Accreditation

Pine Technical & Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission

Pine Technical & Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and has been since 1994. 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. To retain accreditation, PTCC must, on an ongoing basis, meet the General Institutional Requirements and demonstrate it satisfies 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.

The accredited organization must:

  • Be a degree-granting institution with a mission statement, formally adopted by the governing board and made public, declaring 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 with 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 also must 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.