Seals of Approval

BEFORE hiring a graduate of an online program, employers want to know: Is the college accredited, and if so, is it accredited by an appropriate organization? That means one of about 60 agencies recognized by the federal Education Department (ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html). There is also an interactive Web page where students can find out if an institution is accredited (ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.asp). But even if an online program is approved, not all accreditation is the same, and it matters.

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SPECIALIZED ACCREDITATION Institutions that prepare students for a specific profession - say, engineering, law, medicine - are often accredited by associations that know the field. But many do not warm to virtual education. The American Bar Association allows accredited law schools to offer only limited online classes: just 12 credit hours toward a degree.

NATIONAL ACCREDITATION Single-purpose institutions - distance education, faith-based colleges, private career institutions - tend to be nationally accredited. The Distance Education and Training Council has been assessing correspondence schools since the 1950's and has its stamp of approval on about 65 degree-granting institutions. Michael Lambert, its executive director, says national accreditation has undergone a "sea change, tightening up all aspects of institutional oversight," since 1991, following Congressional hearings on fraud and abuse at commercial colleges.

REGIONAL ACCREDITATION It's the gold standard. Many employers demand regional accreditation. Each accrediting body covers one of six distinct geographic areas of the United States. Ten of the largest wholly online institutions - all but two commercial - have regional accreditation; five also have national accreditation.