Specialized/Programmatic Accreditation: Ensuring Educational Quality

Date: Wednesday August 21, 2024  
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (Mountain Time) 

Specialized/Programmatic Accreditation: Ensuring Educational Quality 

This dynamic and insightful webinar was hosted by NC-SARA with the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP). During this webinar the viewers: 

• Gained an understanding of specialized/programmatic accreditation and its pivotal role in ensuring educational quality and professional standards. 
• Reviewed the role of specialized/programmatic accrediting bodies in ensuring graduate competence in fields like healthcare, business, engineering, and more. 

As the educational landscape continues to evolve, understanding the intricacies of accreditation has never been more important.  

• Webinar Slides
• Webinar Recording
• Response to question posted in Q&A during webinar: 
  • Question: Regarding programmatic accreditors for professional licensure fields, I’m interested to hear speakers’ thoughts on the role of the programmatic accreditor in bridging differing state licensure requirements to make professional licensure preparation programs more accessible. Programmatic accreditors are in a position to achieve what the ABA has done for practicing law for other fields requiring licensure.
  • Response from presenters: Accreditors are not the bodies to lobby regarding state licensure requirements (some have been called to task by the Department for being perceived to try to influence states) – and whatever ABA has done – it has most probably been its professional association, as opposed to the accreditor, that has worked with/lobbied the individual states.  Accreditors must be seen as independent from any stakeholder influence.  As well – several professions have alliances/federations of state licensing bodies – this Is where access to the profession should be addressed.