Accreditation policies and procedures of the AVMA Council on Education (COE)

December 2023

PDF version of entire policies and procedures

Table of contents

Commonly used abbreviations

  1. AVMA COE accreditation

    1.1  Purpose of accreditation

    1.2  Council on Education
    1.2.1  History
    1.2.2  Mission
    1.2.3  Administration and funding
    1.2.4  Confidentiality and integrity

    1.3  COE membership
    1.3.1  Membership representation
    1.3.2  Application and appointment procedures
    1.3.3  Member roles and responsibilities
    1.3.4  Member travel and other expenses
    1.3.5  Procedures followed upon resignation or dismissal of members

    1.4  Organization
    1.4.1  Leadership
    1.4.2  Committee structure and function
    1.4.3  Associated committees, commissions, and boards

    1.5  Operating procedures
    1.5.1  Conducting meetings
    1.5.2  Conference calls, video-conference, and electronic communication
    1.5.3  Training of members
    1.5.4  Information storage and retrieval

    1.6  Recognition of the Council on Education
    1.6.1  US Department of Education (USDE)
    1.6.2  Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)

    1.7  Quality assurance
    1.7.1  Post site visit surveys of site visitors and colleges
    1.7.2  Procedures for complaints regarding the Council on Education and its accreditation activities
    1.7.3  Procedures for complaints regarding colleges
    1.7.4  Programmatic advertising and student recruitment
     
  2. Principles of accreditation

    2.1  Standards of accreditation
    2.1.1  Standards of accreditation
    Standard 1 – Organization
    Standard 2 - Finances
    Standard 3 - Physical Facilities and Equipment
    Standard 4 - Clinical Resources
    Standard 5 - Information Resources
    Standard 6 - Students
    Standard 7 - Admission
    Standard 8 - Faculty
    Standard 9 - Curriculum
    Standard 10 - Research Programs
    Standard 11 - Outcomes Assessment
    2.1.2  Standard development
    2.1.3  Review of existing standards

    2.2  Self-study
    2.2.1  Purpose and general description
    2.2.2  Guidelines for the self-study

    2.3  Site visit
    2.3.1  General description and objectives
    2.3.2  Type of site visits – Consultative, comprehensive, focused
    2.3.3  Cost recovery for site visits
    2.3.4  Site visitors
    2.3.5  Application and appointment procedures
    2.3.6  Code of conduct & confidentiality
    2.3.7  Site visitor training
    2.3.8  Definition and role of COE observers
    2.3.9  Site visit agenda
    2.3.10  Site visits outside the US and Canada
    2.3.11  Site visits for colleges employing off-campus sites for clinical education
    2.3.12  Requirements for colleges utilizing off-campus sites for required rotations
    2.3.13  Colleges that send final-year students to other accredited schools for the entire clinical year
    2.3.14  Guidelines for review of isolation facilities
    2.3.15  Guidelines for review of necropsy facilities and procedures

    2.4  Report of evaluation
    2.4.1  Developing the report of evaluation and using the site-visit rubric

    2.5  Council review and decision
    2.5.1  Presentation and deliberation
    2.5.2  Administrative withdrawal of accreditation
    2.5.3  Adverse decisions
    2.5.4  Appeals procedures for adverse outcomes
    2.5.5  Reconsideration of accreditation classification
    2.5.6  Loss of legal authority to provide postsecondary education
    2.5.7  Loss of institutional accreditation
    2.5.8  Decisions of other accrediting agencies
    2.5.9  Policies on reporting accreditation decisions to the USDE
     
  3. Accreditation classifications and reporting requirements

    3.1  Procedures and requirements
    3.1.1  General procedures and reporting requirements

    3.2  US and Canadian colleges
    3.2.1  Requesting a Letter of Reasonable Assurance
    3.2.2  Provisional accreditation – Progress report requirements
    3.2.3  Accreditation – Annual Interim Report and Progress Report Requirements
    3.2.4  Re-accreditation procedures
    3.2.5  Accredited - with minor deficiencies
    3.2.6  Probationary accreditation
    3.2.7  Terminal accreditation
    3.2.8  Reevaluation

    3.3  Colleges outside the US and Canada
    3.3.1  Procedures for Existing Colleges
    3.3.2  Procedures for developing colleges outside the US and Canada 70

    3.4  Substantive change reporting requirements
    3.4  Substantive change reporting requirements
    3.4.1  Reporting substantive change

    3.5  Other reporting requirements
    3.5.1  Council reports to the public
    3.5.2  Reports to the public from colleges
    3.5.3  Council response to reports from outside sources
    3.5.4  NAVLE score reporting and review
  4. Appendices

    4.1  AVMA COE accreditation appendices
    4.1.1  Appendix A – Staff roster
    4.1.2  Appendix B – COE roster
    4.1.3  Appendix C – COE code of conduct
    4.1.4  Appendix D – Confidentiality and conflict of interest

    4.2  Principles of accreditation appendices
    4.2.1  Appendix E – Self study guidelines
    4.2.2  Appendix F – AVMA -COE emergency conditions policy
    4.2.3  Appendix G – Model site visit itinerary
    4.2.4  Appendix H – Off-Campus COE information prior to site visit & off-campus facility inspection guidelines
    4.2.5  Appendix I — Comprehensive site visit evaluation rubric

    4.3  Accreditation classifications and reporting requirements appendices
    4.3.1  Appendix J – Biannual report guidelines for provisionally accredited colleges
    4.3.2  Appendix K – Annual interim report guidelines for accredited colleges, guidelines for annual interim report reviewers
    4.3.2  Appendix L – Criteria for evaluating proposals to increase enrollment