List of recognized higher education accreditation organizations

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This is a list of recognized higher education accreditation organizations. The list includes agencies and organizations that play a role in higher education accreditation and which are or are recognized by the appropriate governmental authority.

The United States based Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (a non-governmental organization) maintains an International Directory which "contains contact information about 467 quality assurance bodies, accreditation bodies and Ministries of Education in 175 countries. The quality assurance and accreditation bodies have been authorized to operate by their respective governments either as agencies of the government or as private (nongovernmental) organizations."[1]

Contents

[edit] Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) conducts accreditation under an ordinance that took effect on 1 October 2007.[2] The former Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation was replaced by this new authority. The HKCAAVQ maintains a list of accredited programs,[3] and programs accredited by the HKCAAVQ also may be entered into Hong Kong's Qualifications Register.[4]

[edit] India

Accreditation for universities in India is required by law unless the university was created through an act of Parliament. Without accreditation, "It is emphasized that these fake institutions have no legal entity to call themselves as University/Vishwvidyalaya and to award ‘degree’ which are not treated as valid for academic/employment purposes."[5]

Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by autonomous institutions established by the University Grants Commission:[6]

[edit] Pakistan

In 2003, Canada began helping Pakistan develop an accreditation system.[9] Currently, these accreditors must be recognized by the Higher Education Commission.

Accreditation Councils in Pakistan According to the Powers and Functions of the Commission as stated in "Ordinance No. LIII of 2002, Para 10, Clause e" the Higher Education Commission may set up national or regional evaluation councils or authorize any existing council or similar body to carry out accreditation of Institutions including their departments, facilities and disciplines by giving them appropriate ratings. The Commission shall help build capacity of existing councils or bodies in order to enhance the reliability of the evaluation carried out by them.

Accreditation Councils Established by the HEC:. Following are the accreditations councils working in collaboration with HEC under Quality Assurance Department.

National Accreditation Council for Teachers Education (NACTE).

Higher Education Commission has setup an accreditation authority, National Accreditation Council for Teacher Education(NACTE).

NACTE will look after the matter regarding the accreditation of institutions and their departments, faculties and disciplines by giving them appropriate ratings and define the organization's objectives, functions and duties to be performed. It will periodically evaluate, scrutinize and monitor the standards followed in different Universities, Degree Awarding Institutions and their affiliated colleges offering education degree programs.

The Higher Education Commission perceives that accreditation is a process of external quality review used by higher education to scrutinize colleges, universities and higher education programmes for quality assurance and quality improvement. Accreditation is about a formal judgment that the quality of a degree course or an institution meets certain standards. This judgment is based on quality assessment. Accreditation is a process by which an educational institution evaluates its educational activities, in whole or in part, and seeks independent judgment to confirm that it substantially achieves its objectives and is generally equal in quality to comparable institutions. Accreditation is the procedure by which an authorized body gives formal recognition that a body or person is competent to carry out specific tasks

National Agricultural Education Accreditation Council (NAEAC).

In recent years, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Government of Pakistan has taken several initiatives to improve both access to and quality of higher education. The establishment of the Accreditation Councils is a major step towards improving the quality and bringing it at par with the international standards. Accreditation is both about quality assurance and quality improvement. Accreditation process determines the minimum acceptable educational standard. The Higher Education Commission established the National Agriculture Education Accreditation Council (NAEAC) in 2007 having representation of experts from agricultural universities and research institutions, leading industries and R&D institutions in public and private sectors.

National Computing Education Accreditation Council (NCEAC).

Higher Education Commission has setup an accreditation authority, National Computing Education Accreditation Council (NCEAC).

National Business Education Accreditation Council (NBEAC).

The purpose of NBEAC is to assure quality in Business Administration/Public Administration/Management Sciences degree programs according to the proposed accreditation in educational institutions. It requires a program to meet certain defined standards or criteria.The accreditation is for specific degree programs and not for the institutions.Moreover, accreditation is not to be confused with certification. In general, institutions and programs are accredited, and individuals are certified.

List of Programs accredited by the Councils Existing Accreditation Councils/Professional Bodies:

Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Pakistan Council for Architects and Town Planners (PCATP) Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC) Pakistan Pharmacy Council (PCP) Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC)

[edit] United Kingdom

Under the Education Reform Act 1988 it is illegal to offer a degree or qualification that implies it is a degree, without permission from the Secretary of State, a Royal Charter or an Act of Parliament.[10] Some qualifications relating to particular professions are regulated by the government,[11] but most non-degree qualifications are unregulated.

