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 is authorized for operation as a postsecondary educational institution by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC).
• Harding University has been approved to participate in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.

Harding also maintains specialized accreditation for its programs as appropriate to its educational purposes and has more than 50 degrees/majors offered by colleges, departments, and programs that have specialized accreditation. These programs all benefit from the rigorous program review requirements in the accreditation process which are based on national standardized outcomes.

(The first date listed recognizes the first year of accreditation. The second date recognizes the most recent accreditation.)

• 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 (1992, 2021).
• 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 Professional Counseling Program in the College of Education at Harding University: School Counseling (M.S.), Marriage, Couple, & Family Counseling (M.S.), and Clinical Mental Health Counseling (M.S./Ed.S.) (2015/2023/2017, 2023).
• Biomedical Engineering (2014, 2019), Civil Engineering (2020, 2021), Computer Engineering (2005, 2019), Electrical Engineering (2007, 2019), and Mechanical Engineering (2007, 2019) are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org.
• The interior design program at Harding University is accredited by CIDA, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, 206 Grandville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI  49503-4014, info@accredit-id.org, 616-458-0400 (2009, 2023).
• The department of music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (1983, 2015).
• The Master of Science in Applied Dietetics Program at Harding University is a candidacy program seeking accreditation 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) (process began in 2021).
• 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 (2016, 2022); 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 (1977, 2019).
• The doctor of pharmacy program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, 190 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 3000, Chicago, IL 60603-3446, 312-664-3575; fax 866-228-2631, www.acpe-accredit.org (2012, 2018).
• The doctor of physical therapy program at Harding University 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@apta.org; website: www.capteonline.org.  If needing to contact the program/institution directly, please call 501-279-5990 or email pt@harding.edu. (2014, 2021).
• The Accreditation Review Commission for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Accreditation-Continued status to the Harding University Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Harding University. 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 September 2024. The review date is contingent upon continued compliance with the Accreditation Standards and ARC-PA policy. (2005, 2014).
• The social work program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (1978, 2017).
• The Master of Science (M.S.) education program in speech-language pathology (residential) at Harding University is accredited by the  Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, 800-498-2071 or 301-296-5700. (2012, 2017).
• 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 (2019, 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 (2003, 2018).
• Harding University is recognized by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and is a participating institution in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement.
• 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.
• Harding School of Theology is accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools, and the following degree programs are approved: Master of Divinity, Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Arts in Christian Ministry, Master of Arts, Doctor of Ministry. The Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools, 10 Summit Park Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15275, 412-788-6505 (1997, 2019).