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The Institute » Accreditation and Professional Credentials

The Institute Receives Accreditation

The Institute for the Psychological Sciences is a graduate institution of higher education located in Arlington, Virginia offering master's and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology.  It was certified by the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia in 1998. 

On December 6th, 2005, the Commission on Colleges (COC) of the Southern Association of College and Schools (SACS) granted initial accreditation to the Institute for the Psychological Sciences.  This decision is retroactive to January 1, 2005.

The mission of the Institute is dedicated to the renewal of the Christian intellectual tradition and the development of a psychology consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church and in constructive dialogue with the modern world, thereby creating a psychology informed by faith and reason.

The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is one of six regional higher education accrediting organizations recognized by the United States Department of Education and is the recognized regional accrediting body in the eleven U.S. Southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and in Latin America for those institutions of higher education that award associate, baccalaureate, master's or doctoral degrees. The Commission on Colleges is the representative body of the College Delegate Assembly and is charged with carrying out the accreditation process. According to the Commission on Colleges, accreditation signifies that an institution has a purpose appropriate to higher education and has resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain that purpose.

Accreditation indicates that an institution maintains clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers, and that it is achieving its stated objectives.

This is tremendous news for all involved with the Institute. Despite being in the middle of final exams, students, staff and faculty took the time to celebrate this important milestone in the young history of the Institute. Michael Horne, a doctoral student, responded to the news saying, "It's good to see the school recognized for all that it has accomplished in such a short period of time. This is reassurance that we [the students] are on the right path, and in the right place. Now it's up to us to become the best clinicians we can." Congratulations are in order to all who worked on this momentous achievement. It is the intent of the Institute to next pursue accreditation from the American Psychological Association (APA) which is the last step before full recognition of the high academic and professional caliber of the program.

Southern Association of College and Schools (SACS)
1866 Southern Lane, Decatur GA. 30033 (404) 679-4500

Read the December 6th Press Release