May 2017

SCHOOLS
Not all College Credits
and Degrees
ARE EQUAL
by Dr. Nathan Trigoboff, Ed.D
Not all colleges and
universities are equal,
nor are all college and
university credits. As a
result, credits and degrees
from some institutions that
call themselves colleges
or universities may not be
accepted at traditional and
established colleges and
universities.
That acceptance may be crucial in
pursuing a new career or degree,
so students need to be careful.
Accreditation is the key, but not all
accreditation is equal. If you look at the
faculty jobs section of college or university
websites, one usual requirement is that
your degree, undergraduate or graduate,
should be from a regionally accredited
institution.
Educational accrediting agencies are
non-governmental, non-profit, and
widely recognized authorities. Most
traditional private and public colleges and
universities are regionally accredited by
one of the following: the Middle States
Commission on Higher Learning; the
New England Association of Schools
and Colleges; the Higher Learning
90
Commission Northwest Commission on
Colleges and Universities; the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools;
the Western Association of Schools
and Colleges; and, the Accrediting
Commission for Community Colleges
and Junior Colleges.
All of these agencies are recognized
by the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation (CHEA). Be sure that
any college or university you attend
has regional accreditation from one of
these accrediting organizations or the
degree or credits earned may carry
little value.
Be especially wary of private colleges
and universities that lack regional
accreditation but claim to have national
accreditation. Although national
accreditation sounds like a higher status,
in the world of academia, regional
accreditation usually matters more. As
a rule, regionally accredited universities
and colleges recognize only credits or
degrees from a college or a university
accredited by one of the regional
accrediting organizations above.
However, some specific fields of
study do require accreditation from a
national authority. The Commission on
Accreditation of Allied Health Education
Programs (CAAHEP) reviews and
accredits postsecondary education
programs in numerous health and related
fields. A graduate of a law school that
MAY 2017
is not accredited by the American Bar
Association might not be allowed to take
a state’s bar exam without additional
qualifications.
Regional accrediting agencies
will list accredited colleges
and universities on their
websites, so prospective
students can check whether
the institution of higher
learning has regional
accreditation.
Before committing to any institution of
higher learning, contact the academic
advising office of a state university and
be sure it would accept degrees and
credits from the school you are thinking
of attending. If you don’t, you may
find yourself with a crushing student
loan debt, and without the new career
you expected would help pay for the
education you received. P