higher Education in the European Region Lisboa
  1997

10
Lisboa Convention 1997
Number of ratifications per September 2004 39
States Signature Entry into force
Australia 19/9/2000 1/1/2003
Monaco
United States 11/4/1997
11
Part 2 Mini-survey

• A questionnaire was sent to
• the ENIC/NARIC-offices
• The EAIE-L
• Norwegian colleagues

12
Recognition of institutions inside USA

• An accredited institution in the U.S. is
  generally regarded as a recognised institution by
  European international education professionals,
  provided the accrediting body is a member of
  CHEA. There are different opinions as to which
  category of accreditation (regional or national)
  fulfils the requirement.

13
Recognition of institutions outside USA

• Institutions outside the U.S. with accreditation
  from a member of CHEA, will normally be
  considered recognised. Opinions differ as to
  which category of accreditation (regional or
  national) fulfils the requirements.

14
Recognition of qualifications offered inside USA

• Regional accreditation (CHEA) Qualifications
  earned will normally be recognised.
• Professional accreditation (CHEA) Qualifications
  earned will normally be recognised.
• National accreditation (CHEA) Qualifications
  earned might be recognised by some.

15
Recognition of qualifications offered outside USA

• Professional accreditation (CHEA) Qualifications
  earned will normally be recognised.

16
General guidelines Only CHEA members

• Regional accreditation of institutions inside and
  outside of US Recognised.
• Qualifications with Professional accr. offered
  both inside and outside of US Recognised
  (institutional accreditation not needed)
• National recognition of institution both inside
  and outside of US evaluate according to profile
  of your institution

17
General guidelines Only CHEA members

• Be careful check that institutions and
  programmes are accredited as higher education
  institutions / programmes!

18
Part 3 Use and abuse
A guided tour through different cases
19
(No Transcript)
20
(No Transcript)
21
(No Transcript)
22
(No Transcript)
23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25

• Belford High school
• Belford University
• Belford Accrediting Organisation
• All bogus

26
A safe place to start
27
(No Transcript)
28
(No Transcript)
29
(No Transcript)
30
Their website does not mention accreditation
31
(No Transcript)
32
(No Transcript)
33
(No Transcript)
34
(No Transcript)
35
(No Transcript)
36
(No Transcript)
37
(No Transcript)
38
(No Transcript)
39
Accredited by Middle States Association of
Colleges and Schools (MSA) Middle States
Commission on Higher Education in 2004
40
School of Pharmacy accredited by ACPE in 2004
41
Recognized by CHEA April 2004
42
Thank you for your attention we hope you found
our presentation worth while. Ann, Eric and Rolf