During the 2008-09 academic year, Missouri University of Science and Technology will undergo an institution-wide accreditation review. Missouri S&T has maintained institutional accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools since 1913.  Missouri S&T was last reviewed in 1998 and received re-accreditation for ten years.

Accreditation is an activity of great importance for the University because it is the gateway to participating in federal and state programs of benefit to higher education.   (In FY 05 Missouri S&T students received $18,061,114 in Federal Title IV financial aid which would not have been available without accreditation.)
Vice-Provost Harvest L. Collier is directing the campus-wide reaccreditation self-study.   He has composed a cross-University team to assist in steering the self-study and to consult widely with faculty, staff, and administrators in assembling its report.

The accreditation process has changed dramatically since Missouri S&T’s review ten years ago.  It now requires evidence-based reporting linked to assessment and a demonstration that assessment outcomes are used for continual improvement.   The new set of criteria for accreditation that went into effect in 2004-2005 include (1) Mission and Integrity, (2) Preparing for the Future, (3) Student Learning and Effective Teaching, (4) Acquisition, Discovery and Application of Knowledge, and (5) Engagement and Service.
Each Criterion also has four or five Core Components that must be addressed.

All units have been asked to provide documentation of evidence-based reporting centered on the Higher Learning Commission (HLCC) Criteria for Accreditation. This will form the “compliance” portion of the Missouri S&T re-accreditation self-study.  The self-study process is already underway.  Examples were required from each unit beginning in Fall 2006 with the final report scheduled for completion by Fall 2008. The process of re-accreditation will culminate in a visit by an external team of reviewer/consultants in Spring 2009.

Re-accreditation will turn on the compliance section of the report, with the self-study proving a basis for institutional decisions and potentially new directions. It is expected that the self-study will provide an agenda that will serve as a guiding document for the university in the next ten to twenty years.

Foreword (letter by Chancellor)

Frequently Asked Questions

Missouri S&T Accreditation Self Study Open Forum Presentation

Newsletter Article