07/04/2024
It is almost time to get started! Fall 2024 semester starts August 19th and runs through December 15th.
Education – Where do I get my degree?
Buyer Beware!
Regional Accreditation vs. National Accreditation.
The first question that we need to ask ourselves is what is accreditation? Simply stated, accreditation is certification by a recognized body that an institution has voluntarily undergone a comprehensive study and examination, which has demonstrated that the institution does in fact perform the functions that it claims: that the institution has set educational goals for students who enroll, and furnishes materials and services that enable students to meet these stated goals
(DETC Accreditation Overview).
Accreditation is a process of voluntary peer review and evaluation unique to education in the United States (Blauch, 1959), where post-secondary education is governed by private non-governmental accreditation agencies that serve as an independent validation of performance management for the continuous improvement of training services, for both internal and external assurance. The accreditation process entails the assessment of the educational quality and the continued enhancement of educational operation through the development and validation of standards (CACRER, 2003). The conditions associated with accreditation provide credentials to the public and the academic community demonstrating that an institution and/or its programs have accepted and are continuing to meet the demands for commitment of quality education.
Accreditation is a process by which an association or agency evaluates and recognizes a program of study or an institution as meeting certain predetermined standards or qualifications (CFAI, 1999). The essential purpose of accreditation is to provide a professional judgment as to the quality of the educational institution or program offered and to encourage continual improvement thereof (ACCET, 1999).
As public safety professionals progresses forward and continues to put more emphasis on education, the public safety/first-responder has to ask themselves several questions. Where do I want to go to school, how much do I want to pay, do I want to do it face to face or online, and probably the biggest question is, what am I going to do with the degree when I leave public safety service?
The last question is really the deciding factor on where you want to go to school. Do you want to go to a school that has national accreditation or regional accreditation? Although the school with national accreditation may seem the way to go, it is not. Regional accreditation is the standard bearer for public and private institutions. Regional accreditation is the standard that is accepted internationally as well as within the United States. Institutions of high recognition including Carnegie Research designations are Regionally Accredited.
There are currently six regional accrediting bodies, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and Western Association of Schools and Colleges. These six distinguished bodies are responsible for accrediting public and private institutions across the
country. The process is incredibly intense and takes a look at the institution from the highest level administrator to the everyday staff in the various offices across the institution.
Why Regional Accreditation? Some departments just require a degree be it nationally or regionally accredited. Many departments require the degree to be regionally accredited because that is the standard bearer for education. Once a firefighter/first responder acquires a degree, what are they going to do with it in the future? Very few regionally accredited schools will accept any work from completed from a nationally accredited school, if one is seeking to move on to higher degree. Once the firefighter/first responder retires or pursues to work part time many employers will not accept the degrees from a school that is only nationally accredited, especially if one is seeking to teach at a state college or university. There are also those departments that will only pay tuition reimbursement for attendance at a regionally accredited school. Also, there are some organizations that award scholarships that will only provide funding to students attending a regionally accredited school.
Don’t get us wrong, there are many universities out there that have excellent programs who have chosen for whatever reason not to seek regional accreditation. However, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!
Do your homework! Thoroughly investigate the school or schools that you might like to attend. Keep in mind, it makes no difference if you want a degree in the Public Safety Management or Underwater Basket Weaving, which school is going to give you the most bang for your buck and which school is going to get you the furthest in your career. Don’t wait until you get your degree to find out that all of that work you did was for nothing!
In the end, you have to go to the school that you feel most comfortable with and will provide you with what you are looking for in an education.
