Some Functions of Accreditation

For more information on accreditation in the U.S. visit: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html

Types of accreditation are usually categorized as either institutional or programmatic (specialized). Institutional accreditation extends to an entire organization and its full range of operations. Programmatic or specialized accreditation extends to a specific academic program, such as an institution’s nursing, law, business, or other specific degree program. With respect to accrediting bodies, they are generally described as regional or national, with regional bodies accrediting institutions physically located within their geographical region, while national accrediting bodies are not bound by geography.

Much like an inspector’s seal of approval, accreditation lets people know if they should have confidence in a college or school before enrolling or before authorizing tuition assistance.

Accreditation helps employers, prospective students and the general public in identifying quality educational institutions. Few students or companies have the resources or time to investigate the more than 6,000 educational institutions operating in the USA. Accreditation does the work of consumer protection and quality identification without government funding. It is a free public service to the nation.

Accreditation is important for many reasons, and the most important are: protecting the public from fraudulent diploma mills, helping students select institutions and programs that meet standards of academic quality and ensuring that American colleges, universities and schools remain among the finest in the world.

Some people still believe regional accreditation is the “only” or “best” type of accreditation. This is simply no longer true. National accreditation—from a recognized agency like the DETC—has the same high standards and USDE and CHEA recognition. Distance learning schools enjoy DETC accreditation because the DETC is the oldest and most experienced distance learning institution accreditor. DETC offers many services to its member schools and is active in educating its institutions and the public about quality distance education. We believe this bias toward regional accreditation will continue to diminish with time.

Some DETC schools are also accredited by regional accrediting agencies. Accreditation is a voluntary process, and schools decide whether to apply to the DETC, a regional agency, or both.

Carol Griffiths, the Acting Director of the Accreditation and State Liaison of the United States Department of Education composed a letter in January 2011 confirming that DETC meets the exact same standards as all other recognized agencies. Click here to read the letter.

Yes. Most accrediting bodies evaluate distance learning programs at their member institutions. However, DETC specializes in accrediting only institutions that have a majority of their programs offered through distance learning. DETC has been specializing in distance learning accreditation for more than 80 years and is the only such specialized accrediting body recognized by the US Department of Education.

Along with diploma mills, accreditation mills are currently used to fool consumers into paying for seemingly legitimate certificates and degrees. Diploma mills now cite fraudulent accreditors because consumers are aware that accreditation is especially important when choosing an online school. Consumers should only trust schools with accrediting agencies (either national or regional) recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The USDE is required by law to publish a list of recognized accrediting agencies that the Secretary determines to be reliable authorities on the quality of education or training provided by the institutions of higher education they accredit. An agency seeking national recognition by the Secretary must meet the Secretary’s procedures and criteria. Once recognized by the Secretary, these accrediting agencies are reviewed every 5 years.

For a full list of all national and regional accrediting agencies recognized by the Secretary of Education visit: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg6.html#NationallyRecognized

DETC

The Distance Education and Training Council is a nationally recognized accrediting agency established in 1926. Its independent Accrediting Commission specializes in evaluating and accrediting distance learning institutions. DETC is a global leader in advancing distance education and is a highly respected leader in national and state affairs. For a brief history of DETC click here.

The DETC’s Accrediting Commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Recognition by ED since 1959 and CHEA and its predecessors since 1973 means that these organizations have determined that DETC meets their respective standards and is regarded as a credible evaluator of institutional and program quality.

DETC accredits entire institutions and the programs they offer. Since DETC only accredits institutions that offer more than half of their programs through distance learning, the Accrediting Commission’s examining teams are experienced specialists and practitioners who ensure that an institution’s programs and services are designed and delivered appropriately for distance learning.

DETC’s independent Accrediting Commission has adopted 12 broad standards that cover the full range of an institution’s academic, financial/business, student services, learning assessment, and other essential operations. Institutions conduct a comprehensive self-evaluation, submit a self-evaluation report to the Commission, and host a site visit by an examining team of peer reviewers. The team issues a report to the institution and commission and makes recommendations for initial or continuing accreditation, opportunities for advancement, and may issue stipulations based on their findings.

There are some distinctive differences to DETC’s version of accreditation that truly sets it apart from regional bodies, that are not specialists in distance learning evaluation as DETC is:

DETC’s staff has, collectively, over a century of tenure with DETC, giving it one of the richest repositories of corporate memory about distance learning accreditation in the world today.

DETC accredits institutions for no more than five years. This means that its institutions are more frequently evaluated that those accredited by most regional bodies, which evaluate established institutions on a 7-10 year cycle. Additionally, DETC evaluates institutional requests for new programs, changes in locations and ownership, and other substantive changes that occur between accreditation cycles.

