Programmatic Accreditation

The U.S. Department of Education defines programmatic accreditation (also called specialized accreditation or discipline-specific accreditation) as an “accreditation that normally applies to programs, departments, or schools that are parts of an institution. The accredited unit may be as large as a college or school within a university or as small as a curriculum within a discipline. Programmatic accreditation occurs separately from institutional accreditation and is important to both students and employers as it is essential in many degrees that lead to an occupational license.”

Review Process

Units must consult with Academic Program Quality (APQ) prior to submitting initial applications, self-studies, substantial change reports, or other formal correspondence to accrediting agencies. APQ reviews these materials to ensure that the university’s mission, policies, and procedures, among other areas, are accurately and consistently represented.

APQ also schedules on-site visit meetings that require the president, provost, or dean of the College of Graduate Studies and associate vice provost of the Office of Undergraduate Studies. Resources related to APQ’s review and scheduling site visits are below.

• Resource Guide for Programmatic Accreditation: APQ’s Resource Guide for Programmatic Accreditation is produced to assist departments, schools, and colleges in preparing self-studies and drafting reports required by programmatic accrediting bodies, as well as discussing the university’s accreditation status and practices of common interest to such entities.

• Communicating with APQ: APQ’s expectations for programs initiating accreditation or undergoing an accreditation review.

• Site-Visit Planning Requirements: Planning materials including an executive summary of the program(s) under review, bios of the review team, and an itinerary of the site visit, must be submitted to APQ two weeks prior to the site visit start date. These materials will be given to the president and provost to prepare them for meetings with the review team.

Reporting Obligations

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is required to report to its institutional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and to all of its accrediting bodies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, any change in the accreditation status of a program, department, school, or college. These changes include being denied accreditation or candidacy, having accreditation suspended or terminated, being placed on monitoring or reporting, or the unit choosing to withdraw from an accreditation agency or from candidacy.

Thus, it is important that entities within the university that hold programmatic accreditation, or are planning to apply for programmatic accreditation, communicate with APQ throughout the application and review processes.

• Accrediting Decisions of Other Agencies: SACSCOC policy on reporting any change in the accreditation status of a program, department, school, or college.

• 3.006 Accreditation: Florida Board of Governors regulation on accreditation, including discipline-specific accreditation.

Inventories

APQ maintains inventories of UCF programs approved by the Florida Department of Education and those programs that hold or are seeking programmatic accreditation.

• Inventory and Review Schedule of UCF Programs State-Approved by Florida Department of Education: Programs that are state-approved by the Florida Department of Education.

• Inventory and Review Schedule of UCF Programs with or Seeking Programmatic Accreditation

