Distance Learning Education

You’ve probably read that it is very important to make sure that the on-line education program you end up picking is actually recognized. But are you aware of exactly why? For that matter, do you even realize what accreditation requires? If you don’t then that is all right. Read on to learn all you need to learn about distance learning education along with accreditation.

What is the meaning of accreditation?

Accreditation often means the distinction between obtaining a diploma which is worthwhile or one that’s worthless. Accreditation is actually a formal report on the online education program to ensure it complies with each of the standards that have been specified by the agencies that grant accreditation. At the moment there are 6 accrediting agencies that are recognized by the National Board of Education. These six agencies include:

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
• North Central Association of Schools and Colleges (NCASC)
• Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSASC)
• Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS)
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WACS)
• Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWCCU)

Why is accreditation necessary?

Accreditation is a method to make sure that all individuals learn the identical kinds of information regardless of the individual university the individual attends.  Accreditation is also a means of assuring prospective employers that the student has acquired good quality education and has learned knowledge which are applicable in the current market.

Other types of accreditation

Apart from institutional accreditation, there is another kind of accreditation referred to as ‘specialized accreditation’. Specialized accreditation is often honored to an individual department or educational program inside a bigger school or college. This could be, for instance, a College of Medicine that’s a part of a larger university, or just a certain specialized program inside the college such as a teacher accreditation program that’s taught by a college.

Generally, a school that has a specialized accreditation also carries an institutional accreditation by one of the aforementioned 6 accreditation agencies.

If you are looking at pursuing work in one of the career fields that normally have specialized accreditation programs offered, which include many health and medicine programs, commercial art and design, theology, engineering, culinary arts, accounting and law, determine if the distance learning education program you’re considering participates in this type of accreditation. That way you will have a better chance of obtaining a top-paying job when you graduate.

Tips on how to verify a distance learning education program’s accreditation

You might be surprised to learn there is an accreditation organization whose function it is to accreditate other accreditation agencies. That is the education industry’s way of making sure no phony accreditation organizations spring up to support diploma mills and low-quality schools.
This organization is known as the Council on Higher Education Accreditation and they manage a web site at www.chea.org. Only identified accreditors and accredited schools are permitted to be listed on this site.
If the online education university in which you’re considering enrolling claims to be accredited and either that school or the agency that accreditates it is not listed on the CHEA.org site, you should research further as something is certainly wrong.