College Standards and Accreditation

College standards and accreditation are necessary in order to prove that one college is better than another.

COCNASC stands for "The Commission on Colleges of the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges." Located in Redmont, Washington, it covers all colleges and universities within Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. It is a nonprofit organization subsidiary to the larger Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). The organization was established in 1917, but was not federally acknowledged until 1952. Since, the COCNASC has set the standards of Northwestern students to ensure that they operate effectively, moralistically, and transparently.

Duties

The duties of the COCNASC can be found in the organization’s charter, known as its bylaws. They have been enacted in order to ensure that colleges and universities in Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington do not fall short to the standards that uphold a functional American post-secondary education system. These duties are fulfilled through periodic reviews of all schools within the organization’s jurisdiction as well as various meetings for members and commissioners (which are the officers that conduct the reviews).

Benefits

The benefits of an accreditation organization are both sweeping as well as particular. Of course, they improve the state of American education, ensuring that post-secondary institutions are adequately preparing students to compete in a global workforce. However, they also help colleges and universities by assisting in their improvement, identifying weak areas, and bolstering their revenue through the disbursement of accreditation. They also help students through a more effective institution as well as further resources that are availed to them as a result of attending an accredited institution.

Eligibility for Accreditation

Eligibility for accreditation is outlined in the COCNASC bylaws. This charter essentially states all of the requirements for becoming accredited as well as the means by which these elements should be analyzed. These requirements are 24 in number and are stretched out in various incremental reviews over a span of seven years. After successful accreditation, a school must renew this accreditation with repeated reviews every 7 years following.

Regional vs. Specialized

Regional and specialized accreditation are two entirely different reviews. Regional accreditation is a comprehensive review that concentrates on the general functionality of a school as well as academics. These reviews are completed by commissioners, which are voted into office internally through an organization like COCNASC. Alternately, specialized accreditation is purely academic and regards a particular area of study. Specialized professionals in the field used real life experience and expertise to analyze a program and determine whether it effectively prepares a student for an actual practice in the field. Those programs that are deemed exemplary will received a specialized accreditation for that program. Of course, schools with regional accreditation can receive one or more specialized accreditations, but the reverse is rather unlikely unless a school has only one area of study.

Credit Transfer and Accreditation

The accreditation of a college or university does not guarantee the transfer of its credits to any other college or university. Whereas a college usually must be accredited for its credits to transfer at all, eligibility for credit transfer is contingent in a myriad of factors. These include the number of transfer credits accepted, the grades received to attain those credits, the intended major in the college to which one is transferring, and the availability of such courses in the institution to which one is transferring.

Community College Accreditation

Community colleges are subject to review and accreditation just like four-year institutions. In fact, no distinctions are made unless a community college has only one area of interest (in which case, it can receive only a specialized accreditation). Community colleges are known to be an effective preparatory tool for further post-secondary study, so it is just as important to attend an accredited community college as it is to attend an accredited four-year institution or university.