The first thing to look for in a Master of Education distance education program is to determine if the program has appropriate and verifiable accreditation. To make sure that the school you have selected has accreditation that will be recognized by school districts that you wish to work in, and/or other universities and educational institutions, you can employ a number of tactics. First go to the accreditation agency’s website and see what other schools have been accredited by the same agency. This will give you an idea of what kinds of educational institutions the online university is in par with, and what kinds of institutions will recognize your degree. The second tactic that you can employ to determine if the accrediting agency is legitimate is to see if the Department of Education has approved it. To determine this, simple go to the Department of Education’s website, they have a list of accrediting agencies that they have approved. The last tactic that you can use to determine if the accreditation of the online university is viable is to review the agency’s accreditation process. By this I mean that you should see if the accrediting agency accredits based on the quality of the education being delivered, or if they accredit anyone who pays their fee. A valid accreditation process should include an in-depth review of the material, facility, and faculty of the school with both on-site and off-site review processes.
Capella University was fully accredited by both the Higher Learning Commission and by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1997. These regional types of accreditations are the most common types received by major state and private colleges and universities, and they are recognized across the country. The North Central Association is a common regional accreditation that evaluates and credentializes state and private educational institutions. Accreditations granted from this agency are recognized by other regional accrediting agencies across the country. A few of the educational institutions that the Higher Learning Commission and the North Central Association have accredited include Harvard, Princeton, and Yale.
The University of Phoenix is also accredited by both the Higher Learning Commission and the North Central Association.
Western Governor University is accredited by four different agencies including the Higher Learning Commission, the Commission on Colleges and Universities of the Northwest Association of Schools and of Colleges and Universities, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. These particular accrediting organization have also accredited universities like: Northwestern University, the University of Wisconsin, Stanford, and many more.
In addition to these regional accrediting agencies, WGU also has a national accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council. This accrediting agencies utilizes an extensive review of both off-site and on-site evaluations of the university’s operations and the quality of the education being delivered so you can be assured that you will be getting a good education at this school.