Accreditation

ACCREDITATION STATUS: WCU AND WCUCOM

William Carey University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelors, masters, specialists, and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033- 4097, or call 404.679.4500 for questions about the accreditation of William Carey University. All normal inquiries regarding the operation of the university, including admissions, financial aid, educational programs, and other operational matters should be addressed directly to the university and not to the commission. The commission should be contacted only if there is evidence of significant non-compliance with the requirements or standards for accreditation. The Mississippi Council on College Accreditation (MCCA) follows the recommendation of SACSCOC. When SACSCOC approves the Level V designation, the MCCA only requests that it be informed of the decision.

The American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) accredits all colleges of osteopathic medicine. WCUCOM received full accreditation on May 3, 2014.

GRIEVANCES

Complaints or grievances concerning WCUCOM accreditation standards and procedures should be submitted in writing to the Secretary, Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, American Osteopathic Association, 142 East Ontario Street, Chicago, IL 60611; Phone: 312.202.8097; Fax: 312.202.8397; predoc@osteopathic.org. Upon receipt of the complaint, the WCUCOM Dean will assign an ad hoc committee composed of the Associate Dean responsible for the area of accreditation concern, three faculty members, one which would be related to the academic concern, and two students selected by the Student Government Association (SGA).

The committee shall review the complaint(s) and determine whether the appropriate standards were met according to the most recent publication of the Accreditation of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine: COM Accreditation Standards and Procedures. If the committee determines, in its opinion, that the academic standards are not in accordance with the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation standards, the committee shall provide corrective recommendations that will bring WCUCOM in accordance with the standards. The committee report shall be submitted to the WCUCOM Dean for consideration and corrective action.

The WCUCOM Dean will then provide the student with a written response within 30 days of receipt of the complaint. Should the student complaint related to accreditation be upheld and valid, WCUCOM will establish, as a method of performance improvement, a monitoring of the accreditation deficiency for a period of no less than five years to monitor the corrective action with yearly reporting to the WCUCOM Dean to ensure compliance. At no time will any adverse action be allowed against the student(s) reporting the adverse accreditation standard. Any reportable adverse activity against the student(s) will result in disciplinary action as delineated above.