Online Accreditation Guide
A structured approach for academics and faculty teams, whether you are extending an on-campus accreditation or making a new submission.
Overview
Why this guide
Online accreditation succeeds when the programme team makes a handful of deliberate choices early, wins faculty backing before the conversation with the professional, statutory or regulatory body (PSRB) gets serious, and evidences equivalence of outcomes rather than sameness of delivery with campus-based programmes.
Most delayed submissions I have seen stalled on one of those three, not on the curriculum; often the logistical challenges become more of a sticking point than the learning outcomes of the programme itself.
This guide is for programme leaders, heads of department and faculty quality leads taking an online degree to a PSRB for accreditation. It works for any subject area, both for brand-new programmes and for extending an existing on-campus programme to an online model.
Extending an accreditation
You already hold accreditation for an on-campus programme and want the online version recognised.
New submission
A new award, different structure or outcomes, or no accredited parent programme.
How to use it
- Use the route finder to work out which route you are likely on.
- Record your answers in the decision planner; your notes become the backbone of your submission narrative.
- Plan using the seven stages and their two gates, then build a backwards schedule from your launch date.
- Use the buy-in, team and resourcing pages throughout, including the staffing plan builder if roles are not yet filled.
- Test yourself with the readiness checklist before committing to a submission date.
- Look for the What the evidence says notes: each links to recent research you can cite in your own submission.