Accreditations and licensures

The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. Accreditation is your assurance that the University meets quality standards.

Institutional Accreditation

Regional accreditation is an institution-level accreditation status granted by one of six U.S. regional accrediting bodies. Accreditation by more than one regional accrediting body is not permitted by the U.S. Department of Education.

University of Phoenix is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org. Since 1978, University of Phoenix has been continually accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and its predecessor.

Programmatic Accreditation

Programmatic or specialized accreditation represents an additional level of external peer evaluation and quality assurance that applies to specific programs within an institution. The focus of programmatic accreditation is on the curriculum for a specific program(s) and how it leads to professional practice. With programmatic accreditation, the quality of the programs are continuously benchmarked against specific criteria that prepare students for the industry of choice. Employers and students can trust that the program of study meets quality standards set by the profession.

See below for University of Phoenix degree programs that have received programmatic accreditation.

The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) has accredited the following programs in the School of Business:

  • Associate of Arts with a concentration in Accounting Fundamentals
  • Associate of Arts with a concentration in Business Fundamentals
  • Bachelor of Science in Accounting
  • Bachelor of Science in Business
  • Master of Business Administration
  • Master of Management
  • Master of Science in Accountancy
  • Doctor of Business Administration
  • Doctor of Management

For additional information, please visit acbsp.org.

Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs
11520 West 119th Street
Overland Park, KS 66213

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Master of Science in Nursing programs at the University of Phoenix are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

The Master of Science in Counseling program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the Arizona and Utah Campuses are accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP®).For additional information, please visit cacrep.org.

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
1001 North Fairfax Street, Suite 510            
Alexandria, VA 22314

The educator preparation programs offered at the Hawaii and Utah Campuses are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), a specialized accrediting body. Following a merger of accreditors, NCATE accreditation is administered by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

The following initial teacher preparation programs are accredited at the Hawaii Campus:

  • Bachelor of Science in Education/Elementary Education
  • Master of Arts in Education/Elementary Education
  • Master of Arts in Education/Secondary Education
  • Master of Arts in Education/Special Education

The following initial teacher preparation and advanced preparation programs are accredited at the Utah Campus:

  • Bachelor of Science in Education/Elementary Education
  • Master of Arts in Education/Elementary Education
  • Master of Arts in Education/Secondary Education
  • Master of Arts in Education/Special Education
  • Master of Arts in Education/Administration and Supervision

For additional information, please visit caepnet.org.

Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
1140 19th St NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20036

In addition, educator preparation programs have been reviewed and approved by the state education agency in Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Utah. Educator preparation programs are offered in Florida based on home-state approval (Arizona). The College of Education offers state-specific initial and/or advanced educator preparation programs in these states. Individual programs vary by state, and not all programs are available at all locations or in both online and local campus modalities.

University of Phoenix is approved to operate in the following U.S. states and district, either through licensure, registration, general or specific approvals, consent, or exemption.

  • Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education
  • California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
  • Colorado Department of Higher Education
  • Government of the District of Columbia, Education Licensure Commission
  • Florida Commission for Independent Education
  • Georgia Nonpublic Postsecondary Education Commission
  • State of Hawaii Post-Secondary Education Authorization Program (HPEAP) from
  • Illinois Board of Higher Education
  • State of Louisiana Board of Regents
  • Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
  • Nevada Commission on Postsecondary Education
  • New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education
  • New Mexico Higher Education Department
  • Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina
  • Pennsylvania Department of Education
  • Tennessee Higher Education Commission
  • Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
  • Utah Division of Consumer Protection
  • The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
  • Washington Student Achievement Council

University of Phoenix is subject to specific approval-related statements that are required by some states or provinces as follows:

Florida: Licensed by the Florida Commission for Independent Education, License No. 2308.

Georgia: Authorized under the Nonpublic Postsecondary Educational Institutions Act of 1990.

Illinois: University of Phoenix is authorized to operate as a post-secondary educational institution by the Illinois Board of Higher Education, 1 N. Old State Capitol Plaza, Suite 333, Springfield, Illinois 62701-1377, www.ibhe.org.

Indiana: Fully authorized by the Indiana Commission for Postsecondary Proprietary Education. AC-0188. Indianapolis Campus: 7999 Knue Rd., Suites 100 & 500, Indianapolis, IN 46250; Northwest Indiana Campus: 8401 Ohio St., Merrillville, IN 46410.

Maryland: Registered with the Maryland Higher Education Commission.

Ohio: Registration Number 1154320. Cleveland Main Campus: 3401 Enterprise Pkwy., Ste. 250, Beachwood, OH 44122.

Oklahoma: University of Phoenix is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (http://hlcommission.org). For more information about University of Phoenix accreditations and licensures, please visit http://www.phoenix.edu/about_us/accreditation.html.”

College credit granted by University of Phoenix. Transferability of credit is at the discretion of the receiving institution. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm whether or not credits earned at University of Phoenix will be accepted by another institution of the student’s choice.

Puerto Rico: University of Phoenix operates under a renewal license granted by the Puerto Rico Council on Education.

South Carolina: Licensed by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. South Carolina Campus: 1001 Pinnacle Point Dr., Columbia, SC 29223.

Tennessee: Knoxville Campus: 10133 Sherrill Blvd., Ste. 120, Knoxville, TN 37932. Memphis Campus: 65 Germantown Ct., Ste. 100, Cordova, TN 38018; Nashville Campus: 616 Marriott Dr., Ste. 150, Nashville, TN 37214; Chattanooga Learning Center: 1208 Pointe Centre Dr., Chattanooga, TN 37421. Clarksville Learning Center: 141 Chesapeake Dr., Clarksville, TN 37040; Murfreesboro Learning Center: 2615 Medical Center Pkwy., Murfreesboro, TN 37129.

Virginia: University of Phoenix is certified to operate by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). Virginia Beach Learning Center 150 Central Park Avenue Virginia Beach, VA, 23462.

University of Phoenix also maintains voluntary memberships with numerous organizations, including:

Institutional:

  • American Council on Education®
  • Council for Higher Education Accreditation®
  • Consortium for the Advancement of Adult Higher Education
  • Educause
  • League for Innovation
  • Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education Cooperative for Educational Technologies

Advanced studies:

  • Council of Graduate Schools
  • International Leadership Association

Business:

  • Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs
  • American Accounting Association
  • American Institution of Certified Public Accountants
  • Arizona Quality Alliance
  • Manufacturing Institute
  • National Association of State Boards of Accountancy
  • Project Management Institute
  • Society for Human Resource Management

Criminal justice:

  • Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
  • American Correctional Association
  • American Jail Association
  • ASIS International
  • FBI National Academy Associates
  • International Association of Chiefs of Police
  • National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
  • National Sheriffs’ Association
  • Police Executive Research Forum

Education:

  • American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
  • Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
  • Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
  • Council of Chief State School Officers
  • International Society for Technology in Education
  • National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification

Information systems and technology:

  • Association for Computing Machinery
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Natural sciences:

  • American College of Healthcare Executives Higher Education Network
  • Association of University Programs in Health Administration

Nursing:

  • Arizona Nurses Association
  • California Association of Colleges of Nursing
  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
  • National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties

Social sciences:

  • Center for Credentialing and Education
  • Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
  • Council for Standards in Human Services Education
  • National Board for Certified Counselors International
  • National Organization for Human Services

American Council on Education is a registered trademark of the American Council on Education.
Council for Higher Education Accreditation is a registered trademark of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

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