Yes. Recognition by the U.S. Department of Education qualifies DETC institutions and students for federal aid, such as military tuition assistance, government tuition reimbursement, Veterans Administration entitlement programs, and, for qualified institutions, Title IV Federal Student Aid programs. Many federal government agencies support their students attending DETC institutions, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FEMA, and others. Most state and local government agencies that provide education benefits to their employees will approve study at DETC institutions.

Yes. Most DETC institutions are members of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), a consortium of approximately 1400 institutions that pledge to abide by SOC Principles, Criteria, and Guidelines in serving their military students. This commitment involves establishing and practicing military-friendly policies associated with admissions, transfer of credit, residency, and other matters that support the specific educational needs of military students. The DETCs' Executive Director serves as the Vice Chair of the SOC Advisory Board. DETC members actively participate in the Council of Colleges and Military Educators (CCME) with exhibits and panel presentations. DETC member institutional representatives exhibit and present presents at each of the triennial Department of Defense Worldwide Education Symposia. DETC's Executive Director served as the Co-Chair of the DoD Task Force to develop principles of good practice for distance education institutions enrolling military students. In addition, since 1975 the Marine Corps Institute, the Air Force Institute for Advanced Distributed Learning, and the Army Institute for Professional Development have been accredited by DETC. Collectively, these three institutions enroll almost one million military members in DETC- accredited distance programs.

Not at this time. Entry into the SOC Degree Networks (SOCAD, SOCMAR, SOCNAV, etc.) requires applicant institutions to obtain guaranteed transferability agreements with current member institutions for the proposed courses and programs. DETC institutions have applied for network membership in the past, but network institutions have not agreed to accept the courses in transfer. With DETC institutions, which specialize in distance learning, there is no need to transfer institutions upon change of station or discharge/retirement. You may continue your studies from around the globe and complete your degree without transferring institutions.

Yes. Education qualifications for officer commissioning programs require credits or a degree from an institution accredited by a recognized accrediting body. For commissioning programs through the Reserve Officer Training Corps programs, cadets must complete their commissioning studies in residence at an institution offering ROTC; therefore, DETC institutions do not offer ROTC programs.

DETC Institutions

DETC currently accredits more than 100 institutions. They are degree-granting, postsecondary (vocational and technical), military and high schools. DETC schools are both domestic and foreign-based. For a complete listing of DETC institutions, click here.

DETC institutions offer a wide range of programs and areas of study that are relevant to your military career or will prepare you for transition to a civilian career upon your discharge or retirement: associate, bachelor, master and professional doctorate degree programs; academic and vocational certificates; continuing education units (CEUs); high school diplomas; and, specialized online and correspondence training modules that can be customized to your specific needs.

The nearly 100 DETC member institutions represent a diverse group of training and education institutions providing relevant and affordable programs in the technical, management, business, liberal arts, military studies, intelligence, engineering, education, and other fields of study. For a complete listing of programs by institution, click here.

DETC institutions serve more than three million civilian students around the globe, primarily adult learners. An estimate quarter million military members enroll in DETC institutions. They average in age about 27, and the students are typically at the mid-point of their military careers. They include officers and enlisted personnel at every level, from Privates to General Officers.

Theoretically, whether an institution is operated as a for-profit entity or not should be transparent to students and employers. For-profit institutions are not subsidized by public funds, private donations, endowments, or gifts. All institutions must be financially viable to maintain their accreditation, regardless of the source(s) of revenue or income. For-profit institutions must focus on the quality of their product (academic programs and services) to recruit and retain their students, who are regarded as consumers, or student customers. Much of the net income or profit generated from operations in for-profit institutions is invested in strengthening and expanding its programs and services.

DETC Military Student Advantages

The military service branches, like all successful companies, need to develop their human capital. They must work constantly to ensure they have a workforce with a strong knowledge base. They need to retain valuable people. Voluntary education is a great way to do this. The affordability and flexibility of distance education programs at DETC institutions meet the educational needs of both the military and the servicemember.

DETC members' tuition is generally well below most institutions in their category. Since their programs are offered through distance learning, they enable military students to study anywhere they may be stationed in the world, including combat theaters. They allow students to study outside of normal duty hours and in exotic locales. Their programs range from short training courses to full academic degrees and in many cases, course materials and texts are included in the course and tuition costs.

DETC students report high rates of satisfaction with their studies, with more than 97% being overall satisfied with their experience and the same percentage willing to recommend their institution to a friend. Employers surveyed by DETC report high levels of satisfaction with DETC graduates and 93% of employers in a DETC survey said would encourage their employees to enroll in accredited distance education programs.

DETC institutions are truly Military Friendly! Students are given opportunities to enroll in reputable, challenging courses and degree programs that are:

Yes, Many Fortune 100 companies support their employees study at DETC institutions. Additionally, the federal government provides military tuition assistance and civilian tuition reimbursement support to members wishing to study at DETC institutions.

Yes. Surveys of transferring students document that nearly 70% of DETC students are successful in having their credits accepted in transfer to other accredited institutions.