Accreditation
College of Saint Mary is on the leading edge of providing current and relevant learning to our students. One assurance of this practice is accreditation or approval by institutions and governing bodies that periodically review our learning programs for the outcomes they provide and how well they prepare our students to meet their needs, the needs of employers and society as a whole.
The University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500. Chicago, IL 60604
(800) 621-7440 or inquiry [at] hlcommission.org.
Bachelor of Science Nursing Program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, (ACEN), 3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400, Atlanta, Ga., 30326, (404) 975-5000. The practical nursing program has Nebraska State Board of Nursing approval.
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the College of St. Mary - NE Physician Assistant Program sponsored by College of St. Mary - NE. Accreditation-Continued is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
Accreditation remains in effect until the program closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The approximate date for the next validation review of the program by the ARC-PA will be March 2031. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy.
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at http://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-college-of-st-mary.
The University is accredited by the Nebraska Department of Education, (888) 285-2556.
The Paralegal Studies Program is approved by the American Bar Association, Standing Committee on Paralegals, (312) 988-5618.
The entry-level occupational therapy doctoral degree program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), located at 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 510E, Bethesda, MD 20814. ACOTE’s telephone number c/o AOTA is (301) 652-AOTA and its web address is www.acoteonline.org. Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the national certification examination for the occupational therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). After successful completion of this exam, the individual will be an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR). In addition, all states require licensure to practice; however, state licenses are usually based on the results of the NBCOT Certification Examination. Note that a felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.
Students must complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork as well as an individual 14-week capstone experience within 24 months following the completion of the didactic portion of the program. The doctoral capstone experience must be started after completion of all coursework and Level II fieldwork as well as completion of preparatory activities defined in 2018 ACOTE OTD Standard D.1.3.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy at College of Saint Mary is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), 3030 Potomac Ave., Suite 100, Alexandria, Virginia 22305-3085; telephone: 703-706-3245; email; accreditation [at] apta.org; website: http://www.capteonline.org. If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 402-399-2640 or email kgause [at] drordi.com.
The University holds memberships in the National Coalition of Women's Colleges, Mercy Conference of Higher Education, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, Council for Independent Colleges, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Nebraska Council on Teacher Education, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Nebraska, Nebraska Independent College Foundation, the National Catholic Education Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
College of Saint Mary is approved to offer online programming by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA). College of Saint Mary is authorized to deliver online programs and courses to students residing in the United States, excluding U.S. territories of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. If you have questions about enrolling in the online program, contact enroll [at] drordi.com (Enrollment Services).
