Accreditation bodies for higher education in the world

Prof.(Dr.) D G Mahto, Founder & CEO -
Accreditation is a peer review process by which educational institutions are recognized and accredited for maintaining a high standard of educational quality. This process is organized and regulated by various accreditation committees and commissions, as well as by member institutions (such as universities and colleges). Accreditation of educational institutions began in the 1880's, but only at a regional level; national standards of accreditation were not officially established until the early 20th century. After World War II, accreditation began to play a much larger role in the field of higher education, largely due to the 1952 reinstatement of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (informally known as the GI Bill). This bill offered financial assistance to veterans of the Korean War, to cover living expenses as well as tuition costs for higher education.





The International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) is a global association of quality assurance organizations, both governmental and non-governmental. It was founded in 1991 with 8 member organizations and now has over 280. It defines its role as "to promote and advance excellence in higher education through the support of an active international community of quality assurance agencies".

National accreditors in USA / Others


The federal government recognizes a total of 52 national accrediting agencies. In contrast to regional accreditors, which focus on specific geographic areas, national accreditors generally focus on specific types of programs or areas of training. The American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation, for instance, only has authority to accredit dental schools and programs. Of these 52 national accrediting bodies, only 5 are general in nature. They are:

The remaining 47 national accreditors focus on specific programs or types of training. These 47 agencies are known as Programmatic accreditors, and include:

  • Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly American Dietetic Association Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE-ADA)
  • Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
  • Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM)
  • Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
  • Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
  • Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA)
  • Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
  • Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)
  • American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE)
  • American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT/COAMFTE)
  • Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education
  • American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Council for Accreditation (CFA)
  • American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (CoA-NA)
  • American Bar Association (ABA) Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
  • American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE) Committee on Accreditation
  • American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) Division of Accreditation
  • American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) Board of Trustees
  • American Culinary Federation (ACF) Accrediting Commission
  • American Dental Association (ADA) Commission on Dental Accreditation
  • American Institute of Certified Planners/Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)
  • American Library Association (ALA) Committee on Accreditation (CoA)
  • American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
  • American Optometric Association (AOA) Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE)
  • American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation
  • American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
  • American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME)
  • American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Accreditation (CoA)
  • American Society for Microbiology American College of Microbiology
  • American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB)
  • American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
  • American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Division of Education and Research
  • Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE)
  • Association for Computing Machinery Accreditation Committee
  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
  • Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
  • Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)
  • Council on Accreditation for Recreation, Park Resources and Leisure Services, sponsored by National Recreation & Park Assn. (NRPA)
  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
  • Commission on English Language Program Accreditation
  • Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation
  • Commission on Opticianry Accreditation
  • Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
  • Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)
  • Council on Aviation Accreditation (CAA)
  • Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) Commission on Accreditation
  • Council on Education for Public Health
  • Council on Naturopathic Medical Education
  • Council on Occupational Education
  • Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) Commission on Standards and Accreditation
  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Office of Social Work Accreditation and Educational Excellence
  • International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE)
  • Joint Review Committee on Education Programs in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT)
  • Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology (JRCNMT)
  • Liaison Committee on Medical Education
  • Midwifery Education Accreditation Council
  • Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education
  • National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)
  • National Accrediting Commission of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences (NACCAS)
  • National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)
  • National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT)
  • National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health Council on Accreditation
  • National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) Commission on Accreditation
  • National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD) Commission on Accreditation
  • National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) Commission on Accreditation and Commission on Community/Junior College Accreditation
  • National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation (COPRA)
  • National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) Commission on Accreditation
  • National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
  • National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council
  • National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)
  • Planning Accreditation Board
  • Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS)
  • Society of American Foresters (SAF)
  • State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners
  • Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC)

Accreditation bodies in India 




Quality accreditation involves understanding how assessments are made, what type of assessments answer what questions, and how the data from assessments can be used to help teachers, students, parents, and other stakeholders make decisions about teaching and learning.  Assessment designers strive to create assessments that show a high degree of fidelity to the following five traits:

1. Content Validity

2. Reliability 

3.  Fairness
4.  Student Engagement and Motivation
5.  Consequential Relevance



Key elements of quality

Six basic elements influence the quality of education.

1) The teacher and teaching methods

The teacher is perhaps the most important factor in the quality of education. Is he/she a trained teacher? Personally suited? Does he/she use teaching methods that permit the pupils to participate actively? Do the teaching methods even out the different starting points of the students, including gender?

Has the teacher access to the teaching material needed to satisfy the requirements of the curriculum? Is the teacher present in the classroom when he/she is supposed to be?

Teachers who cannot survive on their wages will become less motivated and have frequent absences. If it takes them two to three hours to get to school, they will have less time for preparation.

2) Educational content

Are the curriculum and the teaching material relevant? Are basic literacy and numeracy skills sufficiently emphasized?

Does the curriculum also highlight basic skills such as hygiene, nutrition, knowledge about HIV/AIDS, conflict work, gender equality or other important national and international issues?

3) Learning environment

Is the learning environment healthy, secure, protective, inspiring and adapted for both girls and boys? Is there an inclusive learning environment also for minorities or pupils with disabilities? Do the pupils learn to respect each other and the surrounding natural environment?

Do the teachers cooperate to ensure a sound learning environment? Do they punish the pupils? Are parents and the surrounding community included so as to ensure that the school is a welcoming place to be?

4) School management

Is the school well run? Does it adhere to national guidelines? Is the school day well organized? Is the administration of the school transparent so that everyone can see how funding and other resources are deployed?

Do teachers have clear parameters for how they should teach and treat pupils and (female) colleagues? Do headteachers and the school board treat teachers with respect?

5) Preconditions for pupils

What experiences do pupils bring with them to school? Has the pupil been exposed to special challenges such as natural disasters, abuse, child labour or AIDS? Has the pupil grown up in an environment where girls and boys have equal opportunities?

How dissimilar is the language used at school to the one spoken at home? Are pupils hungry when they arrive at school? Do any suffer from chronic diseases? Do they have a long way to school and what is this like?

6) Funding and organization

Funding and organization are two important requisites for all six key elements and they are mainly a national responsibility. A school that is not granted adequate funding and has no clear guidelines will not be able to ensure quality.

However, each individual school must administer its own resources and organize the work in the best possible way on its own terms.


Conclusions

Accreditation is an important issue under the current situation. So it should be taken seriously and implemented religiously.








Prof. (Dr.) D. G. Mahto is a multifaceted professional, serving as a Director, Professor, Philanthropist, HEI Builder, prolific writer, international consultant, reviewer, and expert career advisor at "Career Education for Success—Discover, Apply, Succeed!" He has guided countless individuals, products, and brands in discovering their true potential through insightful content, purposeful concepts, and motivational writing. With a deep sense of leadership and a commitment to community upliftment, he inspires others with his success stories and takes on the challenge of driving technological transformation, redefining social impact, and fostering interpersonal relationships for a more meaningful, balanced life. Prof. Mahto is dedicated to bridging the gap between dreams and reality for young people, striving for qualitative change in their lives. To explore his articles, books, and international journal contributions, visit his blogs at Career Education Success Now, Career Edus, and Discover Knowledge Wisely. You can also reach out to him via email.

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