Before you can understand the differences between institutional or programmatic accreditation, the general concept needs to be established. According to the American Psychological Association, accreditation is two things: process and status. In terms of process, accreditation is an active effort by an educational institution to maintain and improve the quality of its facilities and programs. The place of learning then applies for accreditation status. Once obtained, accreditation tells the public that the school in question meets certain standards, boosting its credibility and reputation.
Institutional accreditation is a broad form of recognition. It indicates that the institution has met a variety of requirements to be accredited. Accrediting agencies analyze the school's overall performance, evaluating everything from administrative ability to teaching quality. It confirms that the school has achieved a satisfactory level in areas like faculty, curriculum, services and financial stability.
Programmatic accreditation is radically different from its institutional counterpart. While institutional accreditation covers the entire school, programmatic accreditation focuses on specific departments. Second, programmatic accreditation is not as easy to achieve as institutional accreditation, because institutional accreditation is a prerequisite. Upon success, specific university departments, such as law, medicine and education, can earn further recognition through programmatic accreditation. This type of accreditation is also more important than institutional accreditation because some professions require education from an accredited department. Essentially, it affects your future career goals.
Accreditation, whether institutional or programmatic, is something you should investigate as a prospective student. Post-secondary education is a large investment, so it is always important to practice due diligence. See what types of accreditation a college or university has before you enroll. Lack of accreditation is serious sign that you will not be getting the appropriate quality of education for your money.