Institutional Accreditation at UAA
The University of Alaska Anchorage has been continuously accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU - formerly the Commission on Colleges of the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges) since 1974. NWCCU is one of six Regional Accrediting Associations for Institutions of Higher Education that are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to 1974, UAA existed as an extension of the University of Alaska with no separate accreditation status. Since the merger of the University and the Community Colleges that occurred in 1987, this single accreditation status has applied to all campuses of UAA - in Anchorage, and at Kenai, Kodiak and in the Matanuska Susitna Valley. Prince William Sound Community College in Valdez is separately accredited by NWCCU.
The last full-scale visit to UAA and report from the Commission on Colleges occurred in October of 2000. This resulted in reaffirmation of UAA accreditation with the next full-scale visit planned for 2010. In the intervening years, UAA has had regular communication with the Commission, has provided focused interim reports on issues raised at the full-scale visit, has reported on new programs and organizational changes that have occurred, and has hosted evaluators conducting site visits that focused on those topics. Each report and visit has resulted in the reaffirmation of the institutional accreditation.
UAA underwent a regular fifth year site visit and evaluation in the fall of 2005. This included a review of all academic, administrative and student support functions at all UAA campuses, as well as UAA's progress on the General Recommendations from the 2000 Full Scale Evaluation. More detailed information about this visit, including the report submitted to NWCCU, is available here.
Program Accreditation at UAA
When available, individual academic programs often seek verification that their program of studies and student outcomes meet national standards established by independent associations or governmental agencies. That verification is documented as a program accreditation. Students who complete an accredited curriculum enjoy additional confidence that experts in that field have evaluated the program and testified to its quality. Program accreditation may also enable students to more easily obtain professional certifications or registration.
Approximately 40 academic programs have approval and/or accreditation from agencies external to UAA. A full list of these programs is listed on page 10 of the 2006-2007 catalog. A more detailed list of the schedules and accrediting bodies is located on the Accreditation Links and Documents page.
Programs considering seeking new accreditation should contact their Dean or Director and the Office of Academic Affairs. The program, in consultation with their Dean/Director and OAA, will weigh the considerations in this document in making this decision.
Communication with accrediting agencies regarding new and existing program accreditation should be routed through the school or college and the Office of Academic Affairs.
Please direct all inquiries to:
Tom Miller, Assistant Provost
(907)786-1053
aftpm@uaa.alaska.edu
