ACCREDITATION

What is accreditation?
     Accreditation is intended to assure stakeholders, students and the general public of the quality and integrity of higher education institutions and programs. Through a continuous improvement process, accreditation also assures that the programs at the institutions are constantly advancing. These outcomes are achieved through rigorous internal and external review processes during which the institution is evaluated against a common set of standards.

SACS
     The University of South Florida St. Petersburg is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the baccalaureate and master’s levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

AACSB
     The College of Business is accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB International is the premier accrediting agency for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs in business administration and accounting, and as such is the most widely-recognized and sought-after endorsement of business schools. Less than one-third of U.S. business school programs and only 15 percent of business school programs worldwide meet the rigorous standards for AACSB accreditation.  

NCATE
The College of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the national accrediting body for schools, colleges, and departments of education authorized by the U.S. Department of Education. NCATE determines which schools, colleges, and departments of education meet rigorous national standards for initial teacher preparation programs and advanced educator preparation programs. NCATE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to accredit programs for the preparation of teachers and other professional school personnel.

ACEJMC
The Department of Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) at USF St. Petersburg is one of 113 journalism programs nationally accredited by the Accrediting Council on Journalism and Mass Communications. ACEJMC is the national accrediting body for professional programs in journalism and mass communications. JMS, founded in 1991, was first accredited in both its undergraduate and graduate programs in 2004. Re-accreditation of both programs became official May 30, 2010 and will be in effect for seven years. About 25 percent of all journalism and mass communication programs in the United States are fully accredited. A far smaller percentage of programs are accredited at both undergraduate and masters levels.