September 30th Weekly Blog

With my education consulting group up and running, I was working on a resume yesterday and I noticed that the client was working on her MBA from a school that I had never heard of before. Oh course I “googled” the college. As I was reading over the website, I noticed that the school was not regionally accredited. I immediately stopped what I was doing and sent my client an email letting her know that she was wasting her time and money working on an MBA from that school.

Having worked in admissions and recruitment for years in higher education, I found that most people are aware that their college degree should be accredited, but where some people are confused or misled is the type of accreditation.

The answer: Make sure that your college or university is regionally accredited. People hear the phrase, nationally accredited and go with it because it sounds suitable. Some people will argue for national accreditation, but I’m here to inform you that regional accreditation is the way to go. Yes, I know it sounds backwards, (regional being better than national) but you want your degree to be regionally accredited.

There are six regional accrediting bodies:
1. New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) Accredits schools in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

2. North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement(NCA)Accredits schools in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Navajo Nation, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

3. Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges (MSA)Accredits schools in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Central America, Europe, and the Middle East.

4. Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS)Accredits schools in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Latin America.

5. Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)Accredits schools in California, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Palau, Micronesia, Northern Marianas, Marshall Islands, and other Australasian locations.

6. Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWCCU)Accredits schools in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
If you earn a degree from an institution that is accredited by one of these associations, you can be certain that it will be considered as a legitimate degree from a regular university. Most employers and other universities will automatically accept your degree and its credits. National accreditation is considered valid by some employers, but many regionally accredited schools will not accept course credits from nationally accredited schools—additionally, some employers may be distrustful of these degrees.

If you need advice or assistance in educational decision making or resume editing, please contact me at kj@kevinejames.com. Have a great week and remember, NO EXCUSES. Get that college degree! (From a regionally accredited school!)