Accreditation is a voluntary process that identifies and acknowledges educational programs and/or institutions for achieving and maintaining a level of quality, performance, and integrity that meets meaningful standards.
A school/program that decides to become accredited does a comprehensive, in-depth study of the quality of its program, its administrative practices, curriculum, student affairs, faculty competence, and relationship with employers. They document their program’s qualities for conformity to a set of standards set by an accrediting body. COMTA is one such accrediting body.
Only after an on-site visit to verify that the school meets the standards is the program accredited by COMTA, and then for a maximum of 5 years. Schools must periodically demonstrate to themselves and COMTA that they continue to meet COMTA standards by engaging in the same rigorous self-study process described above at least every 5 years.