College and University Accreditation; Is it Important?
Accreditation can be pretty confusing, particularly as it applied to online colleges and universities. And, sometimes accreditation is confused with state licensure, which is not the same thing at all.
To be accredited, a school, traditional college, or online college has to meet fairly rigorous standards of quality. State licensure, on the other hand, generally requires an institution to meet only the most minimal standards. Thus, a warning flag should be raised when a college emphasizes licensure in lieu of regional accreditation.
It is also important to understand that some colleges and universities...most often online colleges and universities...claim accreditation from agencies which are not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Although a few unrecognized agencies may make an honest attempt to evaluate colleges, accreditation by such organizations is effectively meaningless as far as most employers and accredited colleges are concerned.
For example, no decent school or college will hire a teacher or administrator without a degree from a legitimately accredited college or university.
Accredited colleges and universities will almost never accept transfer credit for courses completed at unaccredited colleges or colleges. And, they do not differentiate between colleges with no accreditation at all and those with so-called accreditation offered by unrecognized agencies.
Depending on your individual situation and goals, you may not care much about accreditation. But, our advice is...whether you are taking courses in a traditional campus based program or through online education...you are generally far better off at a school, college or university accredited by a recognized accrediting agency. That being the case, before deciding to enroll in a college or university, find out which agency accredits it, and be sure that agency is listed on the U.S. Department of Education site.
Accreditation will not guarantee that you will be completely satisfied with a particular college or degree program. But, it does mean that some standards of quality are in place, that you may be able to transfer credits if you are so inclined, and that most employers will recognize the validity of your coursework and/or degree. In addition, appropriate coursework or an appropriate degree from an accredited institution of higher education can help qualify you for admission to other degree programs.
Daniel Kane has been a high school and college. He authored and maintains one website on online degrees another on online colleges and scholarships, and more than a half dozen additional education sites.
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