Accredited vs. Non-accredited Colleges
Whether to attend an accredited or non-accredited college is the question asked by many people. It can get quite controversial, but becoming more educated is the more important factor. Choosing between accredited or non-accredited schools comes down to what particular career field you are interested in and what you want to be able to do in that career field.
• If you are interested in practicing naturopathic medicine and treating people as a doctor (see discussion topic on Naturopathic Doctors) than licensor from an accredited school is a better choice due to legal issues. In order to treat people and prescribe medication, you must attend an accredited college and be licensed in the particular state you reside in.
• If you would like to host lectures, seminars, write books, sell products, create a web site, teach, or be some type of a consultant then certification from a non-accredited college is just fine. Not that you cannot do these type of things from an accredited college; it is just not required. One important note is if you attend a non-accredited college, you may only teach and educate--you cannot treat people or prescribe anything.
If you are having trouble deciding between the two options, think about what you would like to be able to do with you completed degree, license, or certification and research related collages. Call or visit these collages and ask what career fields are possible for a student after attending their schooling.
One important thing, yet controversial, is that accredited schools must meet certain criteria and regulations, which can be a good thing because it sets a standard, ensures quality, and helps to eliminate unproven and false claims, but also can be a bad thing. Regulations and the high state of control, may limit certain areas of study to only the well-studied and proven portion of the modalities while the unproven part might be true and shown through history, but not yet backed by science--you never know. It also opens the doors to regulations that are only set in place because of the money involved. This is why it can be such a controversial topic. Despite accreditation or non-accreditation, it all depends on the individual attending and their specific motives. A good practitioner can come from anywhere, such as some medical doctors that becomes great doctors, such as Dr. Mercola and other great doctors. One important thing, I think, is that there should be a clear defined line of categorizing and labeling of licensed and certified practitioners so the patients and/or customers know whom they are seeing or learning from.
Anyways, here is a great article I found on the web by Megan Barrett:
http://www.toeflaccess.com/articles/ETS/us/study/what_study/ed_sys/...
"Besides choosing a major and a degree, students need to decide whether to attend an accredited or nonaccredited university. To become accredited a school must be evaluated by a national agency that is qualified to accredit colleges. If the college meets the agency's criteria, then the college can become accredited. The U.S. Department of Education approves the agencies that accredit colleges, and the secretary of education ensures that the agencies accrediting schools are legitimate. A college that has been accredited becomes known for having met the criteria. Colleges want to become accredited to have a better reputation and as a mark of prestige.
Nonaccredited schools are usually cheaper than accredited schools. Some students who can't afford an accredited school or aren't sure if college is right for them might decide to try a nonaccredited school. Students considering an online program should check to see if the school has been accredited. It might be necessary to contact the accrediting agency to see if the school has been approved. Just because the school's Web site says the school is accredited does not mean it really is.
Students considering attending a nonaccredited school should be aware that the credits they earn at the school might not be transferable to a school that is accredited. According to CollegeView, one of the differences between an accredited and a nonaccredited school is the type of degree that the student earns. An accredited college presents students with an associate or bachelor's degree once the student completes the program. Nonaccredited schools offer students occupational degrees. Some companies might not hire a student who has a degree from a nonaccredited school."
• If you are interested in practicing naturopathic medicine and treating people as a doctor (see discussion topic on Naturopathic Doctors) than licensor from an accredited school is a better choice due to legal issues. In order to treat people and prescribe medication, you must attend an accredited college and be licensed in the particular state you reside in.
• If you would like to host lectures, seminars, write books, sell products, create a web site, teach, or be some type of a consultant then certification from a non-accredited college is just fine. Not that you cannot do these type of things from an accredited college; it is just not required. One important note is if you attend a non-accredited college, you may only teach and educate--you cannot treat people or prescribe anything.
If you are having trouble deciding between the two options, think about what you would like to be able to do with you completed degree, license, or certification and research related collages. Call or visit these collages and ask what career fields are possible for a student after attending their schooling.
One important thing, yet controversial, is that accredited schools must meet certain criteria and regulations, which can be a good thing because it sets a standard, ensures quality, and helps to eliminate unproven and false claims, but also can be a bad thing. Regulations and the high state of control, may limit certain areas of study to only the well-studied and proven portion of the modalities while the unproven part might be true and shown through history, but not yet backed by science--you never know. It also opens the doors to regulations that are only set in place because of the money involved. This is why it can be such a controversial topic. Despite accreditation or non-accreditation, it all depends on the individual attending and their specific motives. A good practitioner can come from anywhere, such as some medical doctors that becomes great doctors, such as Dr. Mercola and other great doctors. One important thing, I think, is that there should be a clear defined line of categorizing and labeling of licensed and certified practitioners so the patients and/or customers know whom they are seeing or learning from.
Anyways, here is a great article I found on the web by Megan Barrett:
http://www.toeflaccess.com/articles/ETS/us/study/what_study/ed_sys/...
"Besides choosing a major and a degree, students need to decide whether to attend an accredited or nonaccredited university. To become accredited a school must be evaluated by a national agency that is qualified to accredit colleges. If the college meets the agency's criteria, then the college can become accredited. The U.S. Department of Education approves the agencies that accredit colleges, and the secretary of education ensures that the agencies accrediting schools are legitimate. A college that has been accredited becomes known for having met the criteria. Colleges want to become accredited to have a better reputation and as a mark of prestige.
Nonaccredited schools are usually cheaper than accredited schools. Some students who can't afford an accredited school or aren't sure if college is right for them might decide to try a nonaccredited school. Students considering an online program should check to see if the school has been accredited. It might be necessary to contact the accrediting agency to see if the school has been approved. Just because the school's Web site says the school is accredited does not mean it really is.
Students considering attending a nonaccredited school should be aware that the credits they earn at the school might not be transferable to a school that is accredited. According to CollegeView, one of the differences between an accredited and a nonaccredited school is the type of degree that the student earns. An accredited college presents students with an associate or bachelor's degree once the student completes the program. Nonaccredited schools offer students occupational degrees. Some companies might not hire a student who has a degree from a nonaccredited school."
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