Academic Accreditation, Licensure and Programs

Academic accreditation is based on accepted qualitative and quantitative standards of excellence for evaluating the quality of education offered at the institution. Evaluation and subsequent accreditation include such areas as the educational objectives and achievements, academic programs, admissions practices, student personnel and welfare services, institutional study, training and experience of instructional staff, financial stability, and laboratory and library resources.

Gannon University is accredited by:

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education

3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267)-284-5000, FAX (215) 662-5501, www.msche.org The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Academic programs of Gannon University at Ruskin are accredited by:

Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education

6116 Executive Blvd., Suite 200 North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929 (301) 652-6611, www.acoteonline.org

Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, Inc.

12000 Findley Road, Suite 275 Johns Creek, GA 30097 (770) 476-1224, FAX (770) 476-1738, www.arc-pa.org

Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education

3030 Potomac Avenue, Suite 100 Alexandria, VA, 22305 (703) 684-2782, FAX (703) 684-7343 www.capteonline.org

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs

9355 113th Street N, #7709 Seminole, FL 33775 727-210-2350, www.caahep.org

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

655 K Street NW, Suite 750 Washington, DC 20001 (202) 887-6791, FAX (202 887-8476, www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE

Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology

American Speech-Language Hearing Association 2200 Research Boulevard #310 Rockville, MD 20850 800-498-2071, www.caa.asha.org

Current Status of Accreditation Actions

Physician Assistant Program: The ARC-PA has granted Accreditation-Provisional status to the Gannon University Physician Assistant Program-Ruskin sponsored by Gannon University-Ruskin. Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students. Accreditation-Provisional does not ensure any subsequent accreditation status. It is limited to no more than five years from matriculation of the first class. The program’s accreditation history can be viewed on the ARC-PA website at http://www.arc-pa.org/ accreditation-history-gannon-university-

The Master of Science degree program in Speech-Language

Pathology at Gannon University is a Candidate for Accreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and SpeechLanguage Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. This is a “pre-accreditation” status with the CAA, awarded to developing or emerging programs for a maximum period of five years.

Academic Programs of Gannon University at Ruskin are licensed by:

Pennsylvania Department of Education

333 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333 (717) 787-5041, FAX (717) 783-0583 www.education.pa.gov

Florida Dept. of Education Commission for Independent Education

325 West Gaines St., Suite 1414 Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400 (850) 245-3200, www.fldoe.org/cie

The Florida Commission for Independent Education, License No. 5229.

Programs of Study at the Ruskin Campus

Doctoral Programs

• Doctor of Nursing Practice – DNP (online) • Doctor of Physical Therapy – DPT • Occupational Therapy Doctorate – OTD • Post Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate (online) (OTD)

Master’s Programs

• Healthcare Administration – MHA (online) • Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner – MSN Nursing, Family

Nurse Practitioner – APRN Certificate (online) • Physician Assistant – Master of Physician Assistant Science –

MPAS • Speech Language Pathology – Master of Science in Speech

Language Pathology – MS in SLP

Please visit www.gannon.edu/grad for additional graduate academic offerings at the Erie campus.

Graduate Student Designations

Each graduate student’s status will be determined based upon the specifics of the application decision and the student’s individual circumstance.

Degree Status

Students who submit a complete application portfolio and meet the program admission requirements qualify for degree status.

Provisional Status for Degree Seeking Students

There are two general circumstances which lead to this designation:

A. Provisional/Academic

If a student does not meet an admissions criterion (i.e., GPA, test scores, etc.) but shows potential in other areas, the student may be admitted with provisional/academic status. Continued enrollment is contingent upon demonstration of sufficient ability to do graduate work. Generally, to receive degree status, students must achieve a minimum cumulative average of 3.00 in 9 – 12 credits of graduate work. This is determined by the Program Director.

B. Provisional/Administrative

This status applies to an applicant showing great promise but who has a missing component of information, such as a letter of recommendation or test score. This status allows students an initial semester to complete the admissions portfolio. In general, provisional students may not register for more than one semester however, specific programs may have different limits.

In either case, the responsibility is on the student to petition the Program Director by letter for a change to degree status as soon as the deficit has been alleviated. Generally, credits earned as a provisional student are fully applicable to graduate degrees and certificates.

Non-Degree Status

This designation is reserved for students who are not pursuing a degree at Gannon. There are a variety of common reasons for this status, including students who are pursuing a course or two for professional development, certificate students, students from other graduate schools who are planning to transfer course work back to their own institutions, or students who are attending workshops and institutes which offer graduate credit. In some cases, with the permission of a graduate program director, credits earned as a non-degree student may be applied toward a degree or certificate program at Gannon.

With the exception of students in graduate certificate programs, the non-degree student is limited to nine credits of graduate course work under this status. Only with special permission of the program director and respective Academic Dean may a non-degree student enroll for more than nine credits.