What types of accreditation are there? This is a bigger question than it sounds. To begin, there must be an explanation of the layers within the accreditation system. First, there are the agencies that govern the accrediting associations. The U.S. Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education Association (CHEA) and the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) are all agencies that grant the power to smaller associations that oversee accreditation at the school or program level. Among these many specific accrediting agencies, there are also a number of layers of accrediting types. A breakdown is as follows:

Institutional Accreditation: This is a type of accreditation that looks at a school or university as a whole, rather than the specific programs within an institution. The two different types of institutional accreditation include regional and national. These are explained in more detail below.

Regional Accreditation: The most esteemed and the most prevalently found in the United States is regional accreditation. There are a total of eight regional accrediting associations throughout the United States that govern the six regions of the country. These associations use a broad scope to accredit entire colleges or universities. Regional accreditation also usually targets schools that offer a more general, well-rounded education, such as a liberal arts school, rather than a career training school.

National Accreditation: This type, like regional accreditation, gives the quality stamp of approval for entire educational institutions, rather than the individual programs in the school. National accreditors focus in on more specialized programs, such as vocational schools. Though a national accreditation is not at the caliber as a regional accreditation, there are still very strict guidelines that schools must meet in order to be deem a �Nationally Accredited School�. There are also a number of smaller categories of national accreditation associations, which include Specialized, Faith-Based and Private Career accreditation associations. Refer to the list of accreditations below to find out more about these more specific categories.

Specialized Accreditation: These can also be called programmatic or professional accreditations. They focus in on making sure specific programs are meeting national standards in their scope and quality of education. There are hundreds of specialized accreditation bodies reigning over different types of programs, which (very opposite from a liberal arts education) gear students toward a vocation goal, rather than a focus on a scholarly path. Specialized accreditors usually cover programs that train professionals in very narrow fields, such as radiology technology, or ESL teaching. Accrediting organizations that fit into this category approve of programs that you could call �single purpose�. The Council for Interior Design Accreditation and the National Association of Schools of Theater are two examples of the very specific targets of specialized accrediting associations. Students should note that even if specialized accreditation is required for a licensing or certificate program, accreditation guarantees the staff is qualified to train in that field.

Faith-Based Accreditation: This is a specialized group of national accreditation associations that specialize in faith-based, religiously affiliated colleges and universities. Faith-based accreditations usually govern over an entire institution, rather than a specific program.

Private-Career Accreditation: These accrediting associations focus in on private schools that offer specialized vocational training.