When looking to further your education, one of the most important criteria to keep in mind is accreditation. Employers as well as other academic institutions will look to see if the courses you have taken or degree you have earned is from an accredited university or college.

Accreditation, at first glance, appears scary – but when you start to understand what accreditation is, and the process in which it occurs – it isn’t all that bad.

In the United States there are two ways for a school to earn accreditation-institutional and programmatic. Institutional accreditation deals with accrediting the actual institutions. Programmatic accreditation looks at specific programs for a school. There are six regional accrediting associations in the United States that will grant accreditation for a school. It is important to note that it is not required for a college or university to be accredited. However, it is important to the school to be accredited in order to receive federal aid from the government.

Why is accreditation important? While it is true that employers, other academic institutions and the government view accreditation as a must have – it is also important for you as the student. Accreditation ensures that the school you are attending and investing in meets and maintains a certain level of quality. Employers may see that you have a degree from the University of “Anywhere”-but if the school is not well known and they research to only find that it is not accredited, they will not view your education as valuable as if it had come from an accredited school.

How to know if a school is accredited? If the school is not well known, then you might need to do some research on whether it has been accredited. Many schools will indicate what accreditation institution has evaluated the school, you can check the “About Us” page or perhaps the history of the school. Otherwise, there are websites available to help you determine whether or not the school is accredited, as well as what institutions have evaluated the school or program that you are interested in.

If you are entertaining the idea of furthering your education, whether it is through distance education or by attending traditional college, ensuring accreditation is very important. It would be terrible to make such a large investment in your future only to find out that your credits might not transfer or your prospective employer doesn’t want to place the value on your higher education. So take the extra few minutes to make sure that the school or programs that you are interested in have been through this process – it will save you time and money in the long run.