STANDARDS ADDRESSING THE LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
(STANDARDS 17 AND 20)

Time Equivalence
Two standards, 17 and 20, give an indication of the expected education levels for degrees.  Descriptions of the intellectual achievement levels are given in the introductory material for the Assurance of Learning Standards.  These two standards provide additional equivalence statements to guide judgments about the sufficiency of undergraduate and master's level programs.  The standards are not meant to be rigid set points, but rather, they provide a basis for estimating the amount of expected learning.

Descriptions of Different Delivery Modes
Schools will be expected to describe the amount of effort normally required for the degree.  The descriptive characteristics will differ by the pedagogical and delivery characteristics of the degree.  Traditional, campus-based, education may be described by contact hours, credit hours, or course equivalencies.  Distance learning programs may require other metrics and may depend more heavily on demonstration of the learning outcomes.  The school should assist accreditation reviewers by clarifying the delivery modes and the kinds and extent of student effort involved in degree programs.