Institutional and Specialized Accreditation
Harding University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org; 230 South LaSalle Street, Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60604; 800-621-7440).
Harding University has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.
Harding University is recognized by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education and is a participating institution in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement.
SPECIALIZED ACCREDITATION
Harding has programs and lab facilities which also maintain specialized accreditation. The academic programs all benefit from the rigorous program review requirements in the accreditation process which are based on national standardized outcomes. The date included with each specialized program indicates the year of initial approval, with continual accreditation since that time. Reviews and reports are submitted as required to maintain accreditation.
COLLEGE OF ALLIED HEALTH
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Occupational Therapy
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The entry-level occupational therapy master’s 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. A felony conviction may affect a graduate’s ability to sit for the NBCOT certification examination or attain state licensure.Note: Students must complete 24 weeks of Level II fieldwork within 12 months following completion of the didactic portion of the program. (accredited since 2026)
Physical Therapy
Physician Assistant
- At its September 2024 meeting, the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc. (ARC-PA) placed the Harding University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Harding University on Accreditation-Probation status until its next review in September 2026.
Probation accreditation is a temporary accreditation status initially of not less than two years. However, that period may be extended by the ARC-PA for up to an additional two years if the ARC-PA finds that the program is making substantial progress toward meeting all applicable standards but requires additional time to come into full compliance. Probation accreditation status is granted, at the sole discretion of the ARC-PA, when a program holding an accreditation status of Accreditation - Provisional or Accreditation - Continued does not, in the judgment of the ARC-PA, meet the Standards or when the capability of the program to provide an acceptable educational experience for its students is threatened.
Once placed on probation, a program that fails to comply with accreditation requirements in a timely manner, as specified by the ARC-PA, may be scheduled for a focused site visit and is subject to having its accreditation withdrawn. Specific questions regarding the Program and its plans should be directed to the Program Director and/or the appropriate institutional official(s).
The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at https://www.arc-pa.org/accreditation-history-harding-university/.
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Department of Art, Architecture and Design
Department of Behavioral Sciences
Department of Engineering and Physics
- The Bachelor of Science program in biomedical engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Bioengineering, Biomedical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs (accredited since 2014).
- The Bachelor of Science program in civil engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Civil and Similarly Named Engineering Programs (accredited since 2020).
- The Bachelor of Science program in computer engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs (accredited since 2005).
- The Bachelor of Science program in electrical engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs (accredited since 2007).
- The Bachelor of Science program in mechanical engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Mechanical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs (accredited since 2007).
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
- The Master of Science in Applied Dietetics Program at Harding University is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Address: 120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2190, Chicago, IL 60606-6995, Phone: 800/877-1600, ext. 5400, E-mail: ACEND@eatright.org, Website: www.eatrightpro.org/acend) (accredited since 2024).
- The Child Life undergraduate program is endorsed by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP). ACLP defines endorsement of academic programs in child life as an assurance that a program meets the standards and requirements set forth in the Standards for Academic and Clinical Preparation Programs found in the most current Official Documents of the ACLP. Students graduating from an endorsed program will still need to complete an eligibility assessment with ACLP, but will not need to have each course reviewed as endorsement signifies inclusion of all areas of the coursework requirements. Eligibility to sit for the Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) certification exam depends on successful completion of both the eligibility assessment as well as clinical experience requirements (endorsed since 2019).
- The Family Life Education undergraduate program is approved by the National Council on Family Relations as meeting the Standards and Criteria required for the Provisional Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) designation (approved since 2003).
Department of Music
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
- The following business programs at Harding University are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs: BBA Accounting, BBA Finance, BBA Information Systems, BBA International Business, BBA Management, BBA Marketing, MBA, MSIS, BBA-MBA Dual Degree, and BBA-MSIS Dual Degree (accredited since 1992).
- The Digital Forensics Lab has received ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for forensic services from the ANSI National Accreditation Board, the highest national standard for testing and calibration laboratories (accredited since October 2025).
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
- The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), has granted accreditation to the following programs in the Department of Mental Health and Wellness within the College of Education at Harding University: Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.S.) (accredited since 2015) and Marriage and Family Counseling (M.S.) (accredited since 2023).
- The International Coaching Federation (ICF) has granted accreditation to the Harding University Graduate Certificate in Executive and Workplace Coaching Program in the College of Education (accredited since 2023).
- Harding University has state approval from the Arkansas Department of Education - Division of Elementary and Secondary Education to offer professional education programs for educator licensure or endorsement. Copies of approval letters for the individual programs of study are on file in the College of Education.
COLLEGE OF NURSING
- The baccalaureate degree in nursing, master's degree in nursing and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Harding University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791, and are approved by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN) University Tower Building, 1123 South University Ave., Suite 800, Little Rock, AR 72204-1619, 501-686-2700 (accredited since 1977).
COLLEGE OF PHARMACY
HARDING SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY
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