Pros/Cons of National vs Regional Accreditation?

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by KYarb, Sep 20, 2008.

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  1. GeneralSnus

    GeneralSnus Member

    Do you know if there is any mandate from ACICS (or any other national accreditor for that matter) that the instructor's degrees be from RA institutions? I've noticed several NA schools who don't appear to have a single faculty member with an NA degree.
     
  2. Anthony Pina

    Anthony Pina Active Member

    This is what ACICS has to say:

    3-1-541. Faculty Preparation. Preparation of faculty members shall be academically and experientially appropriate to the subject matter they teach. Faculty members shall be competent to teach the subject matter offered and shall have reasonable latitude in their choice of teaching methods. The institution must provide evidence that all faculty members are graduates of institutions accredited by agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education. Faculty who are graduates from institutions outside the United States must be graduates of institutions recognized by their governments and their transcripts must be translated into English and be evaluated by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES)

    So NA or RA works for ACICS.
     
  3. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    I realize that Tony already answered your question, but if I might answer your question with another question: Don't you think it would be a bit strange if nationally accredited institutions of higher education refused to hire professors with nationally accredited degrees?
     
  4. GeneralSnus

    GeneralSnus Member

    Yes, I do find it strange that some of the NA institutions that I've encountered do not list any faculty with NA degrees, hence my question to Tony. Are you trying to make a point?
     
  5. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Reading between the lines, I think he already made it.

    However, if I'm correct then it's quite possible that the DETC doctoral programs have not been around long enough to produce graduates who could compete for such positions. Could this be true?
     
  6. Anthony Pina

    Anthony Pina Active Member

    DETC doctorate are a relatively new animal, so it is VERY likely that doctoral graduates of these schools have not yet entered into the market, or are going into work environments other than academia.
     
  7. NightingaleCollege

    NightingaleCollege New Member

  8. henald

    henald New Member

    I agree with most of what everyone has said. A school that is accredited in one region may not be recognized in another region. A nationally accredited school will be recognized in all areas of the country. In the long run it would be best to shoot for a nationally accredited school because they have taken the time to develop a curriculum that is recognized to meet education standards across the country. Employers look for accredited degrees because they know that you have received a specific education with a minimum standard. A regionally accredited school may not have as high of a standard with the curriculum that it provides compared to a school that is nationally accredited.
     
  9. curtisc83

    curtisc83 New Member

    You should watch that video above. If you already have then you're a tad confused. National Accreditation is not equal to Regional. The names are confusing but Regional is the gold standard. Schools like ITT tech have National, Harvard has Regional.
     
  10. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    This is completely false. If you don't know what you're talking about, then please don't say anything so that you don't mislead others.
     
  11. Delta

    Delta Active Member


    I hear this comment often from International students and I can understand why they think National accreditation "sounds" like a higher level or status than regional. Welcome to America! If not the "gold standard" then it has a "silver standard" but compared to Ocare bronze plan it is platinum!:rolleyes:
     
  12. DailyNews

    DailyNews New Member

    At the end of the day, what does it matter? Employers are looking for applicants with degrees. How many realistically check to see if it is Nationally or Regionally accredited...unless its a licensed position, which it still may not matter. Both are recognized by the US Dept of Ed....period. With this economy, employers, mostly private, are looking for graduates.....weather it national or regionally accredited. Hardly ever comes up in an interview. Heck, most private, religiously exempt, yet registered graduates are landing decent jobs (just check Linkedin). Just check with the place you want to go to work at and see what they require!!
     
  13. Delta

    Delta Active Member


    From my point of view, industry is looking for folks that are prepared to work and produce from the get go. In other words, knowledge and skill set is paramount. Where one went to school is not as important as it used to be.

    My only concern about nationally accredited schools is that they seem to lose accreditation more frequently than RA schools. Employers tend to look at current accreditation status even though one may have graduated before a school lost accreditation. It has to be awkward explaining in an interview that one's college degree is accredited but the school lost accreditation. On the other hand, there are those that benefit with unaccredited degrees because the school later gained accreditation.
     
  14. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Yes, they occasionally DO seem to wink into and out of existance like fireflies in a Southern sky. See e.g. Barrington University/University of Atlanta.

    But that's just a few. Taft Law has been around for about 40 years (though not accredited all that time). CIE has been operating since about 1934. Ditto Penn Foster which started as ICS in 1890!

    But given a reasonable choice between them, I would generally recommend sticking to RA. My two DETC programs were excellent but with RA you never have to explain yourself to another school, (whether to teach or learn), or to a potential employer.

    Folks call RA the "gold standard". Personally, I think of it more as Ma Bell, a hidebound monopoly bent on serving its own interests and jealous of competition.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 11, 2014
  15. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    In fairness, that can be seen not only as a sign that nationally accredited schools are less sustainable, but also as a sign that national accreditors are more diligent and take oversight more seriously.
     
  16. Delta

    Delta Active Member



    Let's not forget a B&M RA school like Mountain State University. NA accreditors are at least as diligent and take accreditation at least as seriously as RA accreditors.
    Mountain State University has closed permanently
     
  17. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    For licensing purposes, programmatic accreditation is usually most important. NA schools tend to lack programmatic accreditation either by circumstance or because the programmatic accreditor requires regional accreditation. I don't think I've seen a private employer require regional accreditation, but I've seen several government jobs at the state and local level that require regional accreditation. I've also come across law enforcement agencies that won't give educational incentive pay for NA degrees. My state's law enforcement licensing agency doesn't recognize national accreditation, so you can't receive credits toward higher levels of certification with an NA degree.

    Then, there is the issue of limiting your choices of graduate schools if your undergrad is NA. If you decide to get a graduate degree at an NA school, then your college teaching options are severely limited.
     
  18. Phdtobe

    Phdtobe Well-Known Member

    A solution may be to have one national accreditation standard - no need for the regional bodies.
     
  19. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought programmatic accreditation is a form of national accreditation?

    AACSB
    CCNE
    ABET
    APA, etc.
     
  20. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    No, it's not. Regional and national are subsets of institutional accreditation, programmatic accreditation is a different category from institutional.

    It gets confusing in that there are edge cases like standalone law schools that are accredited only programmatically, but that doesn't mean that programmatic accreditation is the same as institutional.
     

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