Swiss Management Center

Staying with the basics, this is a quote from CHEA:
“CHEA At A Glance - Largest institutional higher education membership organization in the United States, with approximately 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities.”
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If CHEA is the largest in the USA, which are the other equivalencies to CHEA in the USA? There are over 4000 degree granting institutions in the USA.

 

Most legitimate accrediting bodies are recognized by CHEA and the U.S. Department of Education. Some organizations recognized by CHEA are not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and vice versa. I've not come across another nongovernmental agency that matters in the U.S. when it comes to accreditation. If CHEA is just referring to any organization of higher education, then the American Council on Education is another big one with 1,700 members. ACE and NCCRS don't recognize accrediting bodies; they evaluate individual courses, certifications, and exams for equivalency to college courses. Being a member of CHEA or ACE's organizations is optional.

 

Maybe it's a situation like University18 in India. They make it clear that they are not a university. However, they partner with schools like Assam Don Bosco University and the University of Mysore which award the degrees. They serve as admissions, support, learning management system provider, and proctor.

 

Except, slightly different because it seems they are awarding a degree and another institution is throwing in a second degree as a buy one get one free deal.

 

I never quite understood why we need CHEA, what CHEA actually does (other than maintaining a database and some useful information about schools and accrediting agencies), and how they became so influential to the point that they are sometimes mentioned in job and degree credit transfer requirements before and even in the absence of any mention of the USDOE.

T'was I.

 

The U.S. accreditation system is so confusing, and the government has delegated so many tasks to private and state entities that people probably don't know that USDOE is the main authority for recognizing accreditors.

I think CHEA succeeded another nongovernmental organization that recognized accreditors that either couldn't obtain USDOE recognition due to not wanting their schools to participate in federal programs or didn't want to apply for recognition from USDOE for whatever reason.

From what I read on the CHEA website, allowing schools to participate in Title IV and other government aid programs seems to be one of the requirements for recognition from USDOE. DEAC has schools that don't participate in Title IV, but they have others that do because DEAC doesn't prohibit it. I don't know why an accreditor would make that decision for all of its schools in the first place.

 

Hello!


Well, just in the case that it (still) interests anybody: I did the "MiniMBA", which is not offered any more, in the early 2010s at SMC University. It was, and probably still is, part of their "Accelerated Bachelor Online". It seemed to be a good idea, but seriously: it wasn't.
Maybe this organisation has greatly improved since then, but it was by far the worst experience with distance learning I ever had. Nonexistent customer service, a curriculum that is on par 10th grade highschool, accredition that is, well, at least questionable... Put it all together, it was a mistake. Do not repeat it.


Best regards,
Mac Juli

 

Mac Juli takes one for the team! I'm not surprised with the review.