FRAMEWORK OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION-AN OVERVIEW

Abstract

One of the hallmarks of American higher education has been its quality. In the U.S.A colleges and universities are under constant pressure to strive to make their programs career oriented so as to meet the changing needs of the industry and society. The accreditation process of colleges and universities in the U.S.A is non-governmental operation. As result colleges and universities fiercely compete in the market of higher education. Institutional autonomy allows them to change their curriculum to inculcate and incubate entrepreneurial culture through their various programs. It is no accident that many American universities dominate the World University Rankings. There is a lot of discourse in academia that an educated workforce is essential for a prosperous and sustainable economy. This has lead to heightened policy interest in higher education in American universities. This paper uses various resources, data and facts to discuss the accreditation process in the U.S.A. The main focus of this paper is to explore models of accreditation being used in the U.S.A and how they can be useful for other countries.