Accreditation

Accreditation Services

The Association defines accreditation to mean that an institution has completed a self-study based on APTA standard and has been determined to be guided by well-defined and appropriate goals.  Accreditation signifies that a school has established conditions and procedures under which its goals can be realized and substantially accomplished as expected to do so.

 
Basic Requirements for APTA Accreditation

Membership in APTA
Five years in operation or two graduating classes
Appropriate authority to operate as a school
Structured curriculum
Governing body with legal responsibility for the school
Basic resources necessary to implement the curriculum (ie. Administrator, faculty and  physical facilities)

 

Steps to Accreditation

1. The school completes and sends Preliminary Accreditation Questionnaire.

2. An APTA Commission representative is sent to the school to review and explain the accreditation process and documents and to assist the school to determine if it is feasible to proceed with accreditation process.

3. If the school decides to apply for accreditation, the Statement of Intent is sent to the Office.

4. The candidate institution proceeds with the self study according to the agreed timetable.

5. At least 60 days prior to the schedule d visit, the school sends the self-study report to the appropriate persons according to the specific instructions of the Executive Director.  

6. The Visiting Team conducts an on-site evaluation of the institution.

7. The Visiting Team prepares a report on the visit and submits this to the Accreditation Commission.

8. The Commission considers the Self-study and Visiting Team Reports to determine whether the institution should be accredited.

9. The Executive Director notifies the institution of the decision of the Commission.  This may include provisional, full accreditation status or denial of accreditation.