How does HR personal check to see if a school is accredited?

How does HR personal check to see if a school is accredited? If they use the CHEA website, Touro University International is not found. I am just curious what tools are available to check to see if schools are accredited.

 

The CHEA website will get most of them. The trouble with Touro International is that, technically, it isn't a free-standing school. It is a division of Touro College.

My research indicates that, largely, HR people DON'T check. Hence, the degree mill industry.

Another authoritative source regarding school accredited in the U.S. is the Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education, also published by CHEA. I don't know if that would have specific information about Touro International.

I wonder if transcripts for TUI students have information guiding the reader to these facts? I suspect so.

 

At my former community college (where I sat on many hiring committees), the HR office used a combination of the CHEA Guide mentioned by Rich and Peterson's Guide. However, I found that these guides, though available, often were not consulted, as candidates with unaccredited degrees sometimes slipped through the cracks. Whenever I was on the hiring committee, we would also used Bears' Guide (which I would supply).

On a few notable occassions, I would bring a candidate's unaccredited degree to light. Some would be unaware that different types and levels of accreditation and non-accredited authorization even existed. This supports Rich Douglas' research findings about HR personnel.

What happened when the unaccredited status of the degree was known? Glad you asked If the position was for an adjunct faculty (requiring only a masters degree) and the preferred candidate had good RA BA and MA degrees and, say a state-approved doctorate, they could likely get the job. However, they would be hired (and paid) at the masters level. The unaccredited doctorate would not be recognized by the college. Applicants with unaccredited degrees were not considered for full-time positions where the degree was required (e.g. faculty and administrative positions).

Tony Pina
Administrator, Northeastern Illinois University

 

I believe a great many HR people in the US use the Higher Education Directory. It used to be published by the Dept. of Education -- but they 'privatized' it many years ago, and it is published by Higher Education Publishers, established for that purpose.

But they don't list non-US schools. Responsible HR people use the International Handbook of Universities -- which, despite the flap about two inappropriate (my opinion) schools that were briefly listed, that is two out of more than 12,000, and they really do a good job.

Peterson's, on the other hand, continues to list unaccredited and dreadful schools, and continues to sell advertising space in their books that looks just like editorial space.

 

An even MORE effective technique would be to place a red hot spear head against the applicant's tongue. If he is telling the truth, he SHOULDN'T get burned...too badly...

 

I agree with Rich Douglas -- it is not uncommon for HR people to accept degrees without really checking for accreditation. This has been true, to a large extent, in the 3 Fortune 50 companies where I have worked.

 

In some companies HR people do not verify the degrees ( last one I worked did not verify). For others they use CHEA and a combination of sites to verify...

 

reply.

I think it depends on the situation. The person who has unaccredited and accredited degrees should be given a shot. You know the difference between someone who is trying to con you, and someone who legitimately did the work. I use to be the subscriber that everyone has to graduate from an accredited school, and if you had an unaccredited degree or credential; that it could not be used or put down on a resume. However, that is not fair to someone who has worked hard for that accomplishment and did so legitimately. If the person has graduated from a diploma mill or a school that requires little or no work; then that should be an obvious time when the person should not be considered. However, someone who has graduated with both unaccredited and accredited degrees and has done the work, should not be penalized for that, but simply looked at on a case-by-case basis. All learning should be valued, and with a little research, that can make a significant difference.

In terms of graduate degrees, and so forth, that are unaccredited, in the academic and professional worlds, that credential will not be accepted. That is just the rule of thumb. However, if someone again, has done legitimate work, then that should be the guiding principle. Perhaps, we will not be able to accept but the highest accredited credential, but the overall applicant has to be taken a look at and made sure that they are treated fairly. The person, who puts down a credential that is from a diploma mill or a school that requires little or no work, should be obvious that they need not be taken seriously.

 

Re: reply.

It's not always that simple. The company I work for markets training and consulting solutions to public and private organizations. Our clients pay for the expertise of our consultants, and expect their degrees to be from accredited schools. It would be a disaster if we put someone on the job who had a degree from an unaccredited school. We bill according to the consultant's qualifications--our clients would perceive this to be fraudulent behavior.

Any government contractor is facing the same situation, too. (We have about half our business with governments, and the other half primarily with companies doing business with the government.) Because I have 25 years of experience, they can bill me at a certain rate. But because I also have a Ph.D., I fall into a higher category and can be billed at an even higher rate. If that degree turned out to be from an unaccredited school, there would be no discussion, just refunding and (possibly) the canceling of contracts.

By the way, no one is going to sit for an explanation about how the unaccredited school in question is legitimate, the person can do the job with or without the degree, etc.