The new Policies and Procedures, adopted by the
membership in June 2020 and effective July 2020, introduce several revisions affecting how accredited members implement changes, including these:
- Many changes that formerly required a petition to the Board of Commissioners now require only a notification to Commission staff. Notifications can be submitted any time using the
forms listed below, and your staff liaison will typically respond within 30 days—much quicker than previous responses to petitions.
- Changes that still require petitions to and action by the Board no longer require any fee nor any paper copies. All petitions are to be submitted online using the Petition forms
listed below. The length of time for approval on most petitions is now also often briefer.
- All forms (Petitions and Notifications) are to be sent electronically by hitting the “Submit” button at the end of an online form. If you are not designated as the ALO
(or CAO or CEO) of your school, then please type their email(s) when prompted onscreen. Kindly use hyperlinks to reference any supporting documentation—ensuring first that any
such links are accessible outside of your institution (e.g., provide any password necessary) and that the link(s) will not be changed or broken during the Commission review period
(i.e., between initial submission and final action). Although hyperlinks are preferred over appendix/exhibit files, there will also be an upload option to attach such a file to a
form. Note that a number of forms have up to three sections, which adapt based on user input. Because these forms display only one section at a time, sample PDF versions that display
the entire form upfront (including all conditional options) can be reviewed ahead of time by selecting the corresponding “PDF Sample” links below.
- The Board has adopted the following new guidelines to supplement the new Standards of Accreditation and the new Policies and
Procedures:
Petitions
Chapter IV of the Policies and Procedures describes various
substantive changes that require petitions to the Board of Commissioners. The most common types of petitions are listed below, with submission deadlines. There will be an upload
option to attach an appendix/exhibits file to the online form (JotForm), although hyperlinks are preferred over appendices. Because the JotForm to be submitted can be viewed only one
section at a time, the “PDF Sample … Petition” for each provides a way to view that entire form. Please allow 2-3 months between the time of submission and action
by the ATS Board of Commissioners (per Note 1 below, petitions for new doctoral programs may take up to ten months if a focused visit is required before approval).
The following petitions may be submitted April 1, July 1, September 1, or November 1:
The following petitions may be submitted April 1 or November 1:
Please email accrediting@ats.edu with any questions.
Notifications
Section VI.A.6 of the Policies and Procedures describes various
changes that require notifications to Commission staff, not petitions to the Board of Commissioners. All those types of changes are combined into
three separate notification forms listed below. There will be an upload option to attach an appendix/exhibits file to the online form (JotForm), although hyperlinks are preferred over
appendices. Because the JotForm to be submitted can be viewed only one section at a time, the “PDF Sample … Notification” for each provides a way to view that
entire form.
Notifications may be submitted anytime throughout the year, though at least 30 days prior to the anticipated change (60 days prior if adding a new degree). Your staff liaison will
typically email you an acknowledgement within 30 days of receipt of the notification, which means you may then implement the change.
