Rachel Novotny
October 01, 2013
You’re sitting around the dining room table bracing yourself. It’s Christmas Day, and as always, you know your extended family will be making enquiries into your social activities, love life, and, of course, education.
As you begin filling Granny in on your college studies, Aunt Margie leans over the table, pats you on the elbow and asks: “But, Honey… are you sure you’re getting a real degree?”
You pause, push your peas around your plate and shoot your mom a look, begging her to jump in.
Crickets. Clinking Glasses. Silence.
This begs the question - how do you know you are earning a legitimate degree?
The answer is accreditation.
Other than satisfying the curiosity of family members over Christmas dinner, accreditation proves your degree was earned from a quality education institution, and will ensure employers and admissions offices at grad schools of the quality of your degree.
So what exactly is accreditation?
In short, accreditation is a “seal of approval” from a third party that assures a school offers a quality academic experience.
While each school can be unique, accreditation strives to maintain a level of consistency in educational quality from school to school. In order to attain accreditation, schools must undergo a review process and meet a set of academic standards.
Why does accreditation matter to me?
Well, you will spend a great deal of time and money earning your degree, you will want the credentials that will open doors for you, right?
Accredited degrees are especially important when you apply for jobs and higher education opportunities.
When you earn your degree from an accredited institution, you prove to potential employers and admissions officers (and curious friends and family) that your college education is legitimate.
If you earn an unaccredited Bachelor’s degree, potential employers may not honor your degree and accredited schools may not allow you to apply to their Master’s Degree program. Worst of all, any credits you might earn at an unaccredited school won’t transfer to an accredited one and you’ll have to do the work all over again.
What kind of accreditation does my school need?
Regional Accreditation is the most widely recognized form of accreditation and approves non-profit schools like Princeton, Yale, Liberty, and state schools (ie, University of Alabama or Texas A&M).
National Accreditation exists for for-profit schools such as ITT Tech, The Art Institute and Bryman College. This kind of accreditation is for specialized schools accounts for less that 6% of all schools. Because the requirements for National Accreditation are less stringent than those for Regional Accreditation, credits earned from a Nationally accredited school may not necessarily transfer to a Regionally accredited college.
Read More: How to Make Sense of College Accreditation
A word of caution: Many diploma mills create their own accrediting program and then claim to be “fully accredited.” Before deciding on a school or program, be sure to find out who has accredited that school. Which leads us to the next question:
How do I know if my school is accredited?
It’s pretty simple. To find out if a school is accredited, visit the [Council for Higher Education Accreditation CHEA site. Here you will find links to all 6 regional accreditation institutions where you can discover if your school is accredited by one of the recognized accrediting agencies.
So, what does this mean for me?
Other than no more ducking under the dinner table during family gatherings, you can remain confident that your degree was worth the time and money you invested.
While online degrees are new to many, accreditation provides the backing needed to prove that your degree is legitimate. Potential employers and higher education institutions will recognize your degree (even if it still confuses Aunt Margie) and it will open doors for your future.
What is the most important factor in your education?
Source : https://getunbound.org/blog/can-you-earn-a-legitimate-degree-online-heres-how-to-be-sure