Agriculture and Bio-Resources Accreditation

Accreditation is a form of independent, professional certification that focuses on schools and programs in a particular field. Accreditation of agriculture and bio-resource schools and programs therefore assures you and your parents that the school adheres to high quality standards. Which means the programs are delivered by qualified faculty and are constantly updated to follow the changes and meet the needs of the relevant industry or working world. Attending an accredited school or program is often thought to make you more competitive on the job market.

In Canada, all public community colleges are accredited by their respective provincial government. Accreditation standards for private career colleges vary from province to province and may include provincial legislation, licensing, certification, accreditation and program approval. For example, institutions may seek voluntary accreditation through the Canadian Education and Training Accreditation Committee (CETAC).

The Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC) accredits Canadian university degree programs in agriculture, and there are also separate national accrediting bodies for different programs within the field of agriculture and bio-resources. You can also look at whether a school or program has any memberships in, or endorsements by, discipline-specific professional associations which reflect certain standards of quality, but this is not the same as official accreditation.

Accrediting Agencies
Agricultural Institute of Canada (AIC)
Established: 1944
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Web: http://www.aic.ca
The Agricultural Institute of Canada (in partnership with l'ordre des agronomes du Québec) initiated the Accreditation Program in 1998. They accredit university baccalaureate degrees in Canada's faculties of agriculture.

Forestry:
Canadian Forestry Accreditation Board (CFAB)
Established: 1989
Location: Kanata, Ontario
Web: http://www.cfab.ca/
Accredits Canadian university forestry baccalaureate programs for the purpose of meeting academic requirements for professional registration.

Why Accreditation?
The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. Accrediting agencies, which are educational associations of regional or national scope, develop evaluation criteria and conduct peer evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met. Institutions and/or programs that request an agency's evaluation and that meet an agency's criteria are then "accredited" by that agency.