Accreditation

Spalding University’s Master of Science in Athletic Training program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) located at 6850 Austin Center Blvd., Suite 100, Austin, TX 78731-3101.

The School of Business at Spalding University has received specialized accreditation for its business programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) located at 11960 Quivira Road in Overland Park, Kansas, USA.

For a list of accredited programs, please view our IACBE member status page.

The Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is fully accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

CACREP accreditation indicates that a program’s content and quality have been evaluated and meet strict, consistent standards set by the profession. Choosing a CACREP-accredited program also means the curriculum contains the academic knowledge necessary for professional licensure in many states.

Students graduating from the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree at Spalding University are eligible to sit for the National Counselor Examination (NCE), the certification exam required to become a licensed counselor.

Spalding University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program was most recently accredited in August 2023 and received the maximum of eight (8) years CACREP accreditation.

The College of Education (need updated link) at Spalding University is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) at both the initial-licensure and advanced level. The following programs have been reviewed and approved by CAEP:

• Bachelor of Science in Education
• Master of Arts in Teaching
• Master of Arts in School Counseling
• Master of Education in Instructional Leadership
• Master of Education in Teacher Leadership
• Planned 6th Year Program for Rank I
• Endorsements in English as a Second Language, Instructional Computer Technology, and Reading

CAEP is a nationally recognized accrediting body for educator preparation whose rigorous standards were developed to ensure excellence in educator preparation programs. Accreditation is a nongovernmental activity based on peer review that serves the dual functions of assuring quality and promoting improvement. CAEP was created by the consolidation of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council. It is a unified accreditation system intent on raising the performance of all institutions focused on educator preparation.

Educator preparation providers seeking accreditation must pass peer review on a number of standards based on two principles:

Solid evidence that the provider’s graduates are competent and caring educators, and

Solid evidence that the provider’s educator staff have the capacity to create a culture of evidence-based continuous improvement and use it to maintain and enhance the quality of the professional programs they offer.

The College of Education is also approved by the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB).

Education Preparation Provider Data (need updated link)

The baccalaureate and master’s degrees in nursing at Spalding University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.

Effective October 25, 2022 the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Spalding University has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; phone: 703-706- 3245; email: accreditation@apta.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 502-873-4449 or email physicaltherapy@spalding.edu.

Candidate for Accreditation is an accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates the program may matriculate students in technical/professional courses. Achievement of Candidate for Accreditation status does not assure that the program will be granted Initial Accreditation.

Candidacy is considered to be an accredited status, as such the credits and degree earned from a program with Candidacy status are considered, by CAPTE, to be from an accredited program. Therefore, students in the charter (first) class should be eligible to take the licensure exam even if CAPTE withholds accreditation at the end of the candidacy period. That said, it is up to each state licensing agency, not CAPTE, to determine who is eligible for licensure. Information on licensing requirements should be directed to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT; www.fsbpt.org) or specific state boards (a list of state boards and contact information is available on FSBPT’s website.

The entry-level curriculum is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), which is located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814 (telephone: 301-652-6611; website www.acoteonline.org). 

Program graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist, which is administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of the exam, the graduate can use the title of Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). States require licensure in order to practice. Initial state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. A graduate must apply to state regulatory board(s) and receive a license in order to practice.

The Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program was first accredited by the American Psychological Association in 1989 and has continually maintained its APA accreditation to this date. For further information about the accreditation status of this or any other psychology doctoral program, please contact: APA Office of Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, 202-336-5979.

The Bachelor of Science in Social Work and Master of Science in Social Work programs at Spalding University are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), 1701 Duke Street, Suite 200, Alexandria, VA 22314, 703-683-8080.

Social Work Outcomes