Accreditation Institute

The Accreditation Institute is a one-day in-person workshop for academic program directors and faculty seeking to learn about accreditation for masters-level public service degrees. Attendance is free to registered NASPAA Annual Conference attendees. The day is designed to provide tools to be successful in mission-driven, outcomes-oriented, evidence-based strategic program management.  
When is the 2023 Accreditation Institute?

The 2023 Accreditation Institute will take place October 11, 2023, as part of 2023 NASPAA Annual Conference activities. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. 

Who should attend the Accreditation Institute?

Programs seeking (re)accreditation in the short-term and programs that have applied for or are considering applying for accreditation eligibility are especially encouraged to register. Programs in the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 accreditation cohorts are strongly encouraged to attend the 2023 Accreditation Institute. Program heads and faculty who are new to accredited programs and anyone else interested in learning more about NASPAA accreditation should attend!

What is the focus of the 2023 Accreditation Institute?

The 2023 Accreditation Institute will be an in-person facilitated instruction to provide an overview of the NASPAA accreditation process. This will be followed by three sessions to provide an overview on the seven NASPAA Accreditation Standards, including maintaining the program mission, sustainable assessment, tools for programs seeking (re)accreditation, and program best practices. The training is focused on the elements of managing a program strategically: mission-driven, outcomes-oriented, and evidence-based. A fifth session will provide an orientation for those interested in becoming a NASPAA site visitor or receiving a refresher on the site visit process. 

The 2023 Accreditation Institute will be a full-day workshop comprised of five sessions of about 1.5 hours each. Each session is unique, freestanding, and covers important aspects of the accreditation process and tools to help programs formatively use the NASPAA Accreditation Standards to carry out their public service missions. 

Sessions will include an overview of the benefits of NASPAA accreditation, the accreditation cycle, detailed discussions on the NASPAA Accreditation Standards, and an orientation to NASPAA site visits.

What Did Participants Think of the 2022 NASPAA Accreditation Institute?
  • Over 88% of participants agreed that the AI provided tools to use in developing an accreditation self-study report.
  • Over 95% of participants strongly agreed that the AI provided clear information about the NASPAA Accreditation Standards.
  • Over 85% strongly agreed that they would recommend the NASPAA Accreditation Institute to a colleague from their own or another program. [Source: 2022 Post-Accreditation Feedback Survey, n=44]
Can I access materials for the 2022 Accreditation Institute sessions?

The PowerPoint presentation from the 2022 Accreditation Institute can be viewed at the bottom of this page. 

What other resources are available on NASPAA Accreditation?

Familiarity with the NASPAA Accreditation Standards is key to understanding NASPAA Accreditation. A series of videos, available here, can give you the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of the NASPAA Accreditation Standards ahead of the 2023 Accreditation Institute.  General familiarity with the NASPAA Accreditation Standards is the basis for preparing a comprehensive Self-Study Report.

2021 Accreditation Institute Videos

Click below to view the videos from the 2021 Accreditation Institute:

  1. Session 1: NASPAA Accreditation: Strategic Program Management
  2. Session 2: Setting the Stage-Standard 1, Mission, Values, and Outcomes
  3. Session 3: Addressing the Fundamentals-Standards 2, 3, 4, Governance and Operations
  4. Session 4: Closing the Loop-Standards 5, 6, 7, Competencies and Transparency
2022 Accreditation Institute Slides

Click below to view the PowerPoint slides from the 2022 Accreditation Institute. If you attended the 2022 Accreditation Institute it is a great way to review what you learned. If you did not attend, the slides provide an overview of the content to supplement your learning about NASPAA Accreditation. Please consider joining us for the 2023 Accreditation Institute!