Northwestern State University of Louisiana departments receive accreditation from third-party evaluation entities to provide better opportunities to attending students.
The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. NSU currently offers 15 separate degree programs which fall under the four academic colleges: College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business and Technology, College of Nursing and Allied Health and College of Education and Human Development.
Individual departments within the colleges are not required to receive accreditation as the university has already received its own accreditation. However, despite no requirement, several departments at NSU have received accreditation.
Currently, the NSU Hospitality Management and Tourism department is working to receive their first accreditation. Valerie Salter, coordinator of HMT at NSU, elaborates on the process of becoming accredited.
“An accreditation process determines standards and what should be in instruction and what all those things should look like according to national standards for a program,” Salter said. “In my definition, an accreditation is in essence a seal of approval, they determine whether you’re meeting the standards of that accrediting body or not.”
NSU HMT is seeking accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration, which will not be official until July 2024.
“When a program is accredited it’s a signal to students and the university itself that the program meets a certain level of standards and it adds value to the students’ degree as well,” Salter said.
To receive accreditation, a department must first submit a self-study report which entails a faculty evaluation of their department’s curriculum, resources, and facilities overall. Once the self-study has been submitted, a review board from the accrediting body will then conduct a site visit to evaluate the department themselves and meet the students and faculty.
Following a site visit, the site visitors will typically give constructive feedback to faculty and provide an unofficial understanding of accreditation results.
Salter hopes to utilize constructive feedback from the site visit to improve the HMT department.
“It will provide us a structure, standards and more data points for what we do in our instructions and what we do as a totality of a program and it will ensure we are on par with other leading programs in the United States,” Salter said.
All the information is then compiled and submitted to an accreditation board for an official review.
An approved accreditation typically lasts for eight years before expiring; however, this is subjective to the accrediting body. Therefore, it is expected for departments to go through a re-accreditation process, roughly, every five to seven years.
Susan Campbell, social work department chair, has recently completed this process as the NSU Social Work department just received their re-accreditation from the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE).
Campbell emphasizes that the CSWE will look for key points in their department’s curriculum throughout the re-accreditation process.
“As part of our accreditation standards in social work, we have what are called competencies,” Campbell said. “Some of our competencies we have to be able to show in our courses that we are demonstrating ethical and professional practice, we have to show that we can engage in diversity and difference in practice, we have a course in informed research and research informed practice, and also our practice courses that work with group are informed by prior research and pedagogical standards.”
Following the site visit, the NSU Social Work department received positive feedback from CSWE, which led to their accreditation approval.
“When the site visitor came, it was a general site visit because she said, ‘you’re the first one I’ve done where there aren’t any specific questions’ so that let us know that we were doing our job and that really is what it’s all about, is that we as a department, were doing our job,” Campbell said.
The NSU Social Work department has now been approved for the next eight years.
“I suppose it is just technically a pass or fail, but I would like to think we passed with an A plus because there were no concerns that we had to address so we were thrilled by that,” Campbell said.
Campbell explained the benefit she hopes to provide for students now that the reaccreditation has been approved.
“Accreditation supports the student’s future work, for instance, our department, if a student graduates with a bachelor’s of social work from an accredited institution like ours then they can go on and get a master’s degree in one year,” Campbell said.
The chance to receive a master’s degree in one year is referred to as advanced standing.
“I think that’s important to recognize that this, we’re not just doing it for today,” Campbell said. “We’re really looking at our students’ future and reaccreditation gives them opportunity.”
Atziary Perez, sophomore social work major, recognizes the impact attending an accredited university can have on her future.
“I feel like attending this department at NSU will definitely benefit me by the time that I am looking for a job; it is already benefiting me as a student right now, and I know it will benefit me more after I graduate,” Perez said. “Attending an accredited university can be regarded as a guarantee for my future.”
Perez feels honored to be a part of her department.
“Attending an accredited department is truly an honor, especially for the department of Social Work,” Perez said.
NSU’s Dear School of Creative and Performing Arts is also an accredited program of NSU. Within CAPA, the Creative Arts department has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the Music department by the National Association of Schools of Music, with degrees in Music Education being accredited both the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation and the Theatre department by the National Association of Schools of Theatre and Music.
Abbygail Casnave, freshman music business major, shares her perspective on attending an accredited music program.
“Honestly I didn’t even know that it was nationally recognized, but now that I do I feel excited,” Casnave said. “I think that this will help benefit my career in the future because I’m receiving a great education here, rather than going somewhere else and receiving the bare minimum, which wouldn’t help me grow or prosper in the future.”
Likewise, Naje Turner, senior fine and graphics arts major with a concentration in interdisciplinary design, sees benefit in receiving her degree from an accredited creative arts department.
“I feel prideful to be able to represent a university that can be recognized nationally,” Turner said. “I feel as though the opportunity provided to us at our school can and will benefit my future.”
Emily Whitecotton, junior nursing major, shares similar gratitude for the opportunity to attend an accredited program as NSU’s Nursing department is accredited by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing.
“Being in a department that is highly accredited and competitive has been an amazing experience and I’m very grateful for the opportunities that NSU’s nursing program provides me with,” Whitecotton said.
Whitecotton feels the NSU nursing accredited department has benefited her education greatly and has well-prepared her for her future, including her National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for her nursing license.
“It’s been a great privilege to attend school here and I’m very lucky to have teachers who support my dreams in the way that they do,” Whitecotton said. “All of this provides me with the instruction I need to continue my career after school, not to mention the program has a 99% pass rate on the NCLEX so I have full confidence that they are preparing me in the best possible way.”
Other accredited departments at NSU include: Veterinary Technology by the American Veterinary Medical Association, Accounting, Business Administration and Computer Information Systems by the Associations for Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business International, Industrial and Electronics Engineering Technology by the Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Radiologic Sciences by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology, Education by Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and Counseling by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.
