ACCREDITATION
(Governors State is committed to bringing the very best, high quality programs to its students. Therefore, it is the policy of the university to seek accreditation for every program that has a recognized professional accrediting body. Whenever an appropriate accrediting body does not exist for an area of study, the university will seek external program reviews by experts in that area of study to ensure the program meets the highest and most current standards.)
In 2001, Governors State University was fully reaccredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools for the maximum allowable period of ten years. GSU is also a member of the Illinois Council of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Programs, and the programs below are accredited or, if so noted, in accreditation candidacy by their respective professional accrediting agencies. These credentials permit you, as a graduate, to sit for national, state, and other certification exams to provide for your professional advancement.
| PROGRAM | ACCREDITING AGENCY |
| Accounting (B.S., M.S.) | Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) |
| Addictions Studies (M.H.S.) | Illinois Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association, Inc. (IODAPCA) |
| Biology with a Teacher Education Sequence (B.S.) | National Science Teacher Association (NSTA), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) |
| Business and Administration (B.A.) | Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) |
| Business Administration (M.B.A.) | Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) |
| Business and Applied Science (B.A.) | Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) |
| Chemistry (B.S.) | American Chemical Society (ACS) |
| Chemistry with a Teacher Education Sequence (B.S.) | American Chemical Society (ACS), National Science Teachers Association, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) |
| Communication Disorders (M.H.S.) | American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Meets requirements for licensure in speech-language pathology in Illinois |
| Counseling (M.A.) | Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) |
| Early Childhood Education (B.A., M.A.) | National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) |
| Education (M.A.) | Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) |
| Educational Administration (M.A.) | Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) |
| Elementary Education (B.A.) | Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) |
| English with a Teacher Education Sequence (B.A.) | Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) |
| Health Administration (B.H.A.) | Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) |
| Health Administration (M.H.A.) | In candidacy: Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services Administration (ACEHSA). |
| Management Information Systems (B.S., M.S.) | Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) |
| Multicategorical Special Education (M.A.) | Council for Exceptional Children, Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) |
| Nursing (B.S.N., M.S.N.) | National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) |
| Occupational Therapy (M.O.T.) | Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) |
| Physical Therapy (M.P.T.) | Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy (CAPTE) |
| Public Administration (M.P.A.) | National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) |
| Reading (M.A.) | International Reading Association (IRA), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) |
| School Psychology (M.A.) | National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) |
| Social Work (B.S.W.) | Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) |
| Social Work (M.S.W.) | Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) |
GSU education programs are approved by the Illinois State Board of Education for certification in the areas of elementary education; early childhood education; secondary education in biology, chemistry and English; general administration; special education; school counseling; school psychology; and speech and language impaired.
Student Performance on Certification Exams
Governors State students and graduates excel on professional certification exams. For example, 97% of students who completed teacher education programs in 2001-2002 and took the state certification examinations passed the basic skills portion of the exam. In the academic content area, 99% passed, exceeding the statewide pass rate average. And in the 2002-2003 academic year, GSU students from the Master of Health Science in Communication Disorders program demonstrated a 94% pass rate on the Praxis Examination in Speech-Language Pathology.
