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Programmatic
Accreditation
Programmatic accrediting bodies accredit specialized and professional
degree programs or departments rather than whole institutions.
Very often, such programs or departments are offered, or are
based, at institutions that already have institutional accreditation,
so you can be assured of their legitimacy and general quality.
A programmatic accrediting body is considered a "recognized"
accrediting body if it is a member of the Council for Higher
Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the Association of Specialized
and Professional Accreditors (ASPA). Membership in either
CHEA or ASPA is an indicator of the reliability of a programmatic
accrediting association. The U.S. Department of Education
recognizes national and regional accrediting bodies only and
does not get involved in programmatic accreditation.
For a complete and current list of programmatic accrediting
bodies recognized by CHEA, refer to the publication Accredited
Institutions of Postsecondary Education or consult CHEA's
Web site at http://www.chea.org.
A few programmatic accrediting bodies are not members of CHEA,
but instead belong to ASPA. A full list of these organizations
can be found on the ASPA Web site at http://www.aspa-usa.org.
For some professions, including those dealing with health
(for example, medicine or dentistry) or safety (for example,
engineering), you must be a graduate of a program with programmatic
accreditation in order to practice in the specific field.
If you are considering working in a particular profession,
check whether programmatic accreditation is a prerequisite
for practice before enrolling in a degree program.
Even if programmatic accreditation is not required for licensure,
specialized accreditation offers a guarantee that both the
program and the faculty are qualified and current in their
profession, as judged by the accrediting body.
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