Accreditation

Higher Learning Commission Mark of Affiliation
 


Pine Technical College Institutional Profile

 

Pine Technical College has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, since 1994. In Feb. 2009, the HLC visited Pine Technical College for a comprehensive evaluation.

The Higher Learning Commission is one of six regional accrediting agencies in the United States to provide institutional accreditation. Institutional accreditation evaluates an entire institution and accredits it as a whole. Other agencies provide accreditation for specific programs. Accreditation is voluntary. The Commission accredits approximately 1,100 institutions of higher education in a nineteen-state region. The Commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

During 2008, Pine Technical College has been engaged in a process of self-study, addressing the Commission's requirements and criteria for accreditation. The evaluation team visited the institution to gather evidence that the self-study was comprehensive and accurate. The team recommended to the Commission a continuing status for the college; following a review process, the Commission itself took final action and re-accredited Pine Technical College. The Commission will visit Pine Technical College again in 2019. 

Pine Technical College is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. To retain accreditation, Pine Technical College must, on an ongoing basis, meet the General Institutional Requirements and demonstrate that it satisfies the five criteria for accreditation. The General Institutional Requirements cover 24 specific points in seven areas: Mission, Authorization, Governance, Faculty, Educational Program, Finances, and Public Information.

In general, the accredited organization must:

  -be a degree-granting institution with a mission statement, formally adopted by the governing board and made public, declaring that
   it is an institution of higher education.
  -have legal status to grant degrees and legal documents to confirm its status: for-profit, not-for-profit, or public.
  -be governed by a governing board that includes members of the public and is sufficiently autonomous to assure institutional 
   integrity.

The organization's educational program must:

  -confer degrees and have students enrolled in degree programs.
  -be compatible with the organization's mission in degrees offered and in admission policies and practices.
  -provide students access to learning programs and support for degree programs.

Faculty must:

  -possess degrees appropriate to the level of instruction they offer.
  -play a significant role in developing and evaluating the institution's instructional programs.

Financially, the college must:

  -undergo a biennial audit
  -demonstrate appropriate allocation of resources
  -demonstrate fiscal viability

The college must also assure:

  -its catalog and/or other official documents include certain types of information.
  -the college's standing with accrediting bodies is accurately disclosed to the public.
  -it makes available on request information that accurately describes its financial condition.


The organization must also demonstrate that it satisfies five Criteria for Accreditation. To assist those involved in making judgments about affiliation, the Commission provides a list of typical areas of institutional activity or concern that form a “Pattern of Evidence” related directly to the satisfaction of each of the five criteria. These indicators illustrate characteristic varieties of evidence that an institution might present in building its case and that the Commission’s processes weigh in making a decision.