Facts about Accreditation

Whether your West Virginia education online program is accredited will directly determine the value of the degree you earn. We'll tell you what accreditation means and why it matters in what follows.

A Measure of Quality

Fundamentally, accreditation is a measure of educational quality. Accrediting bodies establish certain standards that colleges and universities must meet in order to obtain accreditation. These standards usually specify things like what credentials are required of faculty members and what objectives must be covered in the school's curriculum. West Virginia education online programs that are accredited have demonstrated that they deliver a certain level of quality to their students. Not all West Virginia online education institutions need accreditation. For instance, it wouldn't make sense for schools that only offer certificate programs to pursue accreditation because the process is primarily for degree-granting institutions.

Weeding Out Diploma Mills

One of the reasons why online degrees used to have such a bad reputation is because of the existence of diploma mills. Some West Virginia education online programs are known as diploma mills because they bestow academic degrees upon students without requiring them to do the normal work involved. Accreditation is one way to weed out the diploma mills from legitimate West Virginia online schools. An accredited online college or university has been thoroughly reviewed by an accrediting body and found to meet their expectations for educational quality and rigor.

Types of Accreditation

Accreditation can be issued on a regional or national basis. Both forms of accreditation are equally acceptable for West Virginia education online programs. When you choose a West Virginia online school, verify that it is at least accredited for your region. You will also want to look into the accrediting body that gave the school its accreditation. Schools have been known to fabricate their accreditation credentials by creating a fake accrediting body. A legitimate accreditation will come from one of the accrediting bodies recognized by the Department of Education. The DOE keeps a list of approved accrediting educational bodies on its website.

Finding Accreditation Information

Your West Virginia education online program should have at least a page of its website dedicated to accreditation information. It's usually a red flag if the school's site doesn't have accreditation information readily available and accessible to students. Visit the accreditation page of your West Virginia online school and find out when the accreditation was given. Accreditation needs to be periodically renewed, so make sure the credential hasn't expired. Also make note of the accrediting body so you can verify it with the Department of Education.