Accreditation

Earn your degree in education with an accredited leader

In addition to the accreditation NAU receives from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the Department of Teaching and Learning’s education degree programs are also accredited by other accrediting bodies.

Nationally accredited

Northern Arizona University offers teacher education programs that are nationally accredited through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Students engage in demanding, hands-on coursework, performance assessments and innovative teaching methods.

NAU offers nationally recognized professional education programs for teacher certification at the early childhood, elementary, and secondary levels, as well as in special education. NAU also offers advanced teacher education programs along with nationally recognized or accredited certification programs for principals, superintendents, school counselors, school psychologists, and school speech pathologists.

Northern Arizona University partners with CAEP and Specialized Professional Associations to make a difference in the quality of teaching and teacher preparation today, tomorrow, and for the next century. CAEP’s performance-based system of accreditation fosters competent classroom teachers and other educators who work to improve the education of all P-12 students. Our education faculty members believe every student deserves a caring, competent, and highly qualified teacher.

For more information regarding CAEP, visit caepnet.org.

Higher Learning Commission

Northern Arizona University received numerous accolades and a strong recommendation for continued accreditation in a report from the Higher Learning Commission.

“To say the results were positive is an understatement,” said former NAU President John Haeger. “We should certainly take this as confirmation that we are moving in the right direction.” The final report, released in March 2014, was the result of the commission’s October 2013 site visit to NAU as part of the university’s accreditation renewal process, a standard practice that occurs every 10 years as a way of ensuring that degree-granting educational institutions are meeting the expectations outlined by the accrediting agency.