ECC Receives Accreditation from National Association of Schools of Art and Design

ECC Receives Accreditation from National Association of Schools of Art and Design

June 5, 2015 |

East Central College recently earned accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

“NASAD accreditation represents another huge step forward as the college continues to enhance our programs and seek external recognition of the quality that we provide,” stated Dr. Jon Bauer, ECC president.

Founded in 1944, NASAD is an organization of schools, colleges and universities. It has approximately 322 accredited institutional members. It establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials.

East Central becomes the eighth institution in Missouri to earn NASAD accreditation and just the third Missouri community college to receive the distinction.  NASAD accreditation has been granted to just 72 of the two-year private proprietary schools and 1,200 public community colleges  in the nation.

Jean McCann, vice president of instruction at ECC, congratulated the faculty, specifically Adam Watkins,  Jennifer Higerd and Sean Barton, “for designing a curriculum and facilities we can all be very proud of.”

She noted that accreditation means that the ECC art and design departments provide the educational quality which meets the standards and guidelines set by NASAD.

“Accreditations always benefit our students,” stated McCann. “We have program to program articulation agreements in place with several four year universities, and NASAD accreditation is another way that East Central assists its graduates.”

A meticulous application process began more than three years ago and included a self-study, onsite review and a panel review by the NASAD Commission of Accreditation.  “The application for accreditation process helped us to make important decisions regarding curriculum and facilities as we strive to improve and advance our program,” McCann said.  “While the process was long and exacting, the college is thrilled to add this accreditation to its growing list of credentials and achievements.”

For students planning to pursue a bachelor’s degree, ECC offers two transfer options:  the Associate of Arts degree in Studio Art and the Associate of Fine Arts degree.  Students wanting to enter the workforce sooner can pursue an Associate of Applied Science degree in Graphic Design or Multimedia Design.