Module Components

• Overview
• Assignments

Topics

• United States Department of Education
• Institutional Accreditation
• Licensure and Governance
• Accreditation of Nursing Programs

NRSG 794 - Introduction to the Nursing Faculty Role

Module 5: Approvals and Accreditation

Institutional Accreditation

Nursing education programs are found within community colleges, colleges, and universities. It is very important that students applying to nursing schools know this and check the accreditation status of the program and the school they wish to attend.

Institutional accreditation is typically geographic in scope. For example, the University of Maryland, Baltimore is accredited by the Middle States Accreditation Commission . UMB was successfully re-accredited in Spring, 2016. You can check the accreditation status of schools in the Middle States Region. In fact, we are due for our next accreditation visit in 2024-2025, so faculty work groups across campus are busy preparing the self-study report now!

You will notice that the Middle States Accreditation Commission also classifies schools as to various types within the Carnegie Classification system. For example, take a look at the classification for UMB by searching for University of Maryland, Baltimore (the comma is important!)
These classifications provide a look at postsecondary education in the United States by types of institutions.

Accreditation by Middle States is for a 10 year period and is preceded by extensive ongoing work and reports during that time period, much like hospitals prepare for Joint Commission or other accreditation reviews. The goal is to always be in a state of readiness, but it is challenging in our complex environments to do so. Every student, staff, faculty member, and administrator plays a role in ongoing accreditation.

This preparation includes development of a “self-study” which is a report of all aspects of the University as they relate to Middle States criteria for re-accreditation. It was prepared by a group of campus administrators, faculty, students, and staff working over a two-year period. You may see a copy of the last report that is located at a UMB site related to it.

The report is shared with a volunteer team of visiting educators who came to the campus for several days in March 2016. They visit various parts of the campus and talk with a broad range of people during their visit and gather information to prepare a report that is ultimately reviewed by a board that determines whether the criteria for accreditation were met.

A summary of the report of the site visitors and their recommendations was delivered to a packed audience at the end of their visit. Read more about this event and take particular note of the acknowledgment of the “hundreds” of people who participated in preparing the Self-Study and participated in the site visit over a 2 ½ year period, particularly faculty members from across the campus.

The report of the site visitors was later presented to the Accrediting Commission of Middle States for action on the recommendations contained. The very happy outcome was reaffirming the accreditation of UMB! See the actual statement of accreditation dated 6/30/2016!