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ACCREDITATION

International recognition; distinction in home country; quality education

In the U.S., universities undergo voluntary, rigorous evaluation processes to demonstrate their high standards of academic quality by independent agencies recognized by the U.S. government in order to be awarded accreditation.

Institutions that offer online, on-campus or hybrid courses are all eligible for accreditation.

The University of San Diego is regionally accredited by WASC. This level of accreditation is considered the most prestigious type of accreditation as the quality of academic standards and admissions criteria are generally the most rigorous. Regional accreditation is generally awarded to private nonprofit institutions and public, state-owned institutions.

Read more about what accreditation means in the US and why it's important in this blog post. 

University of San Diego - WASC Logo

20+ YEARS DELIVERING
EXCELLENCE IN COURSE DESIGN

USD's Learning Design Center created a USD Online course quality rubric that includes 34 standards for online course design and aligns with these four academic values that serve as a framework for all courses to ensure we're offering a contemporary Catholic education:

  • A culture of engagement:
    A focus on engaged teaching with extensive interpersonal interaction, high - impact teaching practices and pedagogical strategies that emphasize collaboration, mentoring and the co - creation of learning.
  • Diversity and inclusion
    We are dedicated to fostering inclusion of a diverse student body as well as exploring diversity in course content, mechanisms of delivering that content to students, and diverse learning experiences. Our goal is to support students who may have geographical, logistical, or financial barriers to traditional education.
  • Care for the whole person
    We emphasize each student's whole development. The goal is to teach subject matter while nurturing the success and development of the whole person. Robust support is provided, including orientation, academic, and career advising and individual guidance.
  • Social justice
    Each program expresses our commitment to social justice in various ways, including opportunities for students to operationalize social justice throughout their courses.

Each course is a result of a consultation with academically and professionally qualified instructional designers. Learners can expect the following in their courses with USD:

  • Engaging multimedia learning content that is based on cognitive theory in learning, incorporating active learning strategies. This allows students to self - regulate and find ways that allow them to master the content.
  • Continuous peer learning, where students can engage with each other to have insightful discussions and collaborative group activities. This will also help you develop communication skills that are essential to the virtual workplace.
  • Authentic assessments to help students practice their learning to build a robust portfolio before even graduating.

QUALITY AND TRAINING OF FACULTY IN ONLINE
EDUCATION AT USD

COURSE MATERIALS AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS

  • Pre-recorded lectures from professors
  • Pre-recorded lab lectures
  • Specific guide for using Git-Hub for beginners

COURSE MATERIALS AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS