Does Accreditation Actually Matter?

Beyond Your Boss

Accreditation is often valued as a way that educators and employers can be sure they are on the same page regarding the quality and rigor of an educational program. The majority of employers you will encounter do favor those applicants who actually have properly accredited diplomas. In some cases, mentioning on your application that you hold a degree from a school that is unaccredited is the equivalent of saying you have no college experience.

Nevertheless, there are employers out there who do not have a solid understanding of the system of accreditation, and therefore aren't so quick to judge a school that they may not have heard of. If for any reason you think that accreditation isn't going to be a big factor in your job hunts, we want to discuss the importance of accreditation outside of the realm of job applications.

Why Accreditation Matters

Despite its importance to the job world, accreditation has ramifications that extend far beyond the rat race for employment. Aiming to get a great education should be in the spirit of improving yourself, not necessarily your job prospects.

When a school is accredited, its curriculum and faculty are vetted to ensure that they're providing an environment that fuels and nurtures the learning process. If you pursue a diploma from an accredited university, you make the choice to invest your future with academic rigor and intellectual satisfaction.

The tuition you're paying for will not buy you an actual job. Instead, your tuition is an investment into your personal store of quality and worthwhile knowledge. In terms of improving your know-how and intellect, accreditation guarantees that you get exactly what you pay for.  

Thinking Of More School?

Let's now return to the situation of the job for which accreditation is no real concern. You earn the gig with an unaccredited diploma, until one day you decide that you'd like more pay and responsibility. Additional education is what will be needed in order to earn those privileges.

You apply to grad schools only to find that... you have been rejected. Even if some employers may let accreditation matters slide, the educational community does not play games regarding this concept. Any school that does manage to overlook your troubled diploma won't forgive your credits; chances are you will have to start all the way from zero.

Don't even expose yourself to this possibility, and get an accredited degree the first time around.