Comprehensive Standard 3.13A

Policy Compliance - Accrediting Decisions of Other Agencies

The institution complies with the policies of the Commission on Colleges.

Accrediting Decisions of Other Agencies

Applicable Policy Statement: Any institution seeking or holding accreditation from more than one U.S. Department of Education recognized accrediting body must describe itself in identical terms to each recognized accrediting body with regard to purpose, governance, programs, degrees, diplomas, certificates, personnel, finances, and constituencies, and must keep each institutional accrediting body apprised of any change in its status with one or another accrediting body.

Documentation: The institution should (1) list federally recognized agencies that currently accredit the institution, (2) provide the date of the most recent review by each agency and indicate if negative action was taken by the agency and the reason for such action, (3) provide copies of statements used to describe itself for each of the accrediting bodies, (4) indicate any agency that has terminated accreditation, the date, and the reason for termination, and (5) indicate the date and reason for the institution voluntarily withdrawing accreditation with any of the agencies.

Judgment of Compliance: Compliance

Narrative/Justification for Judgment of Compliance:

In addition to the accreditation that the institution holds with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, there are twenty-seven active programs at St. Petersburg College (SPC) that are currently accredited or approved by federally recognized accrediting agencies. Each agency is recognized by one or more of the following bodies: U.S. Department of Education (USDE), Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and the Association for Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA). To date, each program has been granted full accreditation or approval status. No negative action has been taken against SPC for any accreditation or approval that the institution holds, and there have been no instances where an accrediting agency has terminated the accreditation of an SPC program as a result of non-compliance.

Two programs at SPC have voluntarily withdrawn their “fully accredited” status with a federally recognized accrediting agency - Nursing, BS and Medical Laboratory Technology, AS. The baccalaureate nursing program received full accreditation from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) in 2004, which was recognized through 2009. In 2006, the program opted to apply for accreditation with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and was granted full accreditation through 2011 and decided not to renew accreditation with NLNAC. The Nursing, BS program has continued its accreditation with CCNE and was most recently granted full accreditation in 2011 through 2021. The Medical Laboratory Technology AS program was closed effective Spring 2013. A letter to this effect was submitted to SACS in 2012 and approved by SACS-COC in 2013. A letter was submitted to NAACLS in April 2013. Individual teach out plans have been made for all students currently enrolled within the program.

The table below lists all federally recognized agencies that currently accredit or approve programs at the institution. Each accrediting agency is mapped to the program and degree levels it accredits or approves, the date of the most recent review, the status, and date of next review. This information is publicly accessible via SPC's Accreditation webpage.


Accrediting Agency

Accredited Programs

Most Recent Review (click on date for self-study)

Action Taken/ Status

Next Review

American Bar Association (ABA)1*

Paralegal (A.S., B.A.S., Post-Baccalaureate Certificate)

2012

Full Approval:

7 years

2019

American Board of Funeral Service Education1

Funeral Services (A.S.)

2008

Full Accreditation:

7 years

2015

American Dental Association – Commission on Dental Accreditation1

Dental Hygiene (A.S.)

2012

Full Accreditation:

7 years

2019

American Physical Therapy Association – Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education1, 2

Physical Therapist Assistant (A.S.)

2007

Full Accreditation:

10 years

2017

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) – Committee on Veterinary Education and Activities1, 2

Veterinary Technology (A.S., B.A.S., Lower Division Certificate, and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate)

2011

Full Accreditation:

2 years

2013

Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM)3

Health Information Management (A.S.)

2004

Full Accreditation:

Indefinite

Ongoing, with annual Report

Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care3

Respiratory Care (A.S.)

2008

Full Accreditation:

9 years

2017

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)1

Nursing (B.S.)

2011

Full Accreditation:

10 years

2021

Committee of Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)2

EMS – Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Profession

Orthotics and Prosthetics – National commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education

Emergency Medical Services (A.S.)

2010

Full Accreditation:

5 years

2015

Orthotics and Prosthetics (B.A.S.) **

2009

Full Accreditation:

3 years

2013

Paramedic (Certificate)

2010

Full Accreditation:

5 years

2015

Florida Department of Education – Bureau of Educator Recruitment, Development and Retention1

(Teacher certification, 7 BS and 1 post-bacc)

2010

Full Accreditation:

7 years

2017

Florida Department of Health – Bureau of Emergency Medical Services1

Emergency Medical Technician (Certificate)

2011

Full Accreditation:

2 years

2013

Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT)1, 2

Radiography (A.S.)

2010

Full Accreditation:

8 years

2018

National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)1, 2

Nursing (A.S.)

2012

Full Accreditation:

8 years

2020

1 Recognized by U.S. Dept. of Education (USDE)
2 Recognized by Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)
3 Association for Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA)

*The American Bar Association (ABA) "approves" programs but does not "accredit" them.

**The Orthotics & Prosthetics program was given a one-year extension from 2012 to 2013 causing the time between re-approval to be four years, rather than three. The extension is due to revision of the curriculum in preparation for recent mandates requiring a master's degree to work as an Orthotist / Prosthetist.


Provide Copies of Statements Used to Describe Itself for Each of the Accrediting Bodies

SPC’s review of documentation submitted to the accrediting agencies indicates an accurate and consistent description of the institution and the respective program at the time the submission was made. Descriptions have been extracted from each of the programs’ accreditation reports and are considered appropriate summaries of the following requisite elements:

  • Purpose: SPC’s Mission, vision, values

  • Governance: Board of Trustees, other institutional structure/organization

  • Programs: Programs offered by SPC

  • Degrees: Degrees awarded by SPC

  • Certificates: Certificates awarded by SPC

  • Personnel: Requirements SPC has regarding qualified faculty/personnel and the like

  • Finances: How the institution financially supports the program

  • Constituents: Discussion regarding student population, other invested stakeholders

For purposes of conciseness and relevancy, descriptions extracted from the program accreditation reports do not include information that the abovementioned elements do not require. Links to the full program self-studies can be found below.

 

Supporting Documentation

In order to preserve the integrity of the supporting documentation in case of updates occurring between the submission of this document and the review, the narrative above links to pdf versions, whereas live links are included below.