Accreditation of Online Masters Degree Programs
In selecting an online masters degree program it's very important to carefully consider the school's accreditation. Here's a few thoughts:
 | Don't rely on an impressive or familiar-sounding name. For example, just
because the school name contains the name of, say, George Washington, doesn't
mean it's a legitimate or good school. |
| In business the AACSB is the Gold Standard in accreditation. Regional
Accreditation only is a lesser standard for business schools. Virtually all
the top business schools are accredited by the AACSB. |
| Regional accreditation is necessary for traditional federally-subsidized
financial aid. |
| Be very wary of schools that have only private accreditation. Anyone can privately accredit an academic institution. You can can send an email message to an academic institution and say that you are accrediting it. Many AACSB and regionally-accredited institutions will not accept degrees or courses from schools that are not at least regionally accredited. |