Accreditation of University Programs

Professional development within the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences encompasses: the Certification Program; the Accreditation Program; and numerous opportunities to assume leadership roles, publish in the Association's professional journals, and enhance personal knowledge and skills through participation in meetings, seminars, and workshops at district, state, and national levels.

The purpose of accreditation is to strengthen family and consumer sciences education at the college and university level. The AAFCS Council for Accreditation is a specialized accrediting agency. Its mission is to provide a voluntary external evaluation of units in higher education that represent the family and consumer sciences profession and to recognize those units that meet or exceed stated standards.

Accreditation is designed to assure the quality of the education offered in programs of professional study. Accredited programs are recognized for a level of performance that entitles them to the confidence of the educational community and the public they serve.

AAFCS accreditation is a status granted to family and consumer sciences units within colleges and universities that meet or exceed standards established by AAFCS's Council for Accreditation.

The AAFCS program meets national criteria for organizations carrying out such a program. The model requires: application by a family and consumer sciences unit holding membership in AAFCS's Higher Education Unit; a careful self-study by the unit; an on-site visit by an evaluation team and an institutional response to the team's report as well as subsequent review and decision by AAFCS's Council for Accreditation. The Council applies contemporary criteria that are national in scope. Thus, accreditation contributes to the assurance that graduates of these programs have had formal preparation that meets nationally accepted standards of quality.

AAFCS is recognized as a Specialized Accrediting Agency by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). CHEA requires that any organization that seeks to retain its recognition participate in periodic reviews of its program and processes. The scope of AAFCS accreditation as recognized by CHEA includes units in postsecondary institutions in the U.S. and its territories having educational programs (majors) leading to a baccalaureate degree or degrees through which professionals are prepared for a career in family and consumer sciences or in the profession's career specializations.

Accredited Universities
AAFCS is recognized as a Specialized Accrediting Agency by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The family and consumer sciences programs listed below have been accredited by the AAFCS Council for Accreditation.

1. Accredited University Programs-Northeast Region
2. Accredited University Programs-Southern Region
3. Accredited University Programs-Central Region
4. Accredited University Programs-Western Region