About NNU - Accreditation

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Regional Accreditation


Accreditation is a collegial process of self-review and peer review for improvement of academic quality and public accountability of institutions and programs. It is a process of recognizing educational institutions for performance, integrity, and quality that entitles them to the confidence of the educational community and the public. This recognition is extended largely through non-governmental, voluntary membership associations that establish accreditation criteria, evaluate institutions against those criteria, and approve institutions that meet the criteria. Higher education in the United States is served by eight regional accrediting agencies.
Northwest Nazarene University has a long and distinguished history as an accredited institution, having first been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) as a junior college in 1930, and subsequently as a four-year college in 1937. NNU has maintained its regional accreditation with the NWCCU since that time. This NWCCU accreditation process is currently represented by a seven-year cycle of written reports and visits by peer-evaluation committees. In fall 2016, the institution completed a seven-year cycle; in fall 2017, the institution began its new seven-year cycle of evaluation that will be completed with an evaluation team site visit in October 2023. Self-evaluation reports for the past two accreditation cycles are linked below.
NNU offers programs leading to 19 degrees (AA, BA, BS, BSN, MA, MAcc, MACP, MAT, MBA, MDiv, MEd, MS, MSN, MSW, EdS, EdD, PhD, PsyD, and ThD). Undergraduate degrees include 52 majors and 11 co-majors covering 78 areas of study. Graduate degrees include 28 areas of emphasis in seven departments: Business, Counselor Education, Education, Nursing, Psychology, Social Work, and Theology. In addition, Graduate Business offers a certificate program and Graduate Theology offers seven certificates. The Center for Professional Development offers two certificate programs and a variety of continuing education courses and workshops that qualify for professional development credits and/or continuing education units, depending on the subject matter. NNU also offers concurrent credit for high school students and an online ministerial credentials course of study program that leads to Nazarene ordination.

Specialized Accreditation

In addition to regional accreditation, some departments and programs are accredited by nationally-recognized specialized accreditation boards including the following:

College of Business

The Business programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

Department of Counselor Education

The Counseling Department is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

College of Education

The College of Education is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

Department of Engineering

The BS Engineering Programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

College of Nursing

The Nursing Department is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Department of Social Work

The Social Work Department is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Graduate School of Theology

The Graduate School of Theology is accredited by Association of Theological Schools (ATS).