Both the program seeking accreditation and the institution in which it is housed must meet eligibility requirements.
CIPS defines a program as an integrated, organized experience that culminates in the awarding of a degree or diploma. The program will have program educational objectives, student outcomes, a curriculum, faculty, and facilities.
A program must be housed in a degree or diploma granting institution.
CIPS accepts requests for an accreditation evaluation from post-secondary programs offered by degree or diploma granting institutions with verifiable and recognized governmental, national, or regional authority to confer degrees or diplomas. CIPS will consider the review and accreditation of programs funded through privately funded educational institutions if the program has satisfied the following conditions:
a) Received provincial government recognition involving institutional recognition/accreditation and a program specific review recognition/accreditation and continues to meeting the province’s guidelines for continuing the recognition.
b) Is a baccalaureate degree program.
All programs requesting accreditation will be reviewed CIPS existing accreditation criteria. No changes or exception will be made to these criteria to accommodate special needs or requirements that exist in privately funded educational institutions.
A program must have at least one graduate.
Programs requesting an initial accreditation must have at least one graduate prior to the academic year when the on-site review occurs. However, an accreditation visit for a new program may be undertaken during the final academic year of the first graduating class of that program. Accreditation of such a new program is granted only if and when students graduate from the program in the year in which the accreditation visit takes place. The effective date of such accreditation will include the first graduating class. Should the program fail to produce graduates in the academic year of the visit, accreditation will be denied.
What if the program has not yet produced a graduate?
These programs have the opportunity to seek Recognized status. The Business Technology Management Accreditation Council (BTMAC) will offer an informal review to programs that have not yet produced graduates and do not qualify for an accreditation visit. The purpose of the informal evaluation is to provide comment and advice to the institution with respect to the program. The review will focus solely on the alignment of the program to the BTM Learning Outcomes. To be successful, a program needs to demonstrate that it produces learning outcomes that are largely aligned with the BTM Learning Outcomes and Competency Standards. Programs that are successful in the review will be allowed to use the term BTM Recognized on communications for a maximum of four (4) years. No undertaking is given by the BTMAC as to the eventual accreditation of the program. The Recognized status is only available at this time to BTM type program.
A program’s name must meet CIPS requirements.
The name of a program seeking accreditation must be descriptive of the program’s content and be stated exactly the same way on the graduate’s transcript and in the institution’s literature. Programs outside Canada where English or French is not the native language, must provide the program’s name both in English or French and in the native language(s).
An institution may not use the same program name to identify both an CIPS accredited program and a program that is not CIPS accredited.
A program must be accreditable under at least one CIPS Accreditation Council Criteria.
It is up to the program to conduct a self-assessment and determine what is the most appropriate criteria to seek accreditation under.
COMPUTER SCIENCE ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (CSAC)
Programs accredited by the CSAC are those leading to a computer science, software engineering or interdisciplinary degree (leading to professional practice across the broad spectrum of computing, computational, information, and informatics disciplines).
CSAC accredits a program at the bachelor’s level.
BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (BTMAC)
Programs accredited by the BTMAC are those leading to a Business Technology Management or alike degree.
BTMAC accredits a program at the bachelor’s degree level.
BTM Accreditation and Recognition Questionnaires:
INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (ISTAC)
Programs accredited by ISTAC are those leading a diploma in computer systems technology (or equivalent), a Bachelor of Technology or Applied Degree (or equivalent).
ISTAC accredits a program at either the diploma or bachelor’s level
Questions?
Please contact the Accreditation Department.