Accreditation

Accreditation is a peer-review process of accountability and quality assurance in higher education. Accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as having several important functions, including:

• Assessing the quality of academic programs at institutions of higher education
• Creating a culture of continuous improvement of academic quality at colleges and universities and stimulate a general raising of standards among educational institutions
• Involving faculty and staff comprehensively in institutional evaluation and planning
• Establishing criteria for professional certification and licensure and for upgrading courses offering such preparation

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education to conduct accreditation activities for institutions of higher education in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is a voluntary, non-governmental, membership association that defines, maintains, and promotes educational excellence across institutions with diverse missions, student populations, and resources.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, through accreditation, mandates that its member institutions meet rigorous and comprehensive standards, which are addressed in the context of the mission of each institution and within the culture of ethical practices and institutional integrity expected of accredited institutions. MSCHE examines each institution as a whole, rather than specific programs within institutions. The accreditation process is done through institutional self-review in the form of a structured, broadly inclusive Self-Study process, culminating in creation of a Self-Study report, which is then followed by peer-review in the form of an Evaluation Team site visit.

The goal of accreditation is to ensure that institutions of higher education demonstrate quality to their many stakeholders, including students and their families, alumni, employers, and the public. This quality assurance function of accreditation is also one of the three main elements of the Higher Education Act’s (HEA’s) federal student aid programs. In order for students to receive federal student aid from the U.S. Department of Education for post-secondary study, the institution must be accredited by a nationally recognized accreditor, such as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Quality assurance is built on a framework of seven accreditation standards, which focus on:

1. Mission and goals
2. Ethics and integrity
3. Design and delivery of the student experience
4. Support of the student experience
5. Educational effectiveness assessment
6. Planning, resources and institutional improvement
7. Governance, leadership, and administration

Institutions accredited by Middle States also must comply with the requirements of affiliation.