Institutional Research Assessment and Planning

Accreditation

UW-Whitewater is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), a regional accreditor that ensures educational quality for post-secondary institutions in 19 states. HLC does an in-depth evaluation of our mission, integrity, quality of instruction, processes for evaluating and improving teaching and learning, and our overall institutional effectiveness, resources, and planning. HLC accreditation is very important for our campus, impacting things such as how we use our budget, transfer credits, and access to federal funds - including student loans.

UW-Whitewater’s last HLC review was in 2022-2023. The review was very positive and resulted in full reaccreditation.

Quality of student learning assessment is one of the key factors considered in the accreditation process.  Throughout our most recent review, the quality of our assessment processes and widespread involvement of faculty, staff, and students from across campus were noted as strengths.

For further details, you may review the HLC’s accreditation process.

HLC will again review UW-Whitewater in 2032-2033.

In between 10th year reviews, the university provides official updates (see figure below; UW-Whitewater is on HLC’s Open Pathway for accreditation). For more information about the accreditation cycle and process, please contact UWW’s Accreditation Liaison Officer, Katy Casey at caseyk@uww.edu.

Ten-Year Cycle for HLC’s Open Pathway

 

Program/Unit Accreditation

In addition to university-wide accreditation, several programs or units are also approved by discipline-specific accrediting Bodies. Program-level accrediting agencies provide guidelines for content to cover, the kinds and level of instruction expected, practical experiences students should gain, instructor-to-student ratios, and instructor training and preparation.

Below is a full list of the programs or units and respective review dates.

Current Program and Unit Accreditations

 Program Accrediting Agency Academic Year of Last Review Academic Year of Next Review
Accounting Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business 2019-2020 2023-2024
Art and Design National Association of Schools of Art & Design 2019-2020 2024-2025
College of Business and Economics Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business 2018-2019 2023-2024
Chemistry American Chemical Society 2016-2017 2021-2022
Communication Sciences and Disorders American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 2021-2022 2029-2030
Counseling: MS Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs 2019-2020 2024-2025
Music National Association of Schools of Music 2011-2012 2021-2022
Occupational Safety ABET: Applied Science Accreditation Commission 2021-2022 2027-2028
School Psychology National Association of School Psychologists 2019-2020 2027-2028
Social Work: BA/BS Council on Social Work Education 2018-2019 2023-2024
Social Work: MSW Council on Social Work Education ----- 2023-2024
Overall University HLC Accreditation Higher Learning Commission 2022-2023 2032-2033