If you are thinking about attaining a degree in order to make yourself a marketable job candidate, you may have several questions regarding potential employers and accreditation. One of the most prevalent questions that people tend to ask pertains to whether potential employers will care if a degree is from an accredited institution. By reading the information found below, you can obtain an answer to this question.
Although defined broadly, accreditation is essentially a validation process for colleges, universities, and various other professional institutions. Accreditation standards are established and evaluated by a peer review board. Some of the members of these boards will be faculty from several accredited universities and colleges. In order to attain accreditation, learning institutions will typically have to meet several standards and each school will be evaluated in terms of factors such as:
•Overall Mission
•Objectives/Goals
•Student Requirements for Admissions
•Services Available to Students
•Quality of Education
•Reputation of Faculty
Why Accreditation Matters to Employers
Individuals interested in learning whether potential employers care if a degree is from an accredited college should know that the answer is almost always yes. This is the case for several reasons, including the fact that many employers want to feel confident that prospective employees have obtained a quality education and will bring a valuable skill set to the table if offered a position. In addition to providing employers with a substantive reason to believe that a job candidate is qualified and will be an asset to the company, accreditation can be helpful for students as well. This is so as a result of the fact that students who attend learning institutions that are accredited will oftentimes have a better chance of being able to transfer their credits to other reputable colleges or universities in the event that they opt to pursue a graduate level degree.
Do All Schools Require Accreditation?
It is important to note that not every school requires accreditation. In some cases, a school will offer students a specialty training program in a technical or artistic field that is not subject to the traditional accreditation process. When this is the case, prospective employers should be made aware of the fact.
Online Learning
Individuals who are interested in fully grasping issues pertaining to potential employers and accreditation should know that business owners will likely subject an online degree to the same scrutiny they would a degree that was earned through the traditional learning format. Specifically, employers are interested in knowing whether degrees that are obtained online were done so through learning institutions possessing regional accreditation. (Two other factors that these employers look for when evaluating the credibility of an online degree include whether the learning institution has a physical building and whether it has an established brand/reputation.)
Conclusion
If you are interested in attaining a degree in order to pursue a specific vocational path, you should know that many if not most employers will prefer candidates who have earned degrees from accredited institutions. Now that you have an answer to the questions pertaining to potential employers and accreditation, you can make an informed decision regarding which type of learning institution from which you should earn your degree.
Related Resource: What is College and University Accreditation?
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