Interested in online education, but unsure how an online degree will be regarded in the workplace? There is no need to worry when it comes to Rio Salado College Online. Rio Salado is properly accredited. Only two entities in the U.S. are authorized to recognize accreditation agencies: the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Rio Salado College - Accreditation

Accreditation is a hot topic in higher education. It should be clear that anyone seeking a degree should attend an accredited institution. Using unaccredited credentials can be seen by potential employers and others as fraudulent, and in some states it can even be against the law. Higher education accreditation applies to both institutions and/or programs. There are two types of accreditations: regional and national.

The regional accreditors cover specific sections of the United States and originated from leagues of traditional colleges and universities around the country. Arizona is part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (The Higher Learning Commission: HLC). The National accreditors follow specific themes of study and initially served schools that were not colleges or universities.

It is important to keep in mind that within an institution of higher education, there may also be accreditation of a particular program of study. This accreditation is called specialized accreditation and often is a national accrediting body. For example, students studying for specific professions like nursing, dental assisting, dental hygiene, teacher education (to name a few) generally need to graduate from an accredited program with specialized accreditation from the professional association for that particular field in order to receive a license to practice in the field.

Rio Salado has multiple accreditations from reputable agencies. It is important to be aware of the ability to transfer credits to other higher education institutions. In some instances, coursework completed at a regionally accredited institution is more likely to be transferable to another regionally accredited institution. For instance, Rio Salado has articulation agreements with Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, NorthCentral University and numerous other institutions across the country. Verification of transferable credits with your academic advisor is always recommended.

Regional Accreditation

(The Higher Learning Commission: HLC) is part of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. Through its Commissions it accredits, and thereby grants membership to educational institutions in the North Central region: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming. HLC is recognized by the US Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

The HLC has designed the accreditation process to achieve its mission: Serving the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher education.

HLC accreditation is based on a thorough evaluation and fulfillment of specific criteria. The five criteria’s are: Mission & Integrity; Preparing the Future; Student Learning and Effective Teaching; Acquisition, Discovery and Application of Knowledge; and Engagement and Service.

HLC Documents
Higher Learning Commission
The Commission Statement on General Education
Rio's Self Study - 2002
Self Study Survey data

National Accreditation