What is accreditation?
MATC is accredited until 2012/2013 through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) using the Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). Accreditation through the HLC " . . . provides assurance to the public, in particular to prospective students, that an organization has been found to meet the agency's clearly stated requirements and criteria, and that there are reasonable grounds for believing that it will continue to meet them." View our Statement of Affiliation Status with the HLC.
What is the value of accreditation?
The Commission reaches the conclusion that a college or university meets the Criteria only after the organization opens itself to outside examination by experienced evaluators familiar with accrediting requirements and with higher education.
The process of accreditation provides the accredited organization with an opportunity for critical self-analysis leading to improvement in quality and for consultation and advice.
What is the Higher Learning Commission?
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation and one of two Commission members of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), which was founded in 1895 as one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The Higher Learning Commission accredits, and thereby grants membership in the Commission and in the North Central Association, to degree-granting 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).
Academic Quality Improvement Program
The Academic Quality Improvement Program infuses the principles and benefits of continuous improvement into the culture of colleges and universities by providing an alternative process through which an already-accredited institution can maintain its accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission.
With AQIP, an institution demonstrates it meets Accreditation standards and expectations through a sequence of events that align with those ongoing activities that characterize organizations striving to improve their performance.