Accreditation
Worcester State University is accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education, Inc. (NECHE), formerly the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). NECHE is a non-governmental, nationally recognized, regional accreditation agency for colleges and universities in the six New England states.
Accreditation of an institution by NECHE indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied through a peer group review process. An accredited institution is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.
Accreditation by NECHE applies to the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of the quality of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance of the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.
Inquiries regarding the status of an institution’s accreditation by NECHE should be directed to the administrative staff of the school or college. Individuals may also contact the Commission at:
New England Commission of Higher Education
3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100
Burlington, MA 01803-4514
781-425-7785
The following graduate programs are accredited by their respective professional organizations:
- Nursing, The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
- Speech-Language Pathology, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Occupational Therapy, Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education
- Education, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
- Education-School Psychology, The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
Please refer to department chapters for addresses and telephone numbers of the accrediting organizations.
Graduate Programs with Professional Accreditation
| Graduate Program | Accrediting Body |
|---|---|
| Speech-Language Pathology | • Council of Academic Accreditation (CAA) in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, MD 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700. • Approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) |
| Occupational Therapy | • Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929. (301) 652-AOTA. www.acoteonline.org. |
| Nursing | • The Master’s degree program in nursing at Worcester State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (ccneaccreditation.org). |
| Education | • Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) |
| Education - School Psychology | • Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) • National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) |