It is important to distinguish between the accreditation status of an institution, and the accreditation status of the qualifications it offers. These two aspects will often be dealt with by completely different organisations, and an institution that has one does not necessarily have the other. The Department for Children, Schools and Families maintains a list of all bodies that have their own degree awarding powers ('recognised bodies'), all bodies that currently teach a course which leads to the award of a degree from a recognised body ('listed bodies'), and 'recognised awards' which are awarded by bodies who have very specific degree awarding powers.[12] Prospective students should also consult the National Database of Accredited Qualifications,[13] maintained by all three UK accreditation bodies. All bodies who award UK degrees are subject to a regular external quality assurance reviews by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). Non-accredited qualifications given by professional bodies (e.g. those of the Institute of Directors) can be prestigious, and should not be automatically discounted.

Organisations involved in the accreditation of further and higher education institutions and/or qualifications in the UK are:

[edit] United States

Main article: Higher education accreditation in the United States

[edit] Regional accreditors

Main article: Regional accreditation

There are six regional accreditors involved in higher education accreditation in the United States.[14]

Additionally, the Board of Regents of the State of New York is recognized as an accreditor for degree-granting institutions of higher education in the state that designate the agency as their sole or primary accrediting agency.[15] New York is the only state that is eligible to be federally recognized as an accreditor under a grandfather clause in federal law that allows recognition for state agencies if they were recognized as accreditors before October 1, 1991.[16]

[edit] National accreditors

The "national accreditors" get their name from their common (but not universal) practice of accrediting schools nationwide or even worldwide.

[edit] Programmatic accreditation

These accreditors typically cover a specific program of professional education or training, but in some cases they cover the whole institution.

[edit] National faith-based accreditors

There are four recognized nation-wide faith-based accrediting bodies in the United States.[14]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "CHEA International Directory introduction". Chea.org. http://www.chea.org/intdb/international_directory.asp. Retrieved 2011-05-24. 
  2. ^ "Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications". Hkcaa.edu.hk. http://www.hkcaa.edu.hk/. Retrieved 2011-05-24. 
  3. ^ "List of Programmes Accredited by the HKCAAVQ". Hkcaavq.edu.hk. 2007-12-12. http://www.hkcaavq.edu.hk/en/accredited.asp. Retrieved 2011-05-24. 
  4. ^ http://www.hkqr.gov.hk/hkqr/
  5. ^ [1][dead link]
  6. ^ "Higher Education". Education.nic.in. http://www.education.nic.in/higedu.asp. Retrieved 2011-05-24. 
  7. ^ http://www.nba-aicte.ernet.in/
  8. ^ "AICTE to revamp its approval system next week". Business-standard.com. http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/aicte-to-revamp-its-approval-system-next-week/382076/. Retrieved 2011-05-24. 
  9. ^ [2][dead link]
  10. ^ "See the Education Reform Act 1988, sections 214 to 217". Opsi.gov.uk. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1988/Ukpga_19880040_en_12.htm#mdiv214. Retrieved 2011-05-24. 
  11. ^ See this page on the DfES website for a list
  12. ^ See http://www.dfes.gov.uk/recognisedukdegrees/index.cfm?fuseaction=content.view&CategoryID=1 for all three lists.
  13. ^ "Domain Name - Registered by Domainmonster.com". ndaq.org.uk. http://www.ndaq.org.uk/. Retrieved 2011-05-24. 
  14. ^ a b "Recognized Accrediting Organizations". Council for Higher Education Accreditation. August 2010. http://www.chea.org/pdf/CHEA_USDE_AllAccred.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 
  15. ^ Accreditation in the United States, US Department of Education
  16. ^ Alan L. Contreras, Why States Shouldn’t Accredit, Inside Higher Ed, Aug. 30, 2005
  17. ^ "State Bar of California, CBE, "Title 4. Admissions and Educational Standards, Division 2. Accredited Law School Rules"". http://rules.calbar.ca.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=d-EEG4iWTQM%3d&tabid=1227. Retrieved 2011-05-24. 
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