The following academic programs at UCF hold programmatic accreditation. Please note that accrediting agencies may be recognized by the US Department of Education (USDE) and/or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Accrediting Agency	Recognized by USDE or CHEA	Program(s)
accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Aerospace Engineering	Neither	Aerospace Engineering (BSAE)
accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Civil Engineering	Neither	Civil Engineering (BSCE)
accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Computer Engineering	Neither	Computer Engineering (BSCpE)
accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Computer Science	Neither	Computer Science (BS)
accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Construction Engineering	Neither	Construction Engineering (BSConE)
accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Electrical and Electronics Engineering	Neither	Electrical Engineering (BSEE)
accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Environmental Engineering	Neither	Environmental Engineering (BSVE)
accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Industrial Engineering	Neither	Industrial Engineering (BSIE)
accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Information Technology	Neither	Information Technology (BS)
accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Materials Engineering	Neither	Materials Science and Engineering (BSMSE)
accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Mechanical Engineering	Neither	Mechanical Engineering (BSME)
accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Optical Engineering	Neither	Photonic Science and Engineering (BSPSE)
American Chemical Society (ACS)	Neither	Chemistry (BS) Forensic Science (BS)
American Psychological Association Commission on Accreditation (APA-CoA)	Both	Clinical Psychology (PhD)
Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP)	CHEA	Early Childhood Development and Education (BS) Early Childhood Development Track Early Childhood Development and Education (BS) Education: Pre-K Prim (PK-3) Track w/ ESOL & Reading Endorsements Elementary Education (BS) Lifelong Learning Track Elementary Education (BS) Professional Studies Track (Non-Certification) Elementary Education (BS) w/ ESOL & Reading Endorsements Elementary Education (MA) w/ ESOL & Reading Endorsements Elementary Education (MEd) Elementary Education (MEd) Online Track Exceptional Student Education (BS) Learning and Development Online Track Exceptional Student Education (BS) Learning and Development Track Exceptional Student Education (BS) w/ ESOL & Reading Endorsements Exceptional Student Education (MEd) Exceptional Student Education (MEd) Applied Behavior Analysis Track Exceptional Student Education (MEd) Online Track Exceptional Student Education K-12 (MA) w/ ESOL & Reading Endorsements K-8 Mathematics and Science Education (MEd) Reading Education (MEd) Reading Education (MEd) Online Track Secondary Education (BS) Mathematics Ed – Lifelong Learning Track Secondary Education (BS) Science Ed – Biology – Lifelong Learning Track Secondary Education (BS) Social Science Ed – Lifelong Learning Track Secondary Education (BS) English Language Arts Education w/ ESOL and Reading Endorsements Secondary Education (BS) Mathematics Education Track Secondary Education (BS) Science Education- Biology Track Secondary Education (BS) Science Education- Chemistry Track Secondary Education (BS) Science Education- Physics Track Secondary Education (BS) Social Science Education Track Secondary Education (MEd) English Language Arts Education Track Secondary Education (MEd) English Language Arts Education Online Track Secondary Education (MEd) Mathematics Education Track Secondary Education (MEd) Mathematics Education Online Track Secondary Education (MEd) Science Education Track Secondary Education (MEd) Social Science Education Track Teacher Education (BS) Art Ed – Lifelong Learning Track Teacher Education (BS) Physical Ed – Lifelong Learning Track Teacher Education (BS) Art Education (K-12) Track Teacher Education (BS) Physical Education (K-12) Track Teacher Education (BS) World Languages Education  (K-12) Track Teacher Education (MAT) Art Education Track Teacher Education (MAT) English Language Arts Track w/ ESOL & Reading Endorsements Teacher Education (MAT) Mathematics Education Track Teacher Education (MAT) Middle School Mathematics Education Track Teacher Education (MAT) Middle School Science Education Track Teacher Education (MAT) Science Education- Biology Track Teacher Education (MAT) Science Education- Chemistry Track Teacher Education (MAT) Science Education- Physics Track Teacher Education (MAT) Social Science Education Track Teacher Education (MAT) World Languages Education-French Track w/ ESOL Endorsement Teacher Education (MAT) World Languages Education-Spanish Track w/ ESOL Endorsement
Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA)	Neither	Health Services Administration (BS)
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)	Neither	Accounting (BSBA, MSA) Business Administration (MBA, PhD) Business Analytics (MS) Business Economics (BSBA) Economics (BS, MS) Finance (BSBA) Financial Technology (MS) Integrated Business (BSBA) Management (BSBA, MSM) Marketing (BSBA) Real Estate (BSBA, MSRE) Sport Business Management (MSBM)
Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE)	CHEA	Master of Athletic Training (MAT)
Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM)	CHEA	Health Information Management (BS) Health Care Informatics (PSM) Professional Science Master’s
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)	CHEA	Health Administration (MHA)
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)	Both	Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)	USDE	Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Nursing (BSN, MSN)
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)	CHEA	Counselor Education (MA, MEd) Education (PhD) Counselor Education Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy (MA)
Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA)	Both	Communication Sciences and Disorders (MA)
Council on Accreditation of Strength and Conditioning Education (CASCE)	Neither	Kinesiology (BS) Strength and Conditioning
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)	CHEA	Social Work (BSW, MSW)
Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC)	CHEA	Forensic Science (BS)
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES)	Neither	Human Factors & Cognitive Psychology (PhD)
International Literacy Association (ILA)	Neither	Reading Education (MEd)
Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)	USDE	Doctor of Medicine (MD)
Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC)	CHEA	Clinical Psychology (MA) Applied Pre-Licensure/Non-Thesis
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)	CHEA	Medical Laboratory Sciences (BS)
National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)	Neither	Music (BA, MA) Music Education (BME) Music Performance (BM)
National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST)	Neither	Theatre (BA, BFA, MA, MFA)
National Committee for the Accreditation of Coaching Education (NCACE)	Neither	Kinesiology (BS) Sport and Athletic Coaching (formerly Sport and Exercise Science (BS) Coaching)
Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA)	CHEA	Master of Public Administration (MPA) Master of Nonprofit Management (MNM)
Planning Accreditation Board (PAB)	CHEA	Urban and Regional Planning (MS)

Contacts

Please see our Institutional Accreditation webpage for information on UCF’s institutional accreditation.