The University of Montana Western is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Specialized programs in education and business are additionally accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities’ (NWCCU) regional accreditation indicates the institution meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality and integrity through a rigorous peer-review process. Information about NWCCU can be found at www.nwccu.org. Copies of reports and correspondence related to the current and past review cycle can be accessed below. If you have questions about Montana Western’s accreditation by NWCCU, please contact Dr. Anneliese Ripley, Accreditation Liaison Officer at 406-683-7309.
The educator preparation programs of the Education Division at the University of Montana Western are fully accredited by the Montana Board of Public Education, and by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). This accreditation indicates that Montana Western has met both state and national professional standards for the preparation of teachers. Accreditation is granted at the initial teacher preparation level. This accreditation status is effective between spring 2023 and spring 2030. The next site review will take place in Fall 2029.
The Montana Educator Preparation Program (MEPP) Continuous Improvement Collaborative (CIC), authorized by the Montana Council of Deans of Education (MCDE), in collaboration with the Montana Office of Public Instruction, established a Statewide Protocol for Continuous Improvement. This process consists of a 3-year cycle of data collection and analysis, designed to meet CAEP Standard 4 and ARM 10.58.314. Measures of (a) employer satisfaction; (b) completer satisfaction; and (c) completers’ and employers’ perceptions of program effectiveness were used.
