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Many applicants wonder what the first steps are in preparing for the accreditation process. Here are some the steps you should consider taking when applying NASPAA accreditation for the first time:

Step 1: Become a member of NASPAA. 

• Becoming a member of NASPAA is a precondition of accreditation. Membership applications are reviewed semi-annually by the Executive Council of NASPAA. It is important to get your application in well in advance to ensure that the membership process is complete prior to submitting your accreditation application. 

• Accreditation self-study report templates ask for three or more years worth of data on certain accreditation standards. It is important to begin collecting the data early to ensure it will be ready in time for self-study submission.
• Building faculty support for accreditation within the program and institution prior to self-study submission is an important step to ensuring a successful self-study process.

• The Commission requires that programs applying for accreditation attend at least one Accreditation Institute workshop prior to applying for accreditation. This can either be done in person at NASPAA or other public administration conferences or through a webinar. Programs that have participated in these sessions in the past tend to have a higher level of success in communicating conformance to the standards.

• Notifying COPRA of your intent ensures that you will have access to the staff and Commission for the latest changes and updates that might impact your application.