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The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), through the Council on Education (COE) is recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the accrediting agency for colleges and schools of veterinary medicine in the United States. Every five years, the COE seeks renewal of recognition from each agency. Through a process of applying standard requirements reviewed by the AVMA House of Delegates, the COE assures that minimum standards in veterinary medical education are met by all AVMA-accredited colleges of veterinary medicine, and that students enrolled in those colleges receive an education which will prepare them for entry-level positions in the profession. The accreditation procedure used by the AVMA is specific to the DVM or equivalent degree program, and is not used to accredit other programs which may be a part of the educational program in a college. Accreditation is non-transferable. Therefore all institutions or branches thereof offering educational programs leading to DVM or equivalent degree must be individually accredited.
The AVMA voluntarily seeks recognition from the USDE to assure credibility. The federal government, through the USDE, has established accrediting bodies which follow guidelines of operation to be recognized. Through this process, the COE adopts policies and procedures which assure substantial compliance with the published guidelines of the Department. The COE demonstrates that accreditation decisions are independent of the AVMA and that accreditation decisions are not influenced by the partner organization or its recognized affiliate organizations. In general, USDE guidelines seek assurance that the COE has clearly documented Standards of accreditation which address all areas of the program leading to the DVM or equivalent degree, that the Standards are applied evenly and fairly to all colleges seeking accreditation, and that students are provided with accurate information regarding the program and given reasonable assurance of successful completion. Proper documentation of accreditation outcomes is sent to the USDE in a timely manner. The AVMA, through the activities of the COE, has been recognized as an accrediting body for veterinary medicine by the USDE since 1952.
Non-governmental recognition of accreditation is voluntarily sought by the AVMA through CHEA. CHEA is a highly respected, non-profit organization which assists accrediting bodies like the COE, in assuring quality in the accrediting process. The Council identifies CHEA as the "gold standard" to assure that: 1) standards are reviewed; 2) college evaluation is conducted in a manner which measures the educational quality of the program; 3) fair and informed means are used in the application of the standards and in the conduct of the site visit; 4) that the public is provided with high quality professional veterinary practitioners; and 5) the quality of teaching, research, and service is continually improving in veterinary medical colleges. Through the guidance of CHEA, the Council judges the appropriateness of institutional and program purposes, the adequacy of the resources and organization in meeting these purposes, and the educational outcomes indicating that the purposes are being met on an ongoing basis. The AVMA COE has been recognized by CHEA and its predecessors as an accrediting body for veterinary medicine since 1949.
Foreign colleges of veterinary medicine may seek AVMA accreditation status, but neither the USDE nor CHEA recognition is required for the activity.
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= AVMA/SAVMA Members Only
