Thank you for your excellent question! This is a very topical and
interesting subject.
I used to work in a correspondence study, or distance learning,
division of the University of Nevada, Reno. Any distance learning
school that is part of a college or university should be accredited by
their local college accreditation service. Our school, and distance
learning division, was accredited by the official Northwestern
Association of Colleges and Schools.
Any school that is not accredited by a recognized brance of the
Association is not an accredited school, and most likely, any classes
you complete at such a school will not transfer to an accredited
college or university.
The full list of accrediting organizations follows:
SC Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
IC Association of Independent Colleges and Schools
MS Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
NE New England Association of Colleges and Schools
NC North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
NW Northwestern Association of Colleges and Schools
TT National Association of Trade and Technical Schools
WA Western Association of Schools and Colleges
If you have a question regarding a specific distance learning school,
you can contact your local association, and find out if they are
accredited. Any worthwile school will also list their accreditation on
their web site, or in thier catalog.
The researcher who suggested you look at Petersens.com also has an
excellent suggestion. Any class or school listed in Petersens must be
accredited to be listed, so you can be sure that anything you find at
the Peterson's web site is a legitimate school.
You can also find more information by visiting these web sites:
Distance Learning and Training Council
http://www.detc.org/
This web site lists their own accredited institutions.
The Virtual University
http://www.geteducated.com/articles/dlfaq.htm#Q2
Here are some FAQs about accreditation, and what it means to you.
Degree Finders Special Report
http://www.degreefinders.com/SpecialReports.html
A report with information on distance learning and accreditation.
PBS Distance Learning
http://www.pbs.org/als/dlweek/dlandyou/
A report by the Public Broadcasting System on distance learning.
As distance learning becomes more and more popular, more unscrupulous
schools are springing up all the time. Congratulations on wanting to
learn more, and making sure that the school you choose is legitimate
and accredited. Good luck in your future education, and if I can help
you with anything else, please let me know!
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