AVMA Council on Education (COE) Resources
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. Accreditation by the AVMA Council on Education (COE) represents the highest standard of achievement for veterinary medical education in the United States.
Accreditation is a process by which an educational institution or program submits to a voluntary, non-governmental review to determine whether it meets accepted standards of quality. Within veterinary medicine, the AVMA COE develops standards and conducts reviews of DVM or equivalent educational programs. An institution or program is considered fully accredited when it is found to meet these standards.
General COE questions:
When and why was the COE formed and what purpose does it serve? Who is on the COE and how are they selected? How is the COE organized? How is member conduct guided?
For these answers, view Chapter 5 of the Accreditation Policies and Procedures of the AVMA Council on Education (COE)
What policies and procedures does the AVMA COE follow?
For complete information, view the full Accreditation Policies and Procedures of the AVMA Council on Education manual. It is available in HTML format (with hyperlinks to each section) or as a pdf.
What is the code of conduct for AVMA COE members?
AVMA COE members are expected to adhere to the confidentiality policy, Statement on Integrity and the Conflict of Interest Statement.
How are COE members and site team members trained to perform their duties?
AVMA COE members receive basic training according to section 41 of the Policies and Procedures manual. They also receive more specific training in accordance with U.S. Department of Education (USDE) requirements.
To whom does the AVMA COE answer?
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) regulates educational accreditation, and the AVMA COE must adhere to its standards and follow proper reporting procedures.
AVMA COE is also recognized by a nongovernmental accreditors' recognition body called the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and must meet its requirements to remain recognized.
The AVMA COE also adheres to standards, including a Code of Good Practice, set by the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA), a professional association for accreditors.
Where can I view a list of all USDE-recognized accrediting entities?
On the USDE site's Institution Search page. The AVMA, as well as a number of other professional organizations, is a Programmatic Accrediting Agency.
General accreditation questions:
Where can I view a list of AVMA COE-accredited schools?
On the AVMA's Web site, there is a list of all veterinary colleges accredited by the AVMA COE.
What are the standards of accreditation?
There are 11 standards of accreditation addressing organization, finances, physical facilities and equipment, clinical resources, library and information resources, students, admission, faculty, curriculum, research programs and outcomes assessments.
What are the different classifications of accreditation, and what do they mean?
With respect to the standard requirements, each college evaluated by the AVMA COE may be issued a letter of reasonable assurance or assigned a status of Provisional Accreditation, Full Accreditation, Limited Accreditation, or Terminal Accreditation. For descriptions of these classifications, view section 33 of the Policies and Procedures manual.
How does the AVMA COE accredit schools outside the U.S. and Canada?
The procedures and policies for the accreditation of foreign veterinary schools is included in section 38 of the Policies and Procedures manual.
What are the fees for accreditation?
The fees are explained in section 36 of the Policies and Procedures manual.
What is the process for conducting a site visit?
For more information about conduct during site visits, see section 12 of the Policies and Procedures manual. To see the self-study report format, including the standards of accreditation and reporting requirements of colleges to allow the COE to assess compliance with the standards, view section 21 of the Policies and Procedures manual.
Where can I find more information?
The AVMA's Web site has complete information about the COE and the accreditation process in its Accreditation section.
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