Accreditation indicates a school or program meets the standards established by the accrediting body. Colleges and universities hold regional or national accreditation, a designation that extends to on-campus and online offerings. Within institutions, individual departments and degrees may hold additional programmatic accreditations.
For online business schools, programmatic accreditation comes from one of three professional bodies. Each accreditor certifies the academic quality of business degrees based on its own criteria for quality and excellence.
Find out more about online business school accreditation, what it means, and why it matters below.
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is a voluntary process through which colleges, universities, and programs demonstrate the quality of their offerings. Accreditation status influences financial aid options, transfer opportunities, and overall reputability.
There are two types of institutional accreditation: regional and national. Regional accreditation indicates an institution offers academically rigorous degrees, while national accreditation often applies to vocational, career-oriented, and technical programs.
Programmatic accreditation is an additional type of certification by a specialized body of discipline professionals and experts.
How important is accreditation for business majors?
By choosing an accredited online business school, you verify the program is worth your time, energy, and money. The rigor with which business programs are evaluated by accrediting bodies means graduates from an accredited program have received a top-notch business education.
Employers prefer accredited business degrees. Earning a degree from an accredited business school demonstrates to peers and potential employers the quality of your credentials.
Accreditation for online business schools
Three widely recognized programmatic accreditors for business school programs exist. Each accrediting body assesses business schools using different criteria designed and approved by business professionals and experts.
Accrediting bodies vary in scope and emphasis, so learners should familiarize themselves with all three.