Understanding Accreditation
Educational accreditation is a process of external quality review created and used by higher education to scrutinize colleges, universities, and programs for quality assurance and quality improvement. Accreditation in the United States is more than 100 years old, emerging from concerns to protect public health and safety and to serve the public interest.
In the United States, accreditation is carried out by private, nonprofit organizations designed for this specific purpose. External quality review of higher education is a nongovernmental enterprise.
There are two types of educational accreditation: institutional and specialized.
Regional (Institutional) Accreditation
Institutional accreditation is provided by regional and national associations of schools and colleges. There are six regional associations, (Middle States Commission, New England Association, Higher Learning Commission, Southern Association, Western Association for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association for Senior Colleges and Universities). The regional associations are independent of one another, but they cooperate extensively and acknowledge one another’s accreditation. Several national associations focus on particular kinds of institutions (for example, trade and technical colleges, or religious colleges and universities). An institutional accrediting agency evaluates an entire educational organization in terms of its mission and the agency’s standards or criteria. As an institution, Illinois Central College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org) through 2030.
Specialized (Programmatic) Accreditation and State Regulatory Agencies
ICC programs have sought and received specialized (program) accreditation/approval. These include the following.
Accrediting and State Regulatory Agencies | |
|---|---|
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) | Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) |
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) | Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association, Inc. (IAODAPCA) |
American Culinary Federation Educational Foundation (ACFEF) | Illinois Board of Nursing |
Automotive Service Excellence Educational Foundation (ASEF) | Illinois Community College Board |
Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) | Illinois Department of Public Health |
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) in cooperation with the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC-STSA) | Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JCERT) |
Commission on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Service Professions (CoAEMSP) | National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) |
Commission for Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) | National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) |
Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) | National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) |
icc program name | accrediting agency | accreditations status and contact |
|---|---|---|
Automotive Technology [AAS] | Automotive Service Excellence Educational Foundation (ASEF) | January 2025 Program Director: Todd Fortier |
Caterpillar Dealer Service Technology (CATTK) [AAS] | Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) | March 20, 2023 Program Director: Mark Matthews |
Culinary Arts Management [AAS] | American Culinary Federation Educational Foundation (ACFEF) | December 3, 2026 Program Director: Charles Robertson |
Dental Hygienist [AAS] | Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) | October 2028 Program Director: Nicole Breidel |
Drug and Alcohol Counselor Trainings (DACT) [Certificate and AAS] | Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association, Inc. (IAODAPCA) | Fall 2023 Program Director: Dan Kelts |
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) [Certificate] and Paramedic [AAS] | Commission on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Service Professions (CoAEMSP) | 2023 Program Director: Mike Dant |
General Motors Automotive Service Educational Program (GM-ASEP) [AAS] | Automotive Service Excellence Educational Foundation (ASEF) | January 1, 2025 Program Director: Trevor Imm |
Horticulture Landscape Management [AAS], Horticulture Turfgrass Management [AAS], Horticulture- Landscaping [Certificate], Horticulture- Turfgrass Operations [Certificate] | National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) | April 2023 Program Director: Corinne Brown |
Licensed Practical Nurse [Certificate] | Accrediting Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) | Spring 2028 Program Director: Mischelle Monagle |
Medical Assistant [Certificate] | Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) | Fall 2028 Program Director: Cydney Bretsch |
Medical Laboratory Technician [AAS] | National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) | October 31, 2030 Program Director: Vincent Strow |
Music [AA] | National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) | 2028 to 2029 Program Director: Julie Clemens |
Occupational Therapy Assistant [AAS] | Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) | 2027/2028 Program Director: Jennifer Haines |
Physical Therapist Assistant [AAS] | Commission for Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) | Spring 2026 Program Director: Julie Feeny |
Radiographer [AAS] | Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JCERT) | Fall 2025 Program Director: April Tatham |
Registered Nurse [AAS] | Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) | Spring 2028 Program Director: Mischelle Monagle |
Respiratory Therapist [AAS] | Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) | Spring 2026 Program Director: Mary Beth Cregger |
Surgical Technologist [AAS] | Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAEO) in cooperation with the Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (ARC-STSA) | Spring 2029 Program Director: Sonja Conton |