Accredited Colleges, The Law And You

By:


There's a big difference between colleges that are accredited and those that have simply been granted the authority to operate. There's also a big difference in who grants what.

In the United States, it is each individual state (not the federal government) which has the power to authorize that a school may operate; however, it is a peer review board that is actually responsible for the designation that an educational entity can award degrees.

These accreditation commissions are private bodies and are self-regulated, formed and funded by their members. Although the U.S. Department of Education Secretary is mandated to recognize which of these commissions is reliable as to their processes of accreditation (and they publish this list yearly), the Department itself does not accredit schools.

So the at the top of your list for things to look for when you're checking out accredited colleges is to get a list of post-secondary institutions and programs from the U.S. Department of Education (online at ed.gov), and check that the college you're interested in is listed.

Make sure you're looking at the most recent copy of the list, as schools can lose their accreditation status. Just because an institution is up and running, enrolling students and granting degrees, does not mean it has been accredited by a commission recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

Why bother doing the research for accredited colleges? Well, if you get a degree from a school that has not been given this status (and there are many post-secondary schools that do provide a quality education without accreditation status), it's possible that you could be turned down for student loans or graduate with a degree that is deemed unacceptable for government jobs or other employment.

Furthermore, if you present a degree that has not been approved, it is your responsibility that the employer knows this: otherwise, it's possible that you could face penalties ranges from fines to prison time.

The reason for this tough stance is because all unaccredited schools are not equal: many are diploma mills, where you can buy a degree. Some states are tougher than others too, like Oregon, New Jersey, Washington, North Dakota, Indiana, and Nevada. This means that where you live could become a very important issue in terms of the school you attend and the work you wish to do.

For instance, if you are attending a religious university in California, you don't have to worry about the program accreditation status, as California has exempted religious programs from the necessity of obtaining that status.

About the Author:
DegreeSearch.org (http://degreesearch.org/accredited_colleges) offers information on accredited colleges. Art Gib is a freelance writer.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


Tags:

|

Loading...
Related....
Videos...

Recent UnCategorized Articles

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Loading

Site Navigation:

Copyright 2005-2011 ArticleSnatch, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.