Programmatic Accreditation: What It Is and How It Works
Accreditation is a quality assurance process through which colleges and universities, along with the programs within them, undergo rigorous evaluation to meet strict standards. Attending an accredited institution ensures you can receive federal financial aid, transfer credits to other accredited schools, and qualify for specific professions.
Programmatic accreditation, a specialized form of this status, applies to specific programs or departments within institutions. For example, business, nursing, and social work schools within colleges can opt to pursue accreditation. Completing an accredited program signals your expertise to potential employers — some industries may even require you to graduate from an accredited program or department to earn licensure or land employment.
What Is Programmatic Accreditation, and Why Does It Matter?
Programmatic accreditation, or specialized accreditation, is a comprehensive process that ensures an academic program — or a school or department — within an institution meets educational quality standards for its field.
An accrediting agency, which typically must be recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and/or the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to be considered legitimate, awards accreditation by assessing a program’s faculty and curriculum quality.
Not all programs have specialized accreditation, but certain professional fields will require you to graduate from an accredited program to be eligible for licensure and jobs. This is especially true for healthcare professionals, lawyers, social workers, and many other state-regulated professions.
Even if your field doesn’t require it, attending an accredited program can ensure you receive a high-quality education. Plus, your accredited degree may impress potential employers and graduate schools.
Did You Know…
Some ED-recognized programmatic accreditors also function as institutional accreditors, accrediting freestanding, single-purpose institutions like nursing and law schools and providing access to federal financial aid.
What Agencies Accredit Programs?
As of April 2025, there are over 70 recognized programmatic accreditors in the U.S. The following 14 are recognized by both ED and CHEA:
- Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
- Accreditation Council for Optometric Education
- American Board of Funeral Service Education Committee on Accreditation
- American Occupational Therapy Association Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education
- American Physical Therapy Association Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education
- American Podiatric Medical Association Council on Podiatric Medical Education
- American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation
- American Speech-Language-Hearing-Association Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
- American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education
- Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools
- Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
- Council on Chiropractic Education
- Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology
Explore Programmatic Accreditation by Field
Unrecognized Programmatic Accreditors
Though recognition from CHEA and/or ED can be helpful to identify reputable sources of accreditation, several well-known accreditors have opted not to seek approval from these agencies in recent years. For example, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and ABET withdrew from CHEA in 2016 and 2019, respectively.
AACSB’s withdrawal followed a CHEA report indicating that the association failed to provide reliable data on student outcomes and other metrics to the public. Still, AACSB is held in high regard in business circles, and employers may prefer candidates from programs that hold AACSB accreditation.
ABET withdrew after similar criticisms from CHEA. Several roles in engineering, though, require candidates to have completed ABET-recognized programs, signaling the organization’s continued esteemed status.
If you’re unsure about the importance of programmatic accreditation, use your career goals as a waypoint. If your future job prefers or requires you to have completed an accredited program, the accreditor is likely legitimate.
How Does Programmatic Accreditation Work?
With many different types of programs available to students, processes and requirements vary among accreditors. Still, ED outlines the typical process across subjects, as explored in the following subsections.
The Accreditation Process
Accreditation comprises the following components:
- Standards: Accreditors and educators set specific guidelines programs must meet to receive accreditation.
- Self-Study: The department or program must assess their student outcomes and resources in accordance with their intended accrediting organization.
- On-Site Evaluation: Accreditors travel to campus or the school’s headquarters to assess the program in person.
- Publication: The accrediting organization publishes whether the program or department has met standards, granting them accreditation or pre-accreditation.
- Monitoring: Though the length of accreditors’ monitoring period may vary, programs must continue to meet standards to receive accreditation.
- Reevaluation: Following the monitoring period, an accreditor reassesses a department’s outcomes, including any standards that may have changed since the previous evaluation.
The Renewal Process
Renewing or recertifying accreditation varies by organization and program type. This evaluation may mostly take the same form as the initial accreditation process through ongoing monitoring, but renewal periods differ based on the program. For example, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing reviews accredited programs five years after granting the initial accreditation, followed by an eight-year period. The Council on Social Work Education’s reaffirmation process occurs in eight-year review cycles.
