2017-2018 Catalog 
    
    Mar 19, 2024  
2017-2018 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Accreditations and Outcomes


Academic Accreditation

Abilene Christian University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA. 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of ACU.

Many programs have received additional accreditation from the following associations:

  • Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND)
  • Accreditation Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC)
  • Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
  • American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA)
  • Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)
  • Association of Theological Schools (ATS)
  • Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE)
  • Commission on Collegiate Nursing (CCNE)
  • Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET
  • Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA, formerly FIDER)
  • Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
  • Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET
  • National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)
  • Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC)

In addition, some ACU programs hold approval by state and national associations:

  • American Chemical Society (ACS)
  • National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
  • National Council on Family Relations - Certified Family Life Educator (NCFR/CFLE)
  • Texas Board of Nursing

Student Outcomes

Student Learning Outcomes
Students who complete their undergraduate education at ACU should have demonstrated:

  1. Strong analytical, communication, quantitative, and information skills - achieved and demonstrated through learning in a range of fields, settings and media, and through advanced studies in one or more areas of concentration;
  2. Deep understanding of and hands-on experience with the inquiry practices of disciplines that explore the natural, socio-cultural, aesthetic, and religious (or theological or spiritual) realms - achieved and demonstrated through studies that build conceptual knowledge by engaging learners in concepts and modes of inquiry that are basic to the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, and Christian faith (or theology);
  3. Intercultural knowledge, integrative thinking, and collaborative problem-solving skills - achieved and demonstrated in a variety of collaborative contexts (classroom, community-based, international, and online) that prepare students both for citizenship and for work;
  4. A proactive sense of responsibility for individual, civic, and social choices - achieved and demonstrated through forms of learning that connect knowledge, skills, values, and public action, and through reflection on students’ own roles and responsibilities in social and civic contexts;
  5. Habits of mind that foster integrative thinking and the ability to transfer skills and knowledge from one setting to another - achieved and demonstrated through advanced research and/or creative projects in which students take the primary responsibility for framing questions, carrying out analysis, and producing work of substantial complexity and quality.