- Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 January 2019 01:41
Quality assurance process verifies that academics at California University of Pennsylvania meet national standards of excellence
California University of Pennsylvania starts the new year with new or renewed accreditations for 21 academic degree programs, bringing the total number of accredited programs at Cal U to more than 50 in all.
Program accreditation is a quality assurance process designed to verify that a university’s programs meet nationally recognized standards of academic and professional excellence. Before a program can be accredited, a team of representatives from a recognized accrediting agency scrutinizes all aspects of the degree program, including its curriculum, faculty credentials and student outcomes. The team also holds an in-person “site visit” at the university.
Once initial accreditation has been achieved, the program must be re-evaluated and its accreditation renewed at regular intervals in order to verify that high standards are being maintained.
“Achieving accreditation is painstaking work, but it pays off for our students,” says Dr. Bruce Barnhart, Cal U’s provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “When you graduate from an accredited program, you know your degree has value. As a job candidate, you can point to program accreditation as a sign that your education met the highest quality standards.”
Newly accredited programs
Fourteen degree programs in Cal U’s Department of Business and Economics have been newly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), the only organization offering specialized business accreditation for all degree levels. Cal U now offers accredited Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) programs in fields such as accounting, finance, human resources administration and marketing; two B.S. in Business concentrations; and five Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs.
Cal U programs re-accredited this fall are the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work, both recognized by the Council of Social Work Education; two Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs, accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education; the Master of Science in School Psychology, recognized by the National Association of School Psychologists; and the B.S. degrees in computer information systems and computer science, both recognized by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.
For information about all of Cal U’s academic programs, visit www.calu.edu/academics
