nationally accredited - state approved

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by robine55, Oct 16, 2004.

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  1. robine55

    robine55 New Member

    What’s the difference between a "nationally accredited" and a“state approved" university?

    Are nationally accredited or state approved universities allowed to grant a Ph.D degree?

    Are there any - let’s say academically "good" unaccredited (only state approved) US / International universities?

    Thanks for your help!

    R
     
  2. philosophy

    philosophy New Member

    reply

    A nationally accredited school is one that has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. While this accreditation will not always be accepted by every college or university, it is better accreditation, then a state approved school. When I think of a state approved school, this simply means that as far as that state is concerned the school has met the criteria and requirements of being approved. However, this is much better than an outright unaccredited degree.

    The only piece of suggestion I have is that it is best to go with regional accreditation. If you need to get a degree from a nationally accredited school, then this is not necessarily bad, but you should only go with one or the other. That is my honest opinion.

    "Everything closes on a place like this!"
     
  3. robine55

    robine55 New Member

    Re: reply

    Thank you very much for your nice and helpful response!
    R
     
  4. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I believe the largest National Accreditation is DETC , and they do not offer PhD's at this time.

    State approved schools such as SCUPS, do offer PhD's. California Coast University, which is discussed a lot, used to offer a PhD but they applied for DETC and dropped the PhD program.

    As far as which degree to go for, I would suggest a regional accredited degree; you can not go wrong. If for some reason you want a national accredited degree, it has less utility than a RA degree but more than a state approved degree. If you KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt and are ABSOLUTLY sure a state approve degree will met all your needs, wait about a month and give it some more thought and explore ALL your options. If you are still sure, than go for it.
     
  5. robine55

    robine55 New Member

    Hi Randell

    Thank you ver much for your helpful information!
    R
     
  6. Anthony Pina

    Anthony Pina Active Member

    There are a number of recognized national accrediting bodies, including those that accredit entire schools (such as the Distance Education & Training Council and the American Academy of Liberal Education) and those that accredit specific professional programs (such as the American Psychological Association or the National League for Nursing). A complete list can be found at http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html#libed

    Many schools with national accreditation (especially by the professional associations) also have regional accreditation.

    State approved schools are licensed by individual states, each of which has different standards for accreditation. With the possible exception of New York, there does not appear to be any state that requires anything close to regional accreditation standards. However, state approved schools award legal degrees (at least they are legal in that state) and can be useful for those who are seeking degrees for personal or professional enrichment in situations where a legal degree is required but an accredited one is not.

    State approved school usually can (and often do) award doctoral degrees. Their doctorates are popular with authors, television/media "experts" (in psychology, etc.) and religious personalities. I have also known people in fields not requiring doctorates (such as law enforcement) and community college faculty who have received state-approved non-accredited doctorates. Some of them were well-served by their degrees, but others were not.

    Tony Pina
    Coordinator of Learning Technologies
    Northeastern Illinois University
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 19, 2004
  7. robine55

    robine55 New Member

    Hi Tony

    Thank you very much for this helpful information!
    R
     

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