JBSA-FORT SAM HOUSTON –
The Medical Education and Training Campus was recently granted accreditation status by the Council on Occupational Education.
The COE accredits post-secondary occupational institutions that offer certificate, diploma or applied associate degree programs. Institutional accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
"I am intensely proud of the entire METC team, especially our standards and evaluation personnel, for their contributions to this singular achievement," said Navy Rear Adm. Bill Roberts, METC commandant.
Since becoming a national accrediting agency in 1995, the COE assures quality and integrity in career and technical education. The Council's accreditation process is conducted on behalf of more than 181,000 students across the nation pursuing careers in a variety of technical fields.
Accreditation is a status of recognition that is granted to an institution which complies with the eligibility requirements, standards and obligations adopted by the member institutions of the COE.
It demonstrated that METC meets not only the COE standards of quality, but also the needs of students and employers.
The evaluation process included an extensive self-study performed by METC and an intensive review by a visiting team of professional educators representing the COE's member institutions from other states.
Army Col. Larry Hanson, METC's dean of academics, credits the hard work and detailed preparation by METC personnel for this achievement.
"The highly successful COE accreditation survey was only accomplished through the meticulous preparatory work the staff and programs did preparing METC's responses to the 10 COE standards," Hanson said. "METC would not have been successful without the hard work and support of the entire Campus."
Institutional membership in COE can only be achieved by becoming accredited.
There are more than 400 institutional members, including postsecondary public technical institutes, specialized military and national defense schools, Job Corps Centers, private career schools, non-profit technical education providers, corporate and industry education units and federal agency institutions.