This is the VOA Special English Education Report. And this is the fifth week
of our Foreign Student Series about higher education in the United States.
Earlier, we talked about the first steps to take if you want to study in
America. We also discussed the differences between a college and a university.
And we looked at online education.
We said last week that students should find out if a school that interests
them is accredited. But just what does that mean?
Accreditation is a process. The goal for a college or university is to show
that its programs meet accepted levels of quality. The United States Department
of Education does not accredit schools. But the law requires the secretary of
education to publish a list of private accrediting agencies recognized as
dependable.
Accrediting agencies are nonprofit organizations. They develop educational
goals, then they examine schools to make sure those goals are met.
The first step in the process is for a college or university to request accreditation . Then the school does a
study of itself to measure its performance against the requirements.
The accrediting agency sends a team of specialists who decide if the school
meets the standards. The agency will observe an accredited college or university
every few years.
Schools must be accredited in order for students to receive government
financial aid. Accreditation also makes it easier for students to move credits
from one school to another. And going to an accredited school can help in
getting a good job later.
One accrediting agency is the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. It
says the United States has more than four thousand accredited colleges and
universities that award degrees. More than 2005 hundred other accredited
programs do not award degrees.
The agency's Web site lists schools and programs that are accredited by
recognized organizations in the United States. And it talks about when to a
suspect that a program is not really accredited. The address is c-h-e-a dot
o-r-g (chea.org). Again, c-h-e-a dot org.
And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy
Steinbach. You can find the earlier reports in our series at voaspecialenglish
dot com. Next week, learn about government rules for students who want to study
in the United States. I'm Steve Ember.
Related stories :Considering an online education
program
accreditation
:
鑒定合格
（來源：VOA
英語點(diǎn)津姍姍編輯）
