Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Standards for Accreditation¹

  1. Mission and Goals
    The institution’s mission defines its purpose within the context of higher education, the students it serves, and what it intends to accomplish.  The institution’s stated goals are clearly linked to its mission and specify how the institution fulfills its missions.
  2. Ethics and Integrity
    Ethics and integrity are central, indispensable, and defining hallmarks of effective higher education institutions.  In all activities, whether internal or external, an institution must be faithful to its mission, honor its contracts and commitments, adhere to its policies, and represent itself truthfully.
  3. Design and Delivery of Student Learning Experience
    An institution provides students with learning experiences that are characterized by rigor and coherence at all program, certificate and degree levels, regardless of instructional modality.  All learning experiences, regardless of modality, program pace/schedule, level and setting are consistent with higher education expectations.
  4. Support of the Student Experience
    Across all educational experiences, settings, levels, and instructional modalities, the institution recruits and admits students whose interests, abilities, experiences, and goals are congruent with its mission and educational offerings. The institution commits to student retention, persistence, completion, and success through a coherent and effective support system sustained by qualified professionals, which enhances the quality of the learning environment, contributes to the educational experience, and fosters student success.
  5. Educational Effectiveness Assessment
    Assessment of student learning and achievement demonstrates the institution’s students have accomplished educational goals consistent with their program of study, degree level, the institution’s mission and appropriate expectations for institutions of higher education.
  6. Planning, Resources and Institutional Improvement
    The institution’s planning processes, resources, and structures are aligned with each other and are sufficient to fulfill its mission and goals, to continuously assess and improve its programs and services, and to respond effectively to opportunities and challenges.
  7. Governance, Leadership and AdministrationThe institution is governed and administered in a manner that allows it to realize its stated mission and goals in a way that effectively benefits the institution, its students, and the other constituencies it serves. Even when supported by or affiliated with governmental, corporate, with governmental, corporate, religious, educational system, or other unaccredited organizations, the institution has education as its primary purpose, and it operates as an academic institution with appropriate autonomy.

¹ https://www.msche.org/publications/RevisedStandardsFINAL.pdf © 2015 by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education

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