Accreditation

OSU Institute of Technology’s programs of study are approved by the Board of Regents for Oklahoma State University and the A&M Colleges, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, and the Oklahoma State Accrediting Agency.

OSU Institute of Technology, a public state-supported institution, has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) since 1975.

Higher Learning Commission
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500
Chicago, IL 60604
800-621-7440

Accreditation is the process of having an external quality review to ensure that colleges, universities, and educational programs are of the highest quality. The Higher Learning Commission accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the north central region which includes Oklahoma and 18 other states.

OSUIT HLC Assurance Argument
Download the OSUIT HLC Assurance Argument submitted as a part of OSUIT's accreditation reaffirmation process.
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Why Accreditation?

By definition, accreditation is the process of by which an educational institutions is recognized for “maintaining standards that qualify the graduates for admission to higher or more specialized institutions or for professional practice.”

In addition to permitting students to receive federal financial assistance, accreditation also allows for transfer of credits and ensures that OSUIT courses have rigor and quality expected of a higher learning institution.

Process

OSUIT is in the process of reaffirming accreditation with HLC via the Open Pathway. It follows a 10-year cycle and, like all pathways, is focused on quality assurance and institutional improvement. The Open Pathway is unique in that its improvement component, the Quality Initiative, affords institutions the opportunity to pursue improvement projects that meet their current needs and aspirations.

Assurance Review

HLC conducts an Assurance Review to determine whether an institution continues to meet the Criteria for Accreditation. On the Open Pathway, the Assurance Review is conducted by itself in Year 4 and is a part of the comprehensive evaluation that occurs in Year 10.

The Year 4 review is completed electronically through the Assurance System and does not include a visit. The Year 10 review includes a visit to the campus. OSUIT’s review in 2020 is the Year 10 review.

The following steps make up the Assurance Review:

The institution demonstrates that it meets the Criteria for Accreditation by preparing an Assurance Filing, comprised of an Assurance Argument and an Evidence File, using HLC’s Assurance System.
A team of peer reviewers evaluates the institution’s Assurance Filing. The outcome of this review is a recommendation as to whether the institution meets the Criteria for Accreditation.

If the Assurance Review is part of a comprehensive evaluation, this review will also include an on-site visit by the peer review team. The Assurance Review conducted in Year 4 of the Open Pathway does not include an on-site visit unless the team determines one is necessary to explore uncertainties in evidence that cannot be resolved at a distance or if a sanction is being considered.
A decision-making body reviews the institution’s documentation and the recommendation from the peer review team and takes an official action.

Quality Initiative

The Open Pathway requires an institution to designate one major improvement effort it has undertaken during its 10-year accreditation cycle as its Quality Initiative. The Quality Initiative takes place between years 5 and 9 of the 10-year Open Pathway Cycle. A Quality Initiative project may be designed to begin and be completed during this time, or an institution may continue a project that is already in progress or achieve a key milestone in the work of a longer initiative. The Quality Initiative is intended to allow institutions to take risks, aim high and learn from only partial success or even failure.

The Team

Kevin Hulett, Chair
Ina Agnew, PhD
Michelle Canan
Devin DeBock
Melissa Dreyer, PhD
Shari Erwin
Jody Grammer
Scott Newman, EdD
Jim Smith

Accreditation

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