Question:
The US Dept. of Education does not accredit any schools. Most colleges are
accredited by on of the regional groups -- here in FL that would be the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools. Elsewhere the first word is different, but
the organization is the same. It is, as the title says, an association of
colleges and schools with no legal weight.
Trade schools are usually accredited by National Association of Trade and
Technical Schools, although I believe they have changed their name recently.
Again, they have no legal weight.
The process of "accreditation" by any of these groups is more a check of a
school's record-keeping and whether or not they teach what they say they do in
their catalog. It does NOT reflect on the quality of the education offered.
The federal government's only input into the process is in granting financial
aid status. They are far more concerned with getting repaid for student loans
than with educational quality. (They assume that is the default rate is too high
the educatin is poor, but they neither know nor care about anything other than
the default rate.)
The state government gets involved a bit more, and, generally must approve a
curriculum before they will license it, but, again, they do not pass on the
quality of education.
Yes, I have worked in private education and have been through several
accreditations over the years. Accreditation is a paperwork nightmare, but is no
assurance of educational quality.
Answer:
I dont know who acredits HMI,
Although some acrediting organizations do maintain a standard for
quality in education.
Bottom line is, it is up to the university whether it will accept the
credits from another college, trade school or other.
