Taking Aim at Diploma Mills, Education Department Creates Online List of Accredited C

The Chronicle of Higher Education 2/2/05

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In Part:

http://chronicle.com/prm/daily/2005/02/2005020203n.htm

Government Web site:

http://www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

 

This is good, however a lot more has to be done. Specially inside the government.

 

Thanks. That will come in handy.

 

This is a great site, certainly for HR professionals. I immediately passed on the link to my staff, as most of them have no idea about accredited U.S. schools (I had to give them a crash course on this, when we got a couple of applicants last fall with unaccredited degrees that I recognized).

One thing that puzzles me is the lack of any mention of AACSB as a program accrediting body for biz departments. Does that strike anyone else as strange, considering they've got the ones for teaching, music, etc. etc.?

Cheers,
Adrienne

 

Adrienne,

not odd because AACSB is not a recognized accreditor in the government sense for this list. And I don't know of any US AACSB school that doesn't hold some other accreditation that is on this list. The other school accreditors that you mention are specific to the unique type of school accredited rather than a particular program, department, etc...


However, there are instances when the additional accreditation (ABET, ABA, AMA) are required. I have not seen any instance where AACSB accreditation was a requirement even in those positions where advanced degrees were considered qualifying. So your HR folks would have to actually go to the school or the additional accreditor websites to determine the ABET etc... accreditation.

Still not a perfect fix but better than what was available previously.

Regards,

Kevin

 

1. The complete list of accredited colleges (post-secondary schools and universities) in the 50 states and US territories is here.

2. The list of accredited (minority) colleges in U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, VI, etc) is here

 

The Department of Education list doesn't seem to be reliable as of yet, because it includes some glaringly unaccredited schools.

For example, the very questionable Akamai University is listed, with the 'accreditation' field left blank.

A similar list has been available for years at the CHEA website. (Click on 'database' on the lower left.)

I've found that the CHEA list is well maintained and it does seem to be reliable.

 

I just typed in a couple of local schools that are regionally accredited and found them "not listed."

This site needs work. Good idea though.

 

What about International Mills?

Thanks,

Learner

 

I just took a quick look at what the list includes for private profit and non-profit, 4-year and above institutions in California.

There were two mystery schools that I'm unfamiliar with:

Booker T. Crenshaw Christian School Inc. - San Diego -- with no accreditation listed

LAREI - Downey -- with no accreditation listed

The list also included City University of Los Angeles, with no accreditation listed.

Perhaps somebody confused this thing, which isn't CA-approved and doesn't seem to even be operating legally in California, with a branch campus of the regionally accredited City University of Washington state. But if that were the case, then wouldn't the accreditor be given as the Northwest Association?

 

CULA is one of my favorite "less than wonderful" institutions because it actually offers the S.J.D. True, they mistake the actual degree title, calling it a Specialized Juris Doctor, but at least their hearts are in the right place!

 

To my knowledge, CULA has operated for years without any approval from California to do so. Just another reason to consider the BPPVE toothless. (That CULA claims it is accredited when it clearly is not--by a recognized accreditor, anyway--is another example. Why does the BPPVE allow this? Because it can't do anything about it, demonstrating its impotence in regulating unaccredited schools in California.)

 

Okay, that makes sense.

Good point, Kevin. I suppose I was confusing academia's snobbishness (sp, ? -- correct adj?) regarding AACSB for biz schools with what normal HR departments in the real world actually care about. Silly of me, for sure! Sometimes, despite being an HR manager, I get too wrapped up in the academic world view on things.

Thanks for the clarification!

Cheers,
Adrienne

 

I don't understand the government's desire to create a bad list when a good one (at CHEA) is available. Or, why didn't the USDoE create a similar one with the accrediting agencies IT recognizes? Without routine feeds from the recognized accreditors, it will be hopelessly out of date fast.

(The site itself looks useful, but then how did those unaccredited schools get there?)

 

If CULA sells its papers entirely in interstate commerce, I'm not sure the California state government CAN shut it down. This area of the law MAY be pre empted by the federal government.

I am also not familiar enough with the California enabling legislation for BPPVE to know whether the agency's "reach" includes schools that enroll no California residents.

I'm not saying BPPVE has no authority, you understand; I'm merely saying that I'd have to research it to be sure one way or the other.

Certainly the legislature created BPPVE to protect Californians. As a matter of policy, they may not want to expend their doubtless scarce resources protecting the residents of OTHER states.

Given all the legal talent swirling around in CULA's unaccredited, unregistered, unapproved, non Bar qualifying law school, I'm sure CULA is operating entirely within its rights!