National Accreditation (NA), Regional Accreditation (RA), etc. Information

[barcotta]

Over the course of the past ten months, I've acquired a good deal of information with regard to accreditation in general and greatly enjoyed various posts discussing the pros and cons of each type of accreditation. Others haven't enjoyed it as much--but sometimes a little more information can bring things into focus.

While looking up some information on AACSB accreditation I stumbled across the Rasmussen College web site which contained a very interesting chart detailing their perspective on National Accreditation (NA) vs. Regional Accreditation (RA) and their journey to acquire RA for their institution. It reminded me of an unrelated post I saw in another forum which I've pasted in below with some modification by me. I'd love to give credit to the originator but he goes by the screen name of JohnDoe! In any event, here's a link to the Rasmussen chart and some rough information that may be useful to people as they attempt to map out their higher education path.

Accredited Distance Learning Degree

One Man's Take on Accreditation

1. Regional accrediation. The Gold Standard.

This gets you in everywhere.
Schools and employers are all happy.

2. National Accreditation (Ex. DETC, CHEA, etc.). The Silver Standard.

This gets you in quite a lot of places, but not everywhere.
Some RA schools may allow you to transfer in credit from an NA accredited school, but many do not.
Most employers find it ok, but some don't.

3. State accredited degree

This is valid in the current state, but is most probably of no practical use outside the state in which it has been validated.
You most likely will have a problem transferring credits to institutions with NA and RA standards.
Most employers outside the state do not like this education.

4. Legal unaccredited degree

Totally unaccredited degree, but still legal.
Will most likely not transfer to accredited institutions or get you employed anywhere.

5. Illegal unaccredited degree

Totally unaccredited degree and illegal. The institution offering this has no authority to issue degrees. By using this degree, you can - in some states - go directly to jail.

6. Diploma Mills

"Send us your money, and we will ship you your diplomas in 5 days. Full satisfaction guaranteed".
Totally illegal, and you don't have to do anything but pay to get the diplomas (maybe state some rubbish about your previous experience etc.)

[4dkids]

Michael, Thank you for the post. The issue is now more clear to me and helps me plot my course.

[ShotoJuku]

Actually I would list the "Ivy League" schools as 24k,

the RA as 14k,

the NA as 10k,

SA as the Silver,

and mills as lead.


Here's the thread you referenced... Have I missed something now ? Accrediation summary - Online degree forum

[bceagles]

So I guess its safe to say....if you can, get an RA degree. If not, go for an NA degree. NA is better than nothing and nothing is better than the remaining options!

[Basket Weaver]

So I guess its safe to say....if you can, get an RA degree. If not, go for an NA degree. NA is better than nothing and nothing

Well.....not quite. If you are pursuing a professional degree like being a doctor, lawyer, or psychologist then the RA degree is pretty much mandatory by state law requirements. If you are not, then the NA degree will do just fine. In my case, NO company can say my degree is without merit as it is endorsed by the US government (In fact, it was paid for by them as well!). I don't consider the effort I exerted, nor the degree, is substandard to a RA degree in any way.

I'm sure this not what you meant when you wrote this either....I was just using it as a personal example to the scenario I used.

Hope this clears things up a bit...Lee