The DETC is an organization of distance-education schools, who have gathered together voluntarily to formulate standards and codes of practice for their industry. The DETC's accreditation body, the DETC Accrediting Commission, is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as a national accreditation agency. The DETC's focus is on quality assurance, self-improvement and protection of students' rights throughout its member schools.
When the DETC was founded in 1926 it was concerned to "promote sound educational standards and ethical business practices" within the field. That summarizes the value of accreditation quite succinctly. Accredited schools have passed detailed scrutiny of their methodology and business practices by the DETC, and students may confidently enroll in an accredited program.
Candidate schools begin by reviewing the accreditation handbook, after which one key person will be required to pass DETC's online course on Preparing for Accreditation. That person becomes the designated "compliance officer," who prepares a Self-Evaluation Review for the institution. That review becomes part of the school's formal application, along with its course materials, financial data and other pertinent information. The DETC reviews all this data, interviews the school's students and solicits feedback from the public. The Commission will visit the campus physically; it verifies the school's integrity by inquiries to the Better Business Bureau, local chamber of commerce and various other agencies. After numerous reviews, accreditation is granted for five-year terms, during which schools must requalify.
Programs offered through distance education range from vocational certificates to full-blown graduate degrees, with costs and course materials varying accordingly. Credits and degrees are usually transferable to other federally or regionally approved institutions, although this is at the discretion of the other institution. Some are more open than others, and students should always verify transferability when applying to a new school.