Wikipedia states that in the United States, the Department of Education approves private agencies which can then go on to accredit universities and other schools, who then go on to bestow degrees to students.
But this is a pretty high power to give to an agency. Deciding who holds a certificate in what field defines the output of that field. How does the DoE set the standard for which accrediting agencies/companies have the power to do this? Furthermore, who accredits the DoE themself? Wouldn’t you eventually reach a point where absolute power comes from nowhere or an arbitrary source?
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The US Department of Education was created by the US Congress and tasked with the job of determining what institutions are accredited by the Federal government They were given funding for this purpose and the power to make this determination.
As for absolute power, not even close.
They have the ability to give or take away their own accreditation. Any agency, or even a non-governmental entity, can do this. I can create the “National Association of Splorging Education” and accredit or not accredit schools, and that means as little or as much as everybody not me cares about my opinion on the subject.
If a school is not accredited by the DoE for Engineering, for example, this doesn’t mean that they cannot teach engineering. It also doesn’t mean that I can’t claim to be an engineer, work for a company as an engineer, or, if they are willing, get accredited as an engineer by organizations such as the National Society of Professional Engineers.
Their power comes from the fact that organizations such as the National Society of Professional Engineers care about their accreditation.
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