Accreditation
Accreditation is Important: A Regionally Accredited University
Ohio University is fully accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), a Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The HLC is an independent corporation and one of two commission members of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), which is one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The Higher Learning Commission accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region.
The Higher Learning Commission
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500
Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: (800) 621-7440 / (312) 263-7462
http://www.ncahlc.org/
Understanding Regional Accreditation
In the United States there are two types of institutional accreditation for colleges and universities, regional and national. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) conducts institutional accreditation.
Regional accreditation is a measurement the US Department of Education (DOE) uses to ensure that schools meet rigorous and up-to-date standards of education and professionalism. All schools must be accredited, and their curriculum must pass approval with a DOE-approved accreditation board.
There are six regional associations, each named after the region in which it operates (Middle States, New England, North Central, Northwest, Southern, Western). The regional associations are independent of one another, but they cooperate extensively and acknowledge one another’s accreditation. National accreditation commissions focus on particular kinds of institutions (for example, trade and technical colleges, and religious colleges and universities), and their standards are typically less defined when compared with regional accrediting bodies. An institutional accrediting agency evaluates an entire educational organization in terms of its mission and the agency’s standards or criteria.
One major disadvantage of a school being nationally accredited is the inability to transfer credits between multiple institutions if you choose to continue your education at a different school or in a different program. Ohio University is regionally accredited; and because of these more defined educational standards, credits for similar courses will usually transfer between traditional colleges.
Engineering Accreditation
Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET)
Ohio University is fully accredited by The Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET). The Engineering Accreditation Commission is the leading accrediting body in the field of engineering education and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the official accreditor for engineering programs. It accredits 2,700 programs at 550 universities nationwide.
ABET accreditation, an important indicator of a program’s commitment to quality, means “quality assurance.” It offers programs a mechanism to assess, evaluate and improve their quality. It is also an assurance that a program meets the quality standards set by professional and technical societies of the engineering profession. All undergraduate engineering programs at Ohio University are accredited by ABET.
Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE)
The industrial technology program at Ohio University is accredited by the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (formerly known as National Association of Industrial Technology). ATMAE sets the standards for academic program accreditation, personal certification, and professional development for educators and industry professionals involved with integrating technology, leadership and design.
