Programmatic Accrediting Organizations

Programmatic accreditors usually review programs or schools within institutions, although some accredit freestanding institutions dedicated to a particular profession. Most universities and some colleges carry a number of accreditations simultaneously: institutional accreditation for the entire institution and programmatic accreditation for various professional schools or programs. When an institution is accredited by more than one organization, the institution has to identify for governmental purposes which of the organizations is its “primary” accreditor. Programmatic accreditation standards are frequently linked to the requirements for professional licensing of individuals. In many states, individuals wishing to enter certain professions (including law and architecture, among others) are required to take licensing examinations. States may also require students who sit for a licensing examination to provide evidence that they graduated from an accredited institution that offers a degree or certificate in the profession.

Figure 17:

*Data not provided by 11 accrediting organizations.

For 2022-2023, CHEA is displaying aggregated institutional and program data.

Figure 18:

*Data not provided by 11 accrediting organizations.

Figure 19:

Programmatic Accrediting Organization Name (2022-2023)	Year Founded	Institutions and Programs	Number of Students
Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine	1982	133	5,960
Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education	2003	7	292
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing	1997	1,355	154,754
Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education	1955	45	3,101
Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs	1988	4,154	300,000
Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics	1917	628	16,128
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education	1932	142	45,261
Accreditation Council on Optometric Education	1934	26	7,771
Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc.	1971	302	29,657
Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications	1945	119	80,000
American Academy of Forensic Sciences, Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission	2002	53	863
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Council for Accreditation	1909	N/A	N/A
American Board of Funeral Service Education, Committee on Accreditation	1958	58	6,954
American Council for Construction Education	1974	99	10,000
American Culinary Federation Education Foundation, INC., Accrediting Commission	1929	433	N/A
American Library Association, Committee on Accreditation	1924	64	19,812
American Occupational Therapy Association, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education	1923	480	30,602
American Osteopathic Association, Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation	1897	68	N/A
American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education	1928	705	19,974
American Podiatric Medical Association, Council on Podiatric Medical Education	1918	9	2,541
American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation	1948	1,262	N/A
American Veterinary Medical Association, Council on Education	1863	56	15,157
Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation	2017	117	30,551
Association for Behavior Analysis International	1974	38	1,738
Association for Clinical Pastoral Education Accreditation Commission	1967	304	N/A
Aviation Accreditation Board International	1988	107	28,304
Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education	2006	344	25,163
Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy	1946	124	8,878
Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care	1954	431	7,560
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education	1978	705	19,974
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs	1994	2,635	49,493
Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education	2006	276	4,794
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education	1968	141	9,915
Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs, Inc.	1988	212	1,724
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education	1996	2,102	493,628
Commission on Dental Accreditation, American Dental Association	1975	1,440	N/A
Commission on English Language Program Accreditation	1999	331	65,697
Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation	1996	58	1,500
Commission on Opticianry Accreditation	1985	19	635
Commission on Sport Management Accreditation	2008	53	N/A
Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers	2015	30	148
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs	1981	926	56,879
Council for Interior Design Accreditation	1970	171	19,000
Council for Standards in Human Service Education	1979	51	11,000
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation	2013	555	108,647
Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, American Bar Association	1893	196	116,727
Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association	1959	394	25,450
Council on Accreditation for Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions	1965	62	8,130
Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs	1975	134	8,829
Council on Chiropractic Education	1971	28	11,611
Council on Education for Public Health	1974	254	N/A
Council on Naturopathic Medical Education	1978	6	1,500
Council on Social Work Education, Commission on Accreditation	1952	868	140,319
International Accreditation Council for Business Education	1997	2,138	N/A
International Fire Service Accreditation Congress - Degree Assembly	1990	N/A	N/A
Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology	1971	676	27,400
Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Nuclear Medicine Technology	1970	68	575
Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board, American Society of Landscape Architects	1899	102	6,000
Liaison Committee on Medical Education	1942	157	96,405
Midwifery Education Accreditation Council	1991	8	946
Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education	1991	N/A	N/A
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences	1973	608	17,421
National Association for the Education of Young Children	1926	178	N/A
National Association of Schools of Art and Design Commission on Accreditation	1944	388	85,793
National Association of Schools of Dance Commission on Accreditation	1981	84	5,446
National Association of Schools of Music Commission on Accreditation and Commission on Community College Accreditation	1924	627	101,015
National Association of Schools of Theatre Commission on Accreditation	1969	193	20,641
Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration, Commission on Peer Review and Accreditation	1970	356	10,800
Planning Accreditation Board	1984	94	5,511
Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System	1995	46	1,205
The Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering	1967	428	N/A
Programmatic Accrediting Organizations Total		29,461	2,385,779

* n/a - not available or not applicable

Next: Review Procedures and Stages of Accreditation