Understanding Accreditation Terminology

This page provides clear definitions and explanations of key terms used in ATS accreditation. Whether you're reviewing institutional policies, preparing for accreditation review, or simply seeking clarity on commonly used terms, this resource is designed to help you understand ATS Accrediting terminology and is consistent with the Standards of Accreditation.

List of Terms (click on each term to navigate to its definition):

Additional Location 

Quick Explanation

• This is a teaching site geographically separate from the main campus. The level of Board approval or notification depends on how much of a degree program is offered there.

Detailed Definition

An additional location is a teaching site geographically apart from the main campus. (Prior to the 2020 Standards revision these were called extension sites.) An additional location may:

• Offer less than 25 percent of an approved degree program (no Notification is needed).
• Offer 25-49 percent of an approved degree program in which case a Notification Related to an Additional Location must be submitted when the location is added, expanded, reduced, closed, or relocated (Board Procedure IV.E and IV.E.1).
• Offer 50-100 percent of an approved degree program. Such is a substantive change per Commission Policy IV.E and a Petition Related to an Additional Location must be submitted.

Additional locations where 50 percent or more of a degree program is offered are substantive and have particular responsibilities to the Commission including:

• Adding the new location which requires a Petition and a focused evaluation visit within six months (see IV.E and IV.E.1-3; and III.D.4 for exemptions).
• Relocation to a new geographic area (which is treated as a new location unless in the same geographic area).
• Closure or reduction, in the case of a location at which a complete degree may be earned, requires a Petition with an accompanying teach-out plan at least six months prior to the closure (III.L-III.L.2).

• These additional locations are also visited as part of a Comprehensive Visit (see III.B.1).

An additional location may be a branch campus (as defined in Procedure IV.E.1); however, presently no Commission school has a branch campus by this definition. Note also the distinction between distance (online) education and an additional location as defined in Procedure IV.F.2 (i.e., the proximity of the instructor to the students).

Note also in Commission Policy IV.E: Adding, relocating, or closing a location that offers less than half a degree is not considered a substantive change, nor is expanding an approved additional location to offer additional master’s level degrees that are already approved by the Board. Expanding an already approved location to include a doctoral degree for the first time is considered a substantive change.

Clock Hour and Credit Hour

Quick Explanation

• A clock hour is about an hour of instruction or supervised learning.
• A credit hour includes instruction and out-of-class time considering modality and workload.

Detailed Definition

A clock hour is a 50-60 minute period of time consisting of faculty instruction or supervised experience (such as internships or practica). The period of time may be synchronous or asynchronous (as in distance education) where there is regular and substantive interaction between qualified instructors and students and among students, regardless of modality.

A credit hour is the amount of student work defined by an institution consistent with commonly accepted practice in graduate education that reasonably approximates not less than one hour of direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester hour of credit (or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit) or the equivalent amount of work over a different period of time; or at least an equivalent amount of work for other academic activities (such as internships and practica). A credit hour takes into account delivery method, measurements of student work, academic calendars, disciplines, and degree levels.

All schools are encouraged to define both clock hour and credit hour in their handbooks and catalogs. (See Standards 1.6, 3.2, 3.9, 4.4 including Ideas, Procedure IV.H, and for Title IV schools CFR §600.2 Definitions.)

Commission-Approved Guidelines

Quick Explanation

• These are guidelines approved by the Commission to help schools apply specific Standards.

Detailed Definition

To further clarify aspects of the Standards, the Commission has approved Guidelines related to some of the Standards also found on the ATS website. These include Guidelines related to Global Awareness and Engagement (Standard 1.4); Competency-Based Theological Education (Standard 3.10); Reduced-Credit Master’s Degrees (Standard 3.13); and Guidelines for Understanding Finances (Standard 10.3). In addition, schools seeking Degree-Approval Exemption or those preparing for Initial Accreditation will also find helpful Guidelines. If a school has questions regarding the application of particular Guidelines in their context, they should contact their Commission liaison.

Distance Education or
Online Education  

Quick Explanation

• Distance education or Online Education happens when most instruction takes place with the instructor and students in different locations.

• It must include regular and meaningful interaction between instructors and students, and among students, to ensure it’s not just correspondence education.

Detailed Definition

Since the Standards of Accreditation are modality neutral, one will not find distance education or online education in the Standards themselves but should reference Commission Policies and Board Procedures section IV.F. The correct Commission nomenclature is distance education rather than online education as explained in the Policy.

Policy IV.F defines distance education as “any course where at least half of the instruction occurs when the instructor and the students are not in the same physical location.” Thus, the type of delivery modality may vary; however, the point is the proximity of the instructor to the students. Note the critical criterion in this Policy, “all distance (online) education courses must demonstrate regular and substantive interaction between instructors and students and among students, which eliminates any form of correspondence education.” (See regular and substantive interaction.)

Also note the distinction in IV.F.2 between distance education and additional locations. Again, if the majority of the instruction is delivered when the instructor and students are not in proximity to each other, even if the students are gathered as a group for the instruction, that is distance education rather than an additional location.

Presently there are 264 Commission accredited schools. 217 have Commission approval for comprehensive distance education, 19 for limited distance education (less than half a degree online), and 28 do not have approval. Generally, schools without approval are philosophically committed to residential education.

Regular and Substantive
Interaction

Quick Explanation

• Regular and substantive interaction means instructors actively engage students in learning through teaching, feedback, and discussion.
• It ensures meaningful, scheduled communication between instructors and students, distinguishing distance education from correspondence courses.

Detailed Definition

Commission Standard 3.9 reads “The school demonstrates, in all courses leading to a degree, regular and substantive interaction between qualified instructors and students and among students, regardless of modality.” That interaction is characterized by qualified instructors, instructors initiating interactions with students regarding course materials, and regular engagement between instructor and student, as well as among students ensuring a viable community of learning.

Substantive interaction is engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment, consistent with the content under discussion, and also includes at least two of the following: (i) Providing direct instruction; (ii) Assessing or providing feedback on a student's coursework; (iii) Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency; and (iv) Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency.

Regular interaction between a student and an instructor or instructors is ensured when, prior to the student's completion of a course or competency: (i) Opportunity for substantive interactions with the student is provided on a predictable and scheduled basis commensurate with the length of time and the amount of content in the course or competency; and (ii) The student's academic engagement and success is monitored, ensuring that an instructor is responsible for promptly and proactively engaging in substantive interaction with the student when needed on the basis of such monitoring, or upon request by the student.

Note: Regular and substantive interaction differentiates distance education from correspondence education. (Reference CFR § 600.2 Definitions (4) and (5) under Distance Education.)

Substantive Changes: Petitions and Notifications 

Quick Explanation

• This refers to a major change in a school’s mission, programs, or operations that requires prior Board approval. 

Detailed Definition

Substantive changes, explicated in Commission Policies and Board Procedures section IV, occur “whenever a member school introduces a change that represents a significant departure from what is currently approved.” Substantive changes require prior Board approval before the change is made. Failure to obtain prior approval could jeopardize a school’s accreditation status and/or their access to federal monies (per USDE code).

Petition forms for various substantive changes are available on the ATS website. Substantive changes include change in primary mission, change in control or legal status, changes in degree programs (including in a new degree category, new field, new CBTE delivery method), change in locations (main campus or additional locations; some of which involve teach-outs, see next month’s Colloquy and Policies and Procedures III.L), change related to distance education, change related to educational experiments/innovation, and changes related to clock/credit hours or quarter to semester conversions (see further explanation in Policies and Procedures IV.B-IV.H). Note that individual exceptions are not considered substantive changes (IV.I).

Substantive changes are just that – substantive and require a Petition in advance of the change followed by Board action, as opposed to more minor changes called Notifications which are generally handled by Commission staff. Petitions are received by the Board four times each year and thus have deadlines, while Notifications may be submitted throughout the year. See the ATS website.

Chief academic and accreditation liaison officers should familiarize themselves with section IV and the various Petitions and Notifications that accompany that section of the Policies. If you have any questions, please contact your Commission liaison.

Teach-Out 

Quick Explanation

• A planned process that allows students to complete their degrees when a school, program, or location closes or relocates.

Detailed Definition

A teach-out is an orderly process initiated by a school to enable students to complete their degree program when they are enrolled at a location that has provided 100 percent of that degree program. A teach-out must be submitted to the Board of Commissioners in advance (at the time the school decides to close a program or location) of a program closure, additional location closure, or school closure or relocation (via a Petition Change in Degree Program, Related to Additional Location, or Closing / Relocating Main Campus respectively; see Commission Policies and Board Procedures III.L). The purpose of a teach-out is to ensure equitable treatment for all affected students, reasonable opportunity for those students to finish, and notification to those students of any additional charges that may result from the teach-out arrangements.

Teach-Out Agreement

Quick Explanation

• A formal agreement where other institutions agree to help students finish their programs when closing schools cannot do so on their own.

Detailed Definition

A teach-out plan may include a teach-out agreement whereby one or more institutions that have comparable offerings and are accredited agree to teach out the closing school’s students. Teach-out agreements are required if institutional closure is imminent or expected with reasonable certainty or in other cases described in Procedure III.L.3.

Note: Any school anticipating a teach-out is advised to carefully read Policies and Procedures III.L in its entirety and consult with their liaison. Early notification to the Board is necessary. A school may not implement a teach-out plan until it is approved by the Board. For schools participating in federal financial aid programs, failure to comply may jeopardize students’ federal financial aid. See also CFR 600.2.

Teach-Out Plan 

Quick Explanation

• Outlines how students will be supported if a program or location might close or relocate. It includes communication, completion options, costs, timelines, and other required information.

Detailed Definition

A teach-out plan may be a contingency plan or a closure plan and may be accompanied by a teach-out agreement. A contingency plan is created under certain circumstances (described in Procedure III.L.1) when it is anticipated that upon addressing these circumstances, the school will return to normal operations. If closure (of a program, additional location, or school) is expected with reasonable certainty or is imminent, a closure plan must be in place. The five criteria for all contingency and closure teach-out plans include: communication with affected parties, completion options, notification of charges, anticipated timeline, and list of other agencies and are explicated in Procedure III.L.2.

Note: A contingency teach-out plan is created as a precaution. Should closure become necessary, the contingency teach-out plan becomes the implemented closure plan subject to any further required revisions. The objective of the teach-out plan is assurance of adequate institutional planning for students and other affected